The Green Bay mayor’s office released the numbers for the 2025 draft, especially those relating to public services.
According to the office, over 600,000 people attended the three-day event, which ties the record for second place. This is tied with the 2019 draft held in Nashville. It was the largest in history, until the 2024 event in Detroit, which saw over 775,000 people.
Unlike Nashville or Detroit, Green Bay stands out as the smallest city in the NFL, and is the first host to have an attendance larger than its own population. The city only has roughly 105,000 people, so roughly five times the total population came out to the event. On night one alone, double the population was present in the theatre, with 205,000 people in attendance.
Originally, the estimated attendance was only going to be 250,000 people for the weekend.
The Green Bay Police Department only made one arrest and ejected eight people from the NFL Draft campus. The Green Bay mayor’s office says there were more than 100 officers on-site throughout the event, including 20 K-9 units from surrounding agencies. According to Chief of police Chris Davis, this is a testament to the planning that took place in the years leading up to the event.
“Even for a Packer game, those would be pretty low numbers,” Davis said. “I think people were great [Thursday], they had a great time without getting out of hand.”
The Green Bay Metro Fire Department provided first aid to 172 visitors, including 71 emergency medical incidents and 15 ambulance transports. Metro Fire responded to 529 public assistance calls and managed one fire.
Brown County Sheriff Todd Delain said it was a calmer weekend than normal for the sheriff’s office as there was one major car accident downtown April 25, but it was unrelated to the draft.
“Traffic overall has been better than expected,” Davis said.
The mayor’s office also noted Green Bay Metro Transit made almost 20,000 bus trips, carrying over two times its normal ridership.
“Green Bay might be the NFL’s smallest city, but we’ve got the biggest heart, and we have room in it for 600,000 fans,” Mayor Eric Genrich wrote in a statement Monday after the draft. “With the 2025 NFL Draft in the rearview mirror, I feel immense gratitude for so many people, beginning with Green Bay residents, our public safety teams, city employees of all kinds, our business improvement districts and their incredible staff, the Village of Ashwaubenon, Brown County, and, of course, the Packers, the local organizing committee, Discover Green Bay, and the NFL for making the 2025 Draft something special for everyone. Hundreds of thousands of visitors and millions of viewers of the 2025 NFL Draft experienced or witnessed so many amazing things about Green Bay, northeast Wisconsin, and the state as a whole. They know now what we’ve always known: Green Bay is an exceptional city, capable of greatness. Again, I am incredibly proud of our citizens and grateful to them. At every opportunity, they open their arms wide to visitors and fans of all kinds and demonstrate a true spirit of northern hospitality that is palpable, contagious, and inspiring. Just as one example, area restaurants and organizations provided over 2,000 meals to first responders. That ethic is at the core of what made the 2025 Draft so successful, and it’s what will allow us to continue to grow, innovate, and succeed in the years ahead.”
The 2026 NFL Draft will be held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
