NFL Draft Residue
A look at the 2025 NFL Draft in Green Bay by the numbers.
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NFL DRAFT RESIDUE: INSIDE DESTINATION GREEN BAY
Average Audience of 7.5 Million Viewers Over 3 Days Most-Watched Day 3 on Record.
It’s the draft cycle new year here at All Access Football, where we bring you year-round coverage of the NFL Draft and EVERYTHING pigskin.
As we transition into the start of 2026 draft mode, we will continue to examine how the 2025 NFL Draft will impact this upcoming season. Starting Tuesday, we will roll out our ‘Draft Recap Series,’ beginning with the NFC East. But first, we take a look at some key facts and figures from the 90th annual gathering of NFL franchises to select newly eligible players.
Other than the infamous 2020-COVID year, the 2025 NFL Draft was the second most-watched draft on record, seen by an average audience of 7.5 million viewers across ESPN, ABC, NFL Network, ESPN2, ESPN Deportes and digital channels for the three-day event, according to the NFL. An increase of 27% over the 2024 NFL Draft.
The first round of the 2025 NFL Draft also enjoyed an 11% increase over last year, with 13.6 million viewers tuned-in on average, as the ‘Shedeur Sanders Watch’ translated to boku ratings! It was the second most-watched Day 2 on record, up 48% versus 2024 and the most-watched Day 3, as an average of 4.3 million viewers tuned in for rounds four-through-seven, up 43% from a year ago.
It’s safe to say that the popularity of the NFL Draft continues to increase with each passing year and excitement for the 2026 NFL Draft in ‘Destination Pittsburgh’ has already begun!
In terms of overall attendance, the city of Green Bay turned in a championship-caliber performance, hosting more than 600,000 fans across the three-day event, matching Nashville as the second-highest attendance in NFL Draft history. Nearly 800,000 people attended the 2024 NFL Draft in Detroit.
However, when you consider that Green Bay is the smallest city in the NFL and 139th market in the USA, it’s required remarkable execution to pull off such a feat without any major hiccups. While the tourism impact has yet to be determined, the 2024 draft in Detroit generated about $213 million in estimated economic impact.
The city of Washington DC is expected to be named as the host of the 2027 NFL Draft, in a joint announcement between president Donald Trump and commissioner Roger Goodell, according to this report.
NFL DRAFT PICKS BY POSITION
DB — 46
LB — 33
WR — 32
DT — 27
RB — 26
DT — 25
OT —21
DE — 20
OG — 17
TE — 15
QB — 13
C — 3
K — 2
P — 1
LS — 1
*There were 55 underclassmen chosen in the 2025 NFL Draft.
NFL DRAFT PICKS BY CONFERENCE
SEC — 79
B1G — 71
ACC — 42
BIG 12 — 31
AAC — 6
*There were 7 players chosen from ‘Independent’ schools.
NCAA SCHOOLS WITH MOST NFL DRAFT PICKS
Ohio State — 14
Georgia — 13
Texas — 12
Oregon — 10
Ole Miss — 8
*Alabama, Florida, LSU, Michigan tied with 7
NCAA SCHOOLS WITH MOST DRAFT PICKS (ALL-TIME)
Notre Dame — 532
USC — 530
Ohio State — 489
Oklahoma — 417
Michigan — 415
*Alabama with 411 is the only other school over four hundred.
HIGH SCHOOL BY STATE WITH MOST NFL DRAFT PICKS
Texas — 37
Florida — 22
California — 16
Louisiana/Virginia (tie) 10
*IMG Academy was the only high school with three players chosen.
MOST DRAFTED PLAYERS PER HIGH SCHOOL CAPITA
Louisiana: 1 NFL player per 465,776.
Georgia: 1 NFL player per 486,905.
Montana: 1 NFL player per 542,113.
Alabama: 1 NFL player per 558,253.
South Carolina: 1 NFL player per 568,714.
* Based on most recent U.S. Census Data (2020).