President Donald Trump announced Monday that the 2027 NFL Draft will be held on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The move signals a major moment for the city as the Washington Commanders prepare to return to the district.
Trump made the announcement from the Oval Office alongside NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, and Commanders owner Josh Harris. “Everyone in the world is going to be watching,” Trump said.
He called the draft “a celebration of one of our country’s most cherished cultural institutions.” Trump added the event would help make Washington “safe and clean and beautiful.”
Goodell said the draft has become one of the league’s premier spectacles. “It will not just be an event,” he said. “It will be something that will show the world how far the nation’s capital has come and where it’s going.”
The draft used to take place in New York but shifted to a bidding system in 2015. Cities like Detroit and Green Bay have drawn massive crowds and reaped economic benefits. Detroit’s 2024 draft drew 775,000 fans and generated more than $200 million.
Washington is now hoping for a similar boost. Goodell projected more than one million people would attend the three-day event in 2027.
The announcement comes amid excitement for the Commanders, who are set to return to D.C. in 2030. The team, led by rising star quarterback Jayden Daniels, reached the NFC Championship last season and looks to be on the rise.
Last week, the city revealed plans to build a new domed stadium on the site of the old RFK Stadium. The Commanders played there for decades before relocating to Maryland in the late '90s.
Trump hailed the stadium deal as a major win for the city. “We are making Washington, D.C., GREAT AGAIN, one step at a time!” he said.