NFL Draft 2023 Expected to Draw 300K Fans in Attendance and Over 10 Million Viewers

NFL Draft 2023 Expected to Draw 300K Fans in Attendance and Over 10 Million Viewers

The NFL Draft is one of the most highly-anticipated events of the football calendar. Though it happens after the Super Bowl, fans from across the country tune into the draft in hopes

The draft is an opportunity for franchises to infuse new talent into their roster with some teams receiving an instant boost after their selection.

This year the NFL Draft will be held in Kansas City, Missouri. It’s expected to draw over 300,000 people and 10 million viewers in the first round. It may not seem like a huge deal but the NFL Draft is a huge event involving $3 million in just the infrastructure alone.

Key NFL Draft 2023 Facts via Joe Pompliano:

  • Attendance: 300,000
  • Viewers: 10,000,000
  • Economic Impact: $100,000,000

The 2023 NFL Draft Will Attract Over 300,000 Fans

Aside from the Super Bowl, the Draft is the NFL’s biggest production of the year.

This year in Kansas City, there are an expected 300,000 fans coming to watch the 2023 NFL Draft.

The venue is the size of a football field with over 500 semi-trucks filled with material, including 7.5 miles of fence lines and 1.5 miles in concrete barriers.

The NFL event will also host concerts for fans with performances by Fall Out Boy, Motley Crue and Thundercat throughout the weekend. To do so, the venue will install 168 speakers with 10,000 square foot video display boards.

With unlimited entertainment options, the NFL Draft always produces a huge crowd and 2023 will be no different.

Check out the list below for the NFL Draft annual attendance since 2016.

  • 2016 Chicago: 225,000
  • 2017 Philadelphia: 250,000
  • 2018 Dallas: 200,000
  • 2019 Nashville: 600,000
  • 2020: N/A (Covid-19)
  • 2021 Cleveland: 160,000 (limited due to Covid)
  • 2022 Las Vegas: 300,000

NFL Draft 2023 First Round Expected To Average More than 10 Million Viewers

Unlike in other sports leagues, the NFL Draft has become a spectacle that attracts millions of viewers from across the US.

Last year the NFL Draft was held in Las Vegas and the first round averaged a whopping 10.03 million viewers.

Compared to other sports leagues the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft drew in higher viewership numbers by a wide margin. It attracted 152 percent more viewers than the NBA Draft, 1,185 percent more than the MLB Draft, and 2,094 percent more than the NHL Draft

In fact, the NFL Draft averaged more viewers than the other three biggest US sports combined in 2022.

  • 2022 NFL Draft Round 1: 10.03 million
  • 2022 NBA Draft Rounds 1 and 2: 3.98 million
  • 2022 MLB Draft Rounds 1 and 2: 780,000
  • 2022 NHL Draft Round 1: 457,000

The NFL Draft has now been televised for the last 44 years by ESPN. Coverage is extensive with fans packing into the venue and cheering throughout the process.

This year, the first round is expected to over 10 million viewers for the second consecutive season.


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