Vikings Fans Just Got the Draft News They Hoped For
If you’ve been craving the city of Minneapolis to host the NFL Draft at some point, your wish has been granted.
The Twin Cities will soon join the league’s rotating list of draft host cities.
Credible reporting emerged Monday, explaining that the 2028 NFL Draft will indeed be held in the Twin Cities after Minneapolis submitted a bid earlier in the offseason. It’s happening.
Minneapolis Moves Toward a Major NFL Showcase
Clear your late April calendar in 2028.
Sources: 2028 Draft Coming to Minny
It’s damn near official. ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweeted Monday, “ESPN sources: The 2028 NFL Draft is expected to be awarded to Minneapolis at this week’s league meeting. The NFL’s fan engagement and major events committees have been working with the city and the Vikings on plans for the 2028 Draft.”
Kevin Seifert from the same network added, “Local organizers spoke in March about the broad strokes of this bid, saying U.S. Bank Stadium will be a “foundational piece” of the draft footprint. But we’re awaiting more details on exactly what that would look like.”
In 2023, the draft occurred in Kansas City. The year after that? Detroit. In 2025, Green Bay got the nod. And last month, Pittsburgh hosted the event. The NFL has apparently decided that America’s breadbasket is the best spot to grow the business when rookies enter the league.
The Case for Minneapolis
In April, Minnesota Sports and Events (MNSE) Executive Vice President of Business Development & Tourism Matt Meunier explained why Minneapolis wanted the event: “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.
“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. We want to unite everybody with this event.”
Vikings Executive Vice President of Public Affairs Lester Bagley added, “The Vikings are vested and invested, and we will provide financial support, staff support and organizational energy.”
Rallying cries from Meunier and Bagley worked.
The State of the Team by Then?
The event is two regular seasons and another full offseason from now. The Vikings could look markedly different in 2028, believe it or not.
By that draft, Minnesota will know if J.J. McCarthy is its long-term solution at quarterback. Kyler Murray is in the mix this season to compete with McCarthy for the gig — may the best man win later this summer. The evaluator of that battle? Head coach Kevin O’Connell. The Vikings’ skipper enters Year No. 5 with the franchise without a playoff win, and most head coaches don’t get that grace from their ownership or general manager.
The Vikings, on the other hand, fired O’Connell’s boss, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, in January while retaining O’Connell. Before too long, O’Connell probably has to win a postseason game or two to stay off the hot seat.
Meanwhile, Brian Flores runs the Vikings’ defense, but his relationship feels like a year-to-year arrangement, as he deserves another head coaching job soon. Minnesota is also searching for a new general manager; the eventual candidate will likely be in charge of the team during the 2028 NFL Draft, barring a strange mishap.
Get Ready for a Ginormous Party
That’s all the football stuff — who will be in charge and why the Vikings wanted the event in the first place. Now: the fun part.
The draft in the Twin Cities will be an epic three-day experience. Virtually every city that hosts it tells wonderful tales about its success thereafter. VikingsWire‘s Glenn Erby on the event: “The NFL Draft has evolved into a three-day football festival featuring nonstop television coverage, celebrity appearances, concerts, and millions of fans attending in person and online.”
“From 1965 through 2014, the draft remained in New York City before the NFL shifted toward rotating host cities in 2015, beginning with Chicago. Since then, the event has traveled throughout the country, including stops in cities such as Philadelphia, Kansas City, Detroit, Las Vegas, and Green Bay.”
If you need a quick way to think of it — it’s just a giant party for three days, celebrating the influx of youth into the sport.
“Minneapolis would become the latest city to capitalize on the draft’s economic impact, tourism boost, and national spotlight,” Erby added.
League owners will vote on Minneapolis as the host city this week and are widely expected to green-light it. Start planning your 2028 draft weekend.
The draft will physically take place at a spot adjacent to U.S. Bank Stadium, per sources.
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