Crowd At NFL Draft In Detroit Is Insane: PHOTOS

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Earlier Thursday, I wrote a story on the crowd at the NFL Draft in Detroit. Fans started showing up nearly eight hours before it started, so we knew the attendance number was going to be big. 

But, I vastly underestimated exactly HOW big. There were over 150,000 people in attendance in the final hour prior to the first pick. Some reports suggested that as many as 400,000 people could show up to see the NFL Draft in person. Just ridiculous numbers and crazy photos and videos from a wild scene. 

As I wrote earlier, holding the NFL Draft in a Midwest city (especially the mostly not great ones) tends to lend itself to huge turnouts. 

From previous story: 

The downside of hosting the NFL Draft in Detroit is that … the NFL Draft is held in Detroit. The positive side is that, with not much else to do, people are showing up in massive numbers to view the event in person.

After holding the Draft in New York City for many years, the NFL decided to spread the love and allow cities to vie for hosting duties similarly to the Super Bowl. The difference between the Draft and the Super Bowl is that many more cities are in play because weather is not as big of a factor. 

The crowd at the NFL Draft in Detroit could reach as many as 400,000 people.

(Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

I stand by all of that, and the NFL seems to understand this. After last year's NFL Draft in Kansas City, Adam Schefter reported that the NFL will only hold outdoor drafts moving forward because they want a "music festival-like atmosphere." Hard to argue that's not exactly what they got in Detroit. 

The downside is that the players don't seem to love it. Only 17 prospects attended last year's NFL Draft. According to The Athletic, only 13 prospects are expected to attend the NFL Draft in Detroit. That ties for the lowest number ever (excluding the COVID virtual draft in 2020). 

But, like everything else when it comes to the NFL, this really isn't about the players. It's about the fans. They buy the tickets, they buy the merchandise and they drive the advertising dollars. Good for the league for recognizing that. 

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Dan began his sports media career at ESPN, where he survived for nearly a decade. Once the Stockholm Syndrome cleared, he made his way to OutKick. He is secure enough in his masculinity to admit he is a cat-enthusiast with three cats, one of which is named "Brady" because his wife wishes she were married to Tom instead of him.