Detroit makes NFL Draft history with 700,000 in attendance — and hours to go

Detroit broke the all-time NFL Draft attendance record less than two hours into the event’s third and final day, drawing 700,000 people over three days and shattering the record set by Nashville in 2019.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced the total around 1:30 p.m. Saturday as she took the stage in Campus Martius Park to announce the Lions’ fourth-round pick.,

“It has been a historic week here in the great city of Detroit,” said Whitmer, clad in a Lions starter jacket. “We have shown the world what the Motor City is all about. It is my honor to announce that the 2024 NFL Draft has now broken the all-time record. 700,000 and counting.”

The governor donned her signature Cartier Buffs sunglasses and announced offensive lineman Giovanni Manu as the Lions’ 126th overall pick in a trade with the New York Jets.

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Saturday’s mid-afternoon total puts Detroit 100,000 people over Nashville’s record with five hours and 131 picks to go on the longest day of the draft, which covers rounds four through seven and is expected to end around 7 p.m.

At noon Saturday, NFL executive Dawn Aponte told fans attendance had reached 550,000 as she kicked off the fourth round. That’s up from 505,000 people when the second round began at capacity on Friday, suggesting nearly 200,000 people had showed up before Whitmer’s announcement Saturday afternoon.

About 230,000 people flooded downtown on Friday night for the draft’s second and third rounds, adding to a total of 275,000 on Thursday that set a single-day attendance record.

“We are going to break the all-time draft attendance record here today,” Aponte told fans as she kicked off the fourth round at noon Saturday. The total was 550,000 then, meaning some 45,000 people had turned out before noon.

The draft footprint reached capacity on Friday for a second consecutive night. Gates closed around 6:40 p.m. — minutes before Goodell welcomed fans with their attendance numbers.

“We watched 32 amazing players join the NFL family in front of a record 275,000 people,” Goodell told the crowd at Campus Martius Park on Friday. “Another 230,000 are already here tonight.

“So Detroit, you’re within 100,000 of breaking the all-time record.”

Nashville drew 600,000 fans over the three days of the NFL draft in 2019 to set the mark Detroit will shoot to surpass this weekend. Nashville had the previous first- and second-round records, drawing 200,000 fans each day.