Minnesota Emerges as Favorite to Host 2028 NFL Draft, Report Says

While the players in the stacked class of the 2027 NFL Draft will have their names called in Washington, D.C., the best college football players in the country in 2028 could be walking onto a stage to greet NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell in Minneapolis.

Minnesota leaders and the Vikings have submitted a bid to host the 2028 draft, and according to ESPN's Kevin Seifert, the bid is "considered the favorite." Based on the NFL's past actions, the winning bid could be announced during the NFL owners' meetings in Orlando, Florida, May 19-20.

On Thursday, the Vikings released a short video to show that the team officials, along with leaders at Minnesota Sports and Events (MNSE), were in Pittsburgh last week for the three-day NFL Draft.

It's a major event. It really has an opportunity to unite people (and) build community. It has an economic impact, for sure, but it also has a brand impact on Minneapolis, on Minnesota," said Lester Bagley, executive vice president of public affairs for the Vikings.

We went to Pittsburgh to find out what it takes to host the @NFL Draft.

Minnesota is ready. #Skol pic.twitter.com/F3DvOZizQ3
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) April 30, 2026

"We’re continuing to learn from host cities and are working hard to ensure Minnesota is positioned as strongly as possible for a future opportunity," a spokesperson from the MNSE said.

Matt Meunier, director at Minnesota Sports & Events – the nonprofit charged with bringing major events to the Twin Cities, said U.S. Bank Stadium would be a "foundational piece" of the bid, with The Mall of America in Bloomington and the Viking Lakes development at the Vikings' headquarters in Eagan also utilized.

"In terms of the location of the draft, the red carpet and all the ancillary events that go with hosting the draft, all those things are under evaluation by the league right now, so it's to be determined, but what we can say is TCO Performance Center is a really viable option," Meunier said in early April.

"Flag football, youth football is going to continue to be more prominent as it relates to the NFL and leaning into 2028 and the L.A. [Olympic] Games, so there's potential to stage some youth football and community legacy events out at TCO Performance Center, but in addition to that, every event Minnesota Sports and Events hosts, we're really intentional about staging events throughout the region and not just downtown [Minneapolis]."

MNSE chief executive Wendy Blackshaw said the draft in Minnesota would be funded primarily through corporate money, while Bagley previously stated that the Vikings are "vested and invested, and we will provide financial support, staff support, and organizational energy."

The economic impact on Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania is still being calculated, but the three-day draft festivities drew a record 805,000 fans, including 320,000 on the first day of the event.

More than 600,000 people attended the draft in Green Bay in 2025, where there was an estimated $72.9 million local economic impact on the city and county, and a statewood boom of $104.7 million.

History of NFL Draft host cities:

2027: Washington, D.C.
2026: Pittsburgh, PA
2025: Green Bay, WI
2024: Detroit, MI
2023: Kansas City, MO
2022: Las Vegas, NV
2021: Cleveland, OH
2020: Virtual (COVID pandemic)
2019: Nashville, TN
2018: Arlington, TX
2017: Philadelphia, PA
2016: Chicago, IL
2015: Chicago, IL
1965-2014: New York City, NY
1962-1964: Chicago, IL
1956-1961: Philadelphia, PA
1955: New York City, NY
1953-1954: Philadelphia, PA
1952: New York City, NY
1951: Chicago, IL
1949-1950: Philadelphia, PA
1948: Pittsburgh, PA
1945-1947: New York City, NY
1944: Philadelphia, PA
1942-1943: Chicago, IL
1941: Washington, DC
1940: Milwaukee, WI
1939: New York City, NY
1938: Chicago, IL
1937: New York City, NY
1936: Philadelphia, PA

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