The Vikings and Minnesota Sports & Events “feel confident” as preparations begin ahead of the 2028 NFL Draft that they are “set up for success, even while logistics like venues and fundraising still need to be completed,” according to Emily Leiker of the MINNESOTA STAR TRIBUNE. Minnesota, rather than Minneapolis or even the Twin Cities, is being “formally presented as the host,” representing the “large footprint” of the event. MSE President & CEO Wendy Williams Blackshaw said that the Draft Theater is “expected to be around U.S. Bank Stadium.” She added that there is “room for 100,000 fans around the stadium.” Officials said that “accounting for growing attendance at the draft was one of the biggest evolutions Minnesota’s bid took over the six years since it first started communicating with the NFL.” Leiker noted Pittsburgh this year “set a draft attendance record with 805,000 attendees.” The Vikings and MSE “sent a contingent to Pittsburgh in April” as part of the Future Prospective Host City Program. They will “make another trip to the 2027 draft” in Washington, D.C. Other draft-affiliated events are “expected to span not just downtown Minneapolis but the broader metro area.” MSE EVP/Business Development & Tourism Matt Meunier, who directed the bid, said that “Commons Park, the Armory and the Mall of America were possible event sites included in the proposal.” Leiker added the Vikings Lakes development in Eagan that includes TCO Performance Center has also “previously been mentioned as a potential venue.” Blackshaw said that the commission “hoped a public-private partnership would be struck to fund MSE and its events, but that a bill did not pass in the state legislature this spring” (MINNESOTA STAR TRIBUNE, 5/19).
Vikings, local officials lay groundwork to host 2028 NFL Draft
