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Commanders owner, Roger Goodell make 1 million prediction for 2027 NFL Draft

Originally posted on NFL on ClutchPoints | By Ben Strauss | Last updated May 6, 2025 10:29 AM ET

The Washington Commanders were in Washington D.C. on Monday and made some big announcements. President Donald Trump formally announced on Monday that the 2027 NFL Draft will be held in Washington D.C. The event is expected to take place at the National Mall with the Capitol building featured as a backdrop.

“The draft is a celebration of one of our most cherished cultural institutions,” Trump said. “Everyone in the world is going to be watching.”

Commanders owner Josh Harris and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell are confident that the league will smash attendance records at the 2027 NFL Draft.

“I believe we’ll get over a million people,” Harris said.

“We believe we’ll have well over a million people when we come here,” Goodell added.

If the NFL manages to draft a million people to the 2027 NFL Draft then it will set a new record for the event.

The league had impressive attendance for the 2024 NFL Draft in Detroit, which had more than 750,000 people in attendance. Meanwhile, the 2025 NFL Draft in Green Bay attracted more than 600,000 fans just a few weeks ago.

“The draft has become one of the great entertainment sports events,” Goodell said. “We can have a tremendous impact on this community, and it will not just be an event, it will show the world how far the nation’s capital has come and where it’s going.”

Commanders announced return to Washington D.C. with new facility on RFK Stadium site

Washington Commanders owner Josh Harris before the NFC Championship game at Lincoln Financial Field. Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

This was Roger Goodell’s second major Commanders-related announcement over the past few weeks.

The Commanders announced shortly after the 2025 NFL Draft that they will build a new stadium on the RFK Stadium site in Washington D.C.

Washington has played at its current stadium in Landover, Maryland, since 1997.

ESPN’s John Keim broke the news last week just hours before the Commanders announced the move in a video.

“Terms of the deal have not been announced, though multiple outlets reported earlier this month that the cost would exceed $3 billion,” Keim wrote. “Commanders owner Josh Harris has said he would like to open a new stadium in 2030. Washington has a contract with Maryland to play at Northwest Stadium until early in the 2027 season, but can continue playing there until a new stadium is built.”

Keim reported on Monday that the the new stadium deal will cost nearly $4 billion.

The deal must still be approved by the D.C. Council before it becomes official.

The future is bright for the Washington Commanders.

This article first appeared on NFL on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.

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