Why Minnesota Has Real Buzz for the 2028 NFL Draft
On March 25, the Minnesota Vikings submitted an application for an important annual event. According to the Minnesota Vikings team website, the team has submitted an application to host the 2028 NFL Draft.
Yes, I know the hype is building up toward the 2026 NFL Draft, but the thought of hosting a future NFL Draft is exciting in its own right.
Looking ahead, we are, at the time of writing this article (7:43 pm CT on Friday, April 3), just 20 days away from the 2026 NFL Draft beginning in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. And the 2027 draft will be in Washington, D.C.
So, the question is, what would the experience be like for the Minneapolis-St. Paul, area for the NFL Draft? Let’s take a deeper dive into the idea.
Could the 2028 NFL Draft be Coming To Minnesota?
The festivities surrounding the NFL Draft are an economic boon to the host city. And Minnesota Sports and Events Executive Vice President of Business Development & Tourism Matt Meunier wants to bring a strong regional flair to Minneapolis and St. Paul.
For the 2028 NFL Draft, Meunier’s submission likes his own location.
Per Meunier, “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. We want to unite everybody with this event.”
Ties of the 2028 NFL Draft to Minneapolis
Not only will the potential 2028 NFL Draft have football ties to the Twin Cities, but another major sporting event could bring action to Minneapolis.
As Meunier notes, “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 downtown [Minneapolis].”
And the team’s Executive Vice President of Public Affairs also noted that the event will bring in some major economic boom to the area.
As Lester Bagley notes, “The Vikings are vested and invested, and we will provide financial support, staff support, and organizational energy.”
Ties of the 2028 NFL Draft to the NFC North
Not only would the 2028 NFL Draft complete the cycle of major NFL events to come through the Twin Cities, but it would also complete the cycle of NFC North teams hosting an NFL Draft. Last year, the Green Bay Packers hosted the NFL Draft. 2024 was the year of the Detroit Lions hosting, and the Chicago Bears hosted in 2015 and 2016. And the Vikings also hosted the 2018 Super Bowl.
The Confidence of the Owner to Host the 2028 NFL Draft
Now, a week after the application was submitted, the team’s owner feels fairly confident that Minnesota can land the event.
As Mark Wilf noted on a recent radio interview, “Minnesota and the business community, and the entire community, really comes out and supports the big events. We’re working with the league officials to try to figure out the venue, and we’re working hard to try to win the bid for the 2028 draft. Coming up, later in April, it’s going to be in Pittsburgh, and Washington next year. So, we’re shooting for Minnesota. We think we’ve got a great chance. We’re very supportive of making sure the bid is as top-notch as it can be, and hopefully bring another great event to Minnesota.”
So, the 2028 NFL Draft will be very intriguing to Minnesota fans. Right now, the bid is in submission. Now, the Vikings play the waiting game. Hopefully, the application will be approved.
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