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Ranking All 32 NFL Fanbases From WORST To FIRST For 2023

We dive into all 32 NFL teams from worst to first, where does your team rank?

32. Arizona Cardinals

It gets lonely in the desert especially for Cardinals fans. State Farm Stadium is a beautiful facility but is usually overran by the opposing teams fans. Hey, at least someone is enjoying it.

31. Carolina Panthers

North Carolina is a basketball state and always will be. We do have a couple bright spots for you Carolina. You have a great color scheme for your jerseys and at least, you aren’t Cardinals fans.

30. Los Angeles Chargers

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The fanbase took a hit after leaving San Diego. They are often looked at as the second best team in Los Angeles and moving to Los Angeles did not help increase a fanbase.

29. Los Angeles Rams

It’s hard to make Los Angeles a football town. Even with a stunning state of the art stadium, if given a choice it’s going to be a Dodgers game over a Rams game.

28. Indianapolis Colts

Lucas Oil Stadium is one of the nicer stadiums in the league. Indianapolis also hosts the annual NFL Draft Combine but that seems to bring more excitement to the city than the actual team does.

27. Houston Texans

Football is king in The Lonestar State. However, Texans fans take a backseat to their big brothers in Dallas. There is some hope though Texans fans, you dominate over Houston Roughnecks fans.

26. Atlanta Falcons

Falcons fans need to rise up if they want to be higher on this list. Georgia Bulldog football is dominating the state’s fanbase but there was a debate to rank Atlanta 28 or even 3. See what I did there.

25. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The fanbase was horrific before the arrival of TB12. Since his departure, it grew substantially but nothing that an NFL team should be proud of. Especially for a city with 2 Super Bowl championships.

24. Tennessee Titans

After the move from Houston to the Music City, you would think Nashville would be all the buzz for their NFL franchise. Not really though,

Nashville is a country music city and the Titans will always remain second fiddle to that.

23. Jacksonville Jaguars

The NFL’s quest for global expansion leads the Jaguars to call two places home. Jacksonville and London. London has adopted DUVALLLLL’s finest as their team and packs the stands when the Jags come to town.

22. Washington Commanders

FedEx Field is in desperate need of repairs as it one of the worst stadiums in the NFL. The fanbase hasn’t had quality football play in sometime. However there is some good news, Dan Snyder is no longer involved with the franchise.

21. Miami Dolphins

Hootie and the Blowfish said it best when they said “the Dolphins make me cry.” In fairness to the city of Miami, why go to a football game when

you have the beach? Either way, Dolphins fans have been able to remain Fins Up through years of playoff struggles.

20. Denver Broncos

The mile high altitude definitely gives Broncos players the home field advantage. However, since Peyton Manning’s retirement Broncos Nation hasn’t had much to get excited about which does not help with the teams lackluster play.

19. Minnesota Vikings

There are a couple things that make the Vikings a decent fanbase. The “Skol” chant is amazing as well as the Gjallarhorn.

18. Baltimore Ravens

Definitely a good fanbase but I would expect more from a fanbase with 2 Super Bowl wins. C’mon Baltimore, some fanbases would kill for what you have (Detroit and Cleveland)

17. Detroit Lions

A Lions fan has never experienced a Super Bowl win. Lions fans commonly accept their team will not make the playoffs and commonly endure a losing season. Through all of that, they show up on Thanksgiving Day to support their team. Lions fans need to restore the roar because it’s currently just a light purr.

16. Cincinnati Bengals

The recent success of the Bengals along with rising stars like Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase has increased the fanbase. But before those players were even born, Who Dey Nation was alive and well.

15. San Francisco 49ers

This is a tough fanbase to place. They are easily California’s #1 football team as their fanbase travels well and often fills up opponents’ stadiums.

14. New York Giants

Even with recent Super Bowl success, the G-Men are still the second favorite team that is from New York.

13. New Orleans Saints

Who Dat Nation would be higher on this list but it seems that Drew Brees took some of the fanbase with him when he retired. However, the die hard fans are still there in the Big Easy.

12. New England Patriots

The post Tom Brady era has not been kind to Boston fans. While numerous fans have jumped off the bandwagon, New England faithful remain proud of their team and maintain the Patriot Way.

11. Seattle Seahawks

The 12th Man is alive and well with Seahawk fans. When the crowd noise at CenturyLink Stadium is at its loudest, it’s breaking records. Now that’s a home field advantage.

10. Chicago Bears

Chicago is a huge city with a huge cult-like fanbase. There is no difference whether you are a White Sox fan or Cubs fan. It doesn’t matter if you are from the Northside or Southside, you are still a Bears fan and you hate the Packers with every ounce of energy you have.

9. Las Vegas Raiders

If this team was still in Oakland, they would be higher on the list but a top 10 rank is nothing to be ashamed of. However, moving to Las Vegas

lost some of the loyal black hole fan base. The Raiders still rank among the top scariest looking fanbase even after the move.

8. Cleveland Browns

I magine your hometown football team moves and wins two Super Bowls. Now imagine, the NFL brings back a football team to your hometown and you endure different starting quarterbacks year after year and still no Super Bowls. This is what it takes to be a die hard Browns fan. May God have mercy on your souls.

7. Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles fanbase is relentless and no one is off limits including Santa Claus. Eagles fans hold players, coaches, and their ownership accountable and are passionate about their team. Fly Eagles Fly.

6. New York Jets

Jets fans are typically highly pessimistic, but always knows that it could be worse. Gang Green have suffered through bad seasons and butt

fumbles, but that still hasn’t deterred fans from filling up the seats and flooding to the bars each season to scream J-E-T-S! JETS! JETS! JETS!

5. Kansas City Chiefs

There are very few places louder than Arrowhead Stadium when Chiefs fans get wild. Add to the fact that two of the most popular NFL

players play for the team only increases the fanbase along with the countless number of swifties that recently jumped aboard the Red Kingdom.

4. Buffalo Bills

Bills fans have endured countless years of heartache since the last of their four consecutive trips to the Super Bowl back in the early 90s. Through all of that, Bills Mafia remains strong. Bills fans have garnered quite a reputation over the years for being loyal, crazy, and not afraid to break a table or two.

3. Pittsburgh Steelers

It is very common to look in the stands when the Steelers are on the road and see those “Terrible Towels” swinging. Steeler Nation travels well and is always in support of their “Black and Gold”.

2. Green Bay Packers

Green Bay has an iconic fanbase that is beyond loyal to go watch their team play in sub zero temperatures with a foam cheesehead strapped to their heads. When you think of a football fanbase, Lambeau Stadium and Packers fans are a very common vision.

1. Dallas Cowboys

Easily, the NFL’s most valuable sports team and is also one of the most popular fan bases around. Even after years of Super Bowl droughts, this fan base is always loyal to “Dem Boyz”.

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Written by Mychal Warno

Mychal Warno is a staff writer who covers the NFL and MLB for TotalProSports. An avid football, baseball, Marvel movies, and fantasy football fan Mychal has been … Read More

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Die-Hard or Fair-Weather Fans? Ranking All 32 NFL Fan Bases

The Five Metrics to Compare NFL Fan Bases

            There are a lot of different characteristics of NFL fan bases, and each of the fan bases vary among these attributes. Some have fans all over the country, while others make sure they fill the stadium every Sunday. For this study, five different metrics were used to score each of the fan bases from 1-33 (32 NFL teams, and one extra group who do not identify a favorite team). They are the total number of fans, attendance, attendance per fan, merchandise purchased, and merchandise purchased per fan. By using these five metrics, the fan bases of each team were ranked to determine the best fans in football over the past five years.

Data Explanation

            To obtain this data, a consumer survey was conducted among a representative panel of United States consumers that were 13 or older. About 5000 people completed the survey each year, and the results were scaled to represent the entire US population aged 13+ each year. Because of the size of the sample compared to the size of the entire population, results experience a lot of variability from year to year. It is important to note that any number from a chart is in thousands.

Total Number of Fans

            In terms of the raw number of fans in the US, two things stayed consistent throughout the past five years: the Dallas Cowboys have the largest fanbase in the NFL, and the Jacksonville Jaguars have the smallest. The Cowboys had over ten million fans in each of the five years, a number that was recorded only two other times, by the New England Patriots in 2017 and 2019. The Jaguars, on the other hand, never reached one million fans in any of the five years, something that only happened two other times: once by the Tennessee Titans in 2018, and the other by the Los Angeles Chargers in 2019. Cowboy fans accounted for about 9% of all NFL fans in the United States, meaning that about one out of every eleven people identified as such. Jaguar fans accounted for about 0.33% of all NFL fans in the United States, or about one out of every 300 people.

As a league, the NFL had about 128 million Americans 13+ attend or watch an NFL game in 2017, which accounted for about 47.62% of all Americans 13+. That number grew to about 143 million by 2021, an 11% increase over the five years. The biggest change in any one year was from 2020 to 2021, a year in which the NFL experienced a 15% increase just one year after the COVID-19-impacted season. The average number of American fans aged 13+ that went to or watched a game over the five years was about 127.6 million.

An average of the total number of fans per year was taken over the past five years to properly rank each team using this metric. There were some interesting trends as total fans fluctuated, both league-wide and for specific teams. In terms of specific teams, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Los Angeles Rams, and Kansas City Chiefs were the biggest risers in fans over the past five years, which can be attributed to Tom Brady and a Super Bowl win for Tampa Bay, moving to Los Angeles and a Super Bowl win for Los Angeles, and the emergence of Patrick Mahomes and a Super Bowl win for Kansas City. The largest single-season growth belongs to the Jacksonville Jaguars, who, even after tripling the size of their fan base in one season after drafting generational talent Trevor Lawrence, remained in last for the 2021 season. On the other side of the coin, the Green Bay Packers, Seattle Seahawks, and New England Patriots were the biggest fallers. All three of these teams ranked within the top seven in 2017, and while both the Packers and Patriots were able to stay in the top seven in 2021, they were unable to keep all of their fans. The largest single-season decline belongs to the Miami Dolphins in 2019, almost cutting their fan base in half, but then immediately doubling the count a year later, which could just be a byproduct of the sample. All in all, the Dallas Cowboys, New England Patriots, and Green Bay Packers ranked 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in fans, while the Tennessee Titans, Los Angeles Chargers, and Jacksonville Jaguars rounded out the back end of the list.

Fan Attendance

            Fan attendance is arguably the most important aspect of a team’s fan base. Teams perform better at home in front of a full crowd, hence why the NFL awards home-field advantage in the playoffs to the best teams every year. For each team each year, data was collected to see how many US fans went to one, two or three, or four or more games. Using this data, a yearly score was calculated for each team, using different weights to properly assign value to each of the different categories. One point was awarded for one game, two and a half points for two or three games, and four points for four or more games. The scores from 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2021 were then added together to find a total score, and then that number was divided by the total number of fans for each team across the five years to find the attendance per fan metric (2020 was not included in the attendance metrics because of the differing attendance rules that each team put in place due to the COVID-19 Pandemic).

            It should be no surprise that the teams with the most total fans had the most fans in attendance. The teams that ranked top five in total fans filled out the top five in total attendance too. It can be concluded that there is a strong correlation between the number of fans a team has and the number of games those fans go to. From this data, the Green Bay Packers had almost ten million fans at games across the four years, while the Jacksonville Jaguars could not even eclipse one million fans.

            However, attendance per fan might be just as good of an indicator of how good a fan base actually is. Teams with small fan bases should not get punished for not having as many fans. That’s not something that they have a lot of control over. Instead, looking at the total number of fans at games and dividing that by the number of fans a team has can be just as important in determining who the “best” fans are. By this metric, the Los Angeles Chargers ranked 1st, which saw 36% of Chargers fans go to a game since 2017. There are fans in that 36% that are counted more than once, but if they went to five games, they cover for four other Chargers fans that did not go to a game at all. The Chargers ranked 27th in pure attendance and 32nd in total fans, but based on the number of fans they have, they did very well.

            The Dallas Cowboys and New England Patriots continue to make appearances near the top of the rankings, finishing in the top five in both total fans and attendance. However, in terms of attendance per fan, they did not fare nearly as well, finishing 31st and 32nd respectively, only ahead of the group who do not identify a favorite team. Not all teams with large fan bases experienced this issue, as the Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, and Minnesota Vikings recorded top ten finishes in both categories. Good job, NFC North fans (except for you Detroit).

Merchandise Purchased

            Purchasing merchandise to support your favorite team is another important aspect of how good a fan base is. Whether it be jerseys, hats, shirts, flags, or anything else, supporting your favorite team even when they aren’t playing is a good indicator of how good a fan base is. Similar to attendance, data was collected to see how many United States fans purchased merchandise every year. They were asked if they spent more or less than $50, and by using those responses, different weights were attributed to the responses. Spending less than $50 resulted in one point, while spending more than $50 resulted in 3 points. These values were selected because an average of $25 is to be expected for any purchase less than $50, and an average of $75 spent for any purchase greater than $50 seemed reasonable. Once again, that number was divided by the total number of fans of each team to obtain a ranking for merchandise purchased per fan.

            Once again, those teams with the largest number of fans scored the best in terms of total merchandise purchased. Based on the predictions, the total score roughly represents how many $25 were spent on merchandise for any team’s fans. For example, a score of 1000 would mean that $25 was spent one million times. The teams that finished at the top were once again the Dallas Cowboys, New England Patriots, and Green Bay Packers. The teams at the bottom were the Indianapolis Colts, Tennessee Titans, and Los Angeles Chargers.

            The other metric for merchandise purchased is the number of estimated fans that spent $25. A number very close to one means that $25 was spent by the fan base for every fan in it. Interestingly enough, the Las Vegas Raiders ranked 1st, with an estimated 96% of their fans spending about $25 on merchandise over the five years. The two other teams that rounded out the top three were the Jacksonville Jaguars, despite finishing 28th in total merchandise purchased, and the Dallas Cowboys. The teams that finished last in this category were the Detroit Lions, the San Francisco 49ers, who finished 11th in total merchandise purchased, and the Carolina Panthers.

            The interesting thing about these two rankings when compared to one another is how similar the rankings turn out. 20/32, or 62.5%, of a team’s two rankings finished within five spots of one another, and 10/32, or 31.25% finished within two spots of one another. This did not happen in the attendance category, as only 11/32 team’s rankings finished within five spots of each other. By these results, it is clear that the total number of fans does not impact merchandise purchased as it does attendance. Fans of any team buy merchandise at a much more consistent level than they go to games.

Final Scores

            To assess each team’s fan base and rank them from best to worst, each team’s rankings from the five metrics were added together and sorted from lowest to highest. The team with the lowest sum of ranks is crowned the “best fan base in the NFL”, while the team with the highest sum of ranks, well, needs lots of help.

            The teams that finished in the top five overall were the Green Bay Packers, the Chicago Bears, the Philadelphia Eagles, the Dallas Cowboys, and the Pittsburgh Steelers. Teams on the other end of the spectrum included the Washington Commanders and the Indianapolis Colts tied, the Carolina Panthers, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Houston Texans, and in last place, the Tennessee Titans, who even tied with the group who do not identify a favorite team. Surprisingly enough, of the four teams in the AFC South, the team with the least number of fans, the Jacksonville Jaguars, ranked the highest. Do better, AFC South fans…

            This graph shows how each team ranked, compared to the total number of US fans they had. Teams with a tall blue bar have lots of fans, while teams with a tall red bar have the best fans. It’s interesting to note that only one team, the Cleveland Browns, finished with the same total fan and fan base ranking, and they finished right in the middle of the 32 NFL teams. The Carolina Panthers, the Detroit Lions, and the New York Giants finished much higher in terms of total fan rankings than fan base rankings, while the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Las Vegas Raiders, and the Los Angeles Chargers did the opposite. Teams that have a smaller number of fans but a higher ranking stress quality over quantity. This makes sense, as people that identify as Jacksonville Jaguars fans are probably true fans considering the recent history of the team. Those larger teams that did not score as well have lots of quantity, but the average quality of the fan is not nearly as high. Fan bases and their characteristics change from year to year, meaning that these results could look extremely different down the road as the NFL landscape continues to change.

Die-Hard or Fair-Weather Fan Bases

            To answer the question of if a fan base includes die-hard or fair-weather fans, looking at recent team success is all that is important. Teams like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Los Angeles Rams, who experienced lots of growth over the five-year period, may have more fair-weather or bandwagon fans than most other teams. Fans of these teams were not abundant, and they were not going to games or purchasing a lot of merchandise until their teams started to perform better. On the other hand, teams like the Dallas Cowboys and Buffalo Bills have some of the most die-hard fans there are. Although they have been relatively successful in recent years, these teams have nothing to show for it, but their fans remain strong. The Buffalo Bills fan base grew at the same pace as the NFL, and the Dallas Cowboys had a five-year percent change of -0.05%, meaning the size of their fan base hardly changed at all. Teams will always face their ups and downs, but seeing fan support through it all is what makes a fan base one of the best.

This data was collected and approved for use by SBRnet.

"Blackhawk Flyover" by The U.S. Army is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

About the Author

Keegan Sullivan will start his senior year at Clemson University this fall. He is a mathematical science major with an emphasis in statistics, and he is getting a minor in sports communication as well. Keegan's goal is to be a data analyst for a professional sports team once he gets his degree. https://www.linkedin.com/in/keegan-sullivan-b1950a215

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Ranking all 32 NFL fan bases

Being an NFL fan is a tough, often thankless endeavor. You pour your heart and soul into your team's fortunes, and unless you're the lucky group whose team is holding the Lombardi Trophy at the end of the year, you dealt with some level of disappointment along the way. Watching your team battle through injuries, bad luck, bad calls and more is tough emotional business. Oh, and there's always the looming threat of relocation unless you pony up cash for a new stadium every 25 years or so. Still, some fans do a better job than others at managing all the stresses of fandom and cheering for their guys until the end. With that in mind, let's rank all 32 NFL fan bases, worst to first. 

32. Arizona Cardinals

Back when the Cardinals and Dallas Cowboys were together in the NFC East, Jerry Jones could count on having eight home games, seven road games and one de facto home game when his team traveled to Phoenix to take on Cowboys West. You could understand the indifference of Cardinals fans back when the team played at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe and was largely terrible. The franchise made a grand total of one playoff appearance in its first 20 seasons in the desert. Since 2006, though, the Cardinals have bordered on good. They got themselves a shiny new stadium, albeit in Glendale, won their division a few times, were two minutes away from beating the mighty Steelers in Super Bowl XLIII and even drafted and kept a surefire Hall of Famer in Larry Fitzgerald. Despite those successes - and Kyler Murray's promise - fans still don’t seem to care. State Farm Stadium is routinely taken over by visiting fans, and really, when is the last time you thought, “Goodness, Arizona Cardinals fans sure do love their team? These folks are rabid!” Exactly.

31. Miami Dolphins

“Should I go to the Dolphins game or go to the beach? Should I go to the Dolphins game or play golf? Should I go to the Dolphins game or kick back and eat some of the best food and drink some of the best drinks anywhere in the world?” That seems like a reasonable internal monologue for most Miami fans, who, despite the franchise’s major success under Don Shula, and longstanding tradition, don’t seem all that interested in the team. On one hand, it’s tough to blame them because the Fish have become a factory of mediocrity, churning out 7-9 seasons with metronomic consistency with a dash of 6-10 or 8-8 thrown in here and there to liven things up. They even made the playoffs in 2016, just their second trip to the postseason since 2001. Truly passionate Dolphins fans spent most of the last seven seasons caring deeply about whether or not Ryan Tannehill would someday lead them to the Promised Land, only to see him nearly do it with the Titans last season. That would be a sadder sentence to type if there were more truly passionate Dolphins fans out there.

30. Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons share the same team colors as the University of Georgia: black, red, white and gray. If only they matched the Bulldogs in popularity around the state or in its largest city. Though they were achingly close to a Super Bowl in 2017 — do you remember that they were up 28-3 on New England? — Atlanta still hasn’t won the big one. But if you went up to most folks around the city and asked them what the more crushing loss was, that Super Bowl or Georgia’s CFP national championship defeat to Alabama two years ago, you’d get a lot more frustration and handwringing about the latter. The Falcons’ problem is that they are a pro team in a college town — specifically they are a pro football team in a college football-crazed part of the country. Their jewel of a new stadium is great and all, and the fans care to an extent, but the Falcons will always play second fiddle to the Bulldogs. Hey, at least that makes all the blown leads sting a little less.

29. Los Angeles Rams

Truth be told, Rams fans might deserve to be lower on this list. Their team is exciting, high-flying and features Aaron Donald, currently the best football player on the planet (non- Patrick Mahomes division). There should be plenty there to attract fans, but if you watch any of their games on television, you see a lot of empty seats. The weather is great, the product on the field is great, the population base is the second-largest in the country, so what gives? Los Angeles is certainly a Lakers/Dodgers town, but the NFL is the most popular league in the country, and it stands to reason that a powerhouse team would pique interest. The Rams just don’t seem to move the needle like they should. Angelenos haven’t rejected them, but you get the sense that if any football team captures the imagination of fickle L.A. fans, it’s USC.

28. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

I can scarcely remember seeing more empty seats in a stadium than I have in Tampa, when I’ve been unfortunate enough to catch one of the Bucs' games on television. Yes, the weather is hot and humid there, especially early in the year, but there are just rows upon rows of empty seats. There are still some die-hards who got that way because they watched Derrick Brooks, Warren Sapp and John Lynch anchor a defense that ended up winning a Super Bowl. But the majority of this fan base seems only casually interested in the team. Tom Brady 's arrival has changed that for the time being, however, so while Bucs fans are traditionally a less-than-fervent group, the interest and passion for pro football is on the rise on the Gulf coast.

27. Houston Texans

Texans fans feel like Cowboys fans who just happen to live in Houston. Football is king in Texas, but the hierarchy goes something like this: high school football, the Cowboys, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, TCU, Baylor, University of Houston, UTEP, Texas State and then maybe the Texans. Do fans in H-Town actually care? Deshaun Watson is exciting, and J.J. Watt will be wearing a gold jacket five years after he retires. I have not been to a Texans game in person, but I have been to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo at NRG Stadium, and I got the sense that the crowd was much more enthusiastic for that than for Texans games. When the Cowboys play the Texans, sure, you’ll get genuine Texans fans who try to puff out their chests and talk tough about Dallas. The truth is, most in attendance are cheering for Dak Prescott , even if they don’t realize it.

26. Indianapolis Colts

The Colts get docked here because they haven’t had to endure much in the way of hardship. The team was only a few years removed from a near-miss in the 1995 AFC championship game when it sank to the bottom of the standings just in time to select Peyton Manning first overall. Fast forward about a decade and a half and, wouldn’t you know it, Manning was out for a year and the Colts were once again the laughingstock of the league. What was their prize for being so bad? Only Andrew Luck , hyped as the best quarterback prospect since, wait for it, Peyton Manning. Indianapolis’ nickname is the “Crossroads of America,” which is a nice way of saying that the most interesting thing about the city is that a lot of people pass through it. Colts fans are much the same. Can you think of one defining quality that jumps out? They’re not rude or vile or particularly rabid or noteworthy in any memorable way. Now that Luck has retired, the team is just kind of there. Just like their fans. Oh, and they used to pipe in noise at the old RCA Dome. Big negative points for that.

25. Carolina Panthers

Christian McCaffrey is fun, and then what? Luke Keuchly retired, Cam Newton got pushed out, and Teddy Bridgewater doesn't move the needle like Newton did. Here again lies a franchise whose fans might care more about college sports than they do about the pro football team that plays in town. If you’re thinking about the North Carolina sports scene overall, you think of the Duke/North Carolina basketball rivalry first and everything else second. The Panthers have had nice runs here and there, but they fail, as so many teams near the bottom of the heap do, at one of the most basic tests: keeping opposing fans out of their building. I’m sure it’s tough to turn down decent money if an opposing fan, particularly one from a cold-weather city in the north, wants to buy your tickets above face value. Still, isn’t one of the most fundamental aspects of fandom the desire to watch your team play — particularly in person? Panthers fans are Colts fans with better weather, food and beer.

24. Los Angeles Chargers

You have to feel for Chargers fans because most of them are concentrated about 120 miles south of where they actually play. Chargers fans in San Diego still care about the team but were victims of the all-too-typical stadium standoff with owner Dean Spanos. I’ve actually encountered real, honest-to-goodness Chargers fans in my life, and they seem to genuinely care about the team. Maybe that should have been taken into consideration before Spanos up and moved it and tried to create a new fan base in a city that wouldn’t notice if it moved away tomorrow. But hey, Justin Herbert should be exciting, or maybe he'll just end up like every other Chargers player; injured. Will the fans notice? Maybe by accident!

23. Detroit Lions

The Lions have been so bad for so long, it’s no wonder their fan base has atrophied. One of the worst-run organizations in sports has fans who want to care but are repeatedly encouraged not to on account of the team’s mediocrity. Ford Field is always filled with silver-and-blue-clad fans, and they all seem to be at least somewhat invested in the outcome of the game. But something always seems missing; at the moment, it is a competent head coach. Lions fans and Matthew Stafford are a lot alike: Stafford is a former No. 1 overall pick who has made it to only one Pro Bowl and has never taken over the division, to say nothing of the league. He looks the part, and at times his stats are great, but there is something obviously missing. When you look at his career record — 70-81-1, as of this writing — it seems about right. Lions fans show up, and they cheer, and at times they cheer loudly. Then you see them here in the bottom third of the league’s fan bases, and it seems about right.

22. Cincinnati Bengals

Cincinnati is and always will be a baseball town. That’s the first thing you need to know when evaluating Bengals fans. Despite that, Cincy fans care and often root boisterously if their team is giving them something to cheer for. But years of skinflint ownership by Mike Brown have beaten them down. This is a pessimistic bunch, and while Brown’s presence makes that understandable, the team has actually had some regular-season success. Cincy made the playoffs five straight seasons, from 2011 through 2015, and won the AFC North twice in that span. The Bengals haven’t won a playoff game in almost 30 years, which isn’t great, but it hasn’t been all storm clouds for this franchise, and Joe Burrow's early play is reason for hope, as long as Zac Taylor doesn't get him killed first. 

21. Tennessee Titans

If you think of their setup, Titans fans should be lower on this list. The Titans always play second fiddle to Tennessee football for most fans, and they haven’t had a track record of major success since moving from Houston. The 1999 Super Bowl appearance feels even further back in the past, and last year's surprise run to the AFC Championship Game always felt like it was going to end at the hands of Patrick Mahomes. Despite that Titans fans are usually OK enough, though there’s nothing that really separates them from the pack. They’re just kind of “there” but not necessarily in a bad way. If the team is really good, Titans fans will be out in force to support it. If the team is not good, chances are the fans won’t be either. That’s perfectly reasonable, by the way, but then again, “fan” is of course short for “fanatic.” So therefore we expect the best fans to be a little off-kilter. Tennessee fans seem too nondescript to place any higher here. Sorry, Titans fans — I think.

20. Buffalo Bills

Wrestling moves performed off vans and through flaming tables, copious amounts of alcohol being consumed, various other illicit activity occurring — and that’s just the parking lots! Bills fans are close to jumping the shark, assuming that shark is soaked with booze and about to be lit on fire. The team has been mostly bad since the early 1990s, and the weather in Buffalo stinks for at least half of the season, so while loyalty in that kind of situation would normally be rewarded against that backdrop, I’m getting tired of all the videos of parking lot hijinks. When the game is actually going on, Bills fans are mostly just run-of-the-mill, though even as I type that, I seem to recall an incident where a rather salacious foreign object was thrown on the field by a fan. The craziest Buffalo fans are the ones drawing all of the headlines — so what about the rest of them? Do they exist? Are they rowdy? Do they care if the team someday moves to Toronto? The ability to drink heavily without turning boorish is nice and all, but it doesn’t make a fan base great.

19. San Francisco 49ers

This was a tough group to place. The 49ers play their games approximately 50 miles from downtown San Francisco, which makes attendance at Levi’s Stadium a hard thing to quibble about. The worst Niners fans get into parking lot altercations and conduct themselves like schoolyard bullies, or worse. The rest of the fans are pretty good though. They seem to genuinely care about the team, and should have good reason to after last year's Super Bowl near-miss. Though this year's team has already been gutted by injuries, the 49ers should be good for the foreseeable future, which means Niners fans should climb this list. They are happy when the team is good, and they actually get mad when they’re not doing well. That’s a plus, for our purposes.

18. Jacksonville Jaguars

I would put Jags fans lower on this list, but some of them are completely insane (in a harmless, “wow, you’re really devoted to this team” sort of way) on social media and would take umbrage with me. Just yell the word “Duval” at any tailgate outside of a Jacksonville game, and you should be in good shape. The team’s overall fan base isn’t particularly large or nearly as vocal as the die-hards, which is part of the reason that the team regularly sacrifices a home game to participate in an NFL London game. That could be a function of population or just a commentary on the fact that not nearly as many people care about the team as its staunchest supporters would have you think. Still, there’s something oddly charming about Jaguars fans. Something pure and unadulterated. There’s no pretense, and if there’s self-awareness it’s well hidden. The people that like the team really, really like it. At the very least, they’re much better fans than the ones in Carolina, so they’ll always have that over their expansion brethren.

17. Washington Football Team

Washington fans care deeply about their team and also harbor lots of anger toward owner Daniel Snyder. He's equal parts frustrating and embarrassing, and most of the fans just want to get back to the glory days of the late 1980s and early 1990s. Washington fans might lead the pack in terms of unreasonable, unfounded optimism about their team. They specialize in convincing themselves that a roster that screams 8-8 will somehow go on a magical run to the Super Bowl. That ship sailed when Robert Griffin III’s knee blew out several years ago, but now the next big hope is Dwayne Haskins. Fans in the DMV will embrace him as they did Griffin and convince themselves that a dynastic run is at hand. Being that out of touch with reality docks them just enough to put them in the top spot — of the bottom half of the rankings.

16. Denver Broncos

Their signature chant is “in-com-plete,” which isn’t so much a diss of the other team as it is a statement of fact about the play that just happened. That always irked me about Broncos fans; for a city as vibrant and creative as Denver, you’d think the partisans would come up with something better. Instead they said, “Here’s a three-syllable word that has a negative connotation for the other team when they’re on offense, so let’s just go with that.” Having said that, these are some hale and hardy fans who brave often unpredictable, frigid late-fall weather to watch their team play. One fan even famously did so wearing nothing more than a barrel, game in and game out. Denver is routinely ranked as one of the toughest road venues in the league, and it’s not just the mile-high altitude. The fans are a legitimate home-field advantage, and they start loud and stay loud.

15. Minnesota Vikings

Tough to put these fans above Denver’s, but here we are. Vikes fans tend to ditch the famed passive-aggressiveness of the Upper Midwest and are just flat-out aggressively hostile to opposing teams. The “Skol” chant is cool, and as new traditions go it has the feel of something much more well-worn. I’m still undecided if the Gjallarhorn tradition before the game is good or not, but it seems like one of those things that can go either way depending on who is sounding it. If, say, Hall of Famer John Randle is doing it? That’s pretty cool. If it’s just some random person — less cool. Still, when you’re done reading this, go watch a Vikings pregame hype video and tell me it’s not at least a little chill-inducing when the crowd gets going in unison while a war drum beats in the background. Now imagine how electric all of this would be if Minnesota actually had a good quarterback.

14. New England Patriots

Patriots fans are not great fans and, in fact, are not even good fans. I can’t put them any lower on this list because they do all of the things that fans are nominally supposed to do. But I want to. They cheer for their team, they dutifully yell when the other team has the ball and they log on to social media to make fools of themselves defending “their guys.” But make no mistake: This is a spoiled, delusional fan base that has somehow convinced itself that the league is out to get it. Yes, the fans that benefited from the Tuck Rule, from the protective aura the league mandated be placed around Tom Brady and from some particularly lenient officiating in the secondary whenever they had to face Peyton Manning . Let’s say Scott Zolak and a bunch of other anonymous nobodies had quarterbacked the team for the last 20 years, and it had no Super Bowls. Would anyone in the New England region care about this team? I’ll answer that question for you: No. A 19-year-old second base prospect for the PawSox would get more attention. Patriots fans can whine all they want about this and scream about having six titles until they’re blue in the face, but that won’t change the truth: They’re phonies, and deep down they know it.

13. Seattle Seahawks

How does one properly rate fans who got so popular during the “Legion of Boom” heyday that they became wildly overrated? You have to take a step back. Seattle fans are collectively in love with their whole “12 th man” persona, but they did kind of earn it. Anytime the roar of a crowd is loud enough to register as a small earthquake, respect is deserved. Seattle shares CenturyLink Field with the MLS Seattle Sounders, and there’s a certain soccer sensibility to the crowd. The fans are loud without being prompted continuously, they provide a definite home-field advantage — just ask any opposing offense that comes in and has to try to function without committing a false start — and it seems like many of them like to wear scarves. Again, a little too much self-indulgence for my liking, but there is no denying that Seahawks fans have earned the right to pat themselves on the back.

12. New York Giants

I want to put them lower, I really do. Big Blue fans are just Yankees fans who remember that football exists. However, they are pretty loyal when you get right down to it, and though they are definitely the “snobs” of the New York football scene — which makes Jets fans the slobs, of course — their passion is real and their tolerance for bad football minimal. Giants fans expect the most out of their team, but they also have a good sense of when their guys just don’t have it. As much as any team can in the media cauldron that is New York City, the Giants stay out of the fray. Odell Beckham Jr. made headlines on a semi-regular basis, but even when things are bad, the G-Men never devolve into a sideshow. The only real complaint about this group is that sometimes, the fans could stand to be more rabid. I’ve met Giants fans who live and die with their team, but there’s always a little bit of dignity there. The next few fan bases will show why that isn’t necessarily a compliment.

11. Baltimore Ravens

Ravens fans are definitely good fans. They’ve been rabid for their team since they moved from Cleveland after the 1995 season, and they especially like great defense. Baltimore has been one of the league’s most consistent franchises for years now, and Ravens fans have gotten to celebrate two Super Bowls. That doubtless makes fandom in Baltimore an easier proposition, but even though their team has been consistently good, Ravens fans still score high marks for passion, making purple and black somehow look vaguely normal and for the slight air of menace they bring to the table. John Harbaugh ’s time as head coach has been mostly good, and when the team has had down years the fans have stuck by it. They have a blood feud with Steelers fans, and having a real rivalry with another fan base, a rivalry with some teeth, is the mark of a solid fan base.

10. Oakland Raiders

It’s a crying shame that the Raiders left for Las Vegas and left behind in Oakland some of the most loyal, rowdiest, scariest fans in football. Everyone I know who has actually gone to a game in Oakland and sat near the Black Hole says they actually feared for their safety a bit, and yet those same people said that the atmosphere around the stadium was as welcoming and relaxed as anywhere in the country. Raiders fans are rabid for their team through thick and (mostly) thin, and they perfectly complement the franchise’s renegade image. They haven’t had much to cheer for in a long time, but unlike some of the other fan bases mentioned previously, it seems to gut them that this is the case. There’s no indifference here, only passion, and the fact that many have said they can’t root for a team that has been moved only scores them more points in my book.

9. Chicago Bears

What do you get when you combine Midwestern politeness with genuine big-city arrogance and sports-obsessiveness? You get Bears fans who keep thinking that 1985 is going to happen all over again and who also are desperately hoping that Mitch Trubisky Nick Foles is the answer at quarterback. Chicago is a great sports town, and while Cubs fans are obnoxious, every other fan base is mostly just passionate. Mash them all together under the Bears’ flag and they become a loud, rowdy bunch with sky-high expectations despite almost perpetual disappointment. Maybe the best thing about Bears fans is that they cheer for a team in the third-biggest media market in the country, yet there’s none of the indifference that you find in Los Angeles, and none of the overwhelming, “look at us” arrogance you find in New York. It’s a refreshingly honest group.

8. New York Jets

Impressive finishing spot for the Jets, particularly when taking into account Fireman Ed’s existence. Thankfully, the worst celebrity fan in the NFL has hung up his goofy hat and complained his way into obscurity, where he should stay. The rest of the Jets fan base is a borderline-delirious group of people who boo virtually every first-round pick, tangle with a massive inferiority complex on an almost daily basis and yearn for the halcyon days of the franchise, which really amounts to one year: 1968. Most Jets fans also like the Mets, which is fitting because there might not be two more dysfunctional, poorly run franchises in American professional sports — or at least, none that happen to play in the biggest media market in the country. To be a Jets fan is to be waiting for next year before this year has even begun, to anticipate the other shoe dropping before the first one starts to fall and to come back day after day for an emotional beating. Oh, and it is to also live for a chant that involves screaming out the same four letters for hours every Sunday until your voice gives out. Call me crazy, but there’s an odd nobility to all of this.

7. Philadelphia Eagles

A fan base’s street cred immediately goes through the roof when stories abound about a jail inside the stadium. The Vet had that, and Lincoln Financial Field does too. And Eagles fans make great use of it when they’re not berating opposing fans, opposing players, or Eagles players or fellow fans. Really, they just like to boo and yell. It pains me to admit this, as a Penn State grad who had to tolerate Eagles fans for four straight years, but these are very good, very loyal, possibly insane and occasionally criminal fans. They are demanding, they are impatient, they are unreasonable, but they love the Eagles, and that’s obvious long before you walk into the stadium. Some of the things they do are legitimately ugly, but by and large this is a group that just loves its team and really hopes it beats yours. They also hold their team to a very high standard and are famously unafraid to boo them mercilessly and turn on them. There was the thought that finally winning the big one and experiencing success would soften theses fans, but thankfully, they're right back to their usual ornery selves.

6. Pittsburgh Steelers

BIAS ALERT: I was born, raised and still reside in Pittsburgh. I work in Pittsburgh radio and talk about the teams that Pittsburgh fans care about, so I feel uniquely qualified to make this ranking. The Steelers are king. There isn’t a close second in town, and fan devotion is over the top to the point that it becomes humorous. Go to any church in the region on Sunday morning, and there’s a good chance that Steelers jerseys will outnumber polo shirts or suits. Also, if you’ve watched any Steelers road game on television, you’ve seen countless “Terrible Towels” waving in the crowd, usually followed by some spiel from the broadcast team about how well Steelers fans travel. Don’t believe them. Most of the fans in that stadium live in that city because they moved away from Pittsburgh 35 years ago. There are Steelers bars all over the country because Pittsburgh has so many expats. While the fans are largely great, a few quibbles: When the stadium game experience crew plays Styx’s "Renegade," it is meant to fire up the crowd and the defense. The defense tends to give up a huge play or two after this happens. Oh, and the song isn’t good. Also, it might anger black-and-gold fans, but it’s true: There are often plenty of empty seats at Heinz Field. Can’t call yourselves the best fans in football if you can’t put fannies in every seat.

5. Dallas Cowboys

It is with a heavy heart that I must announce that Cowboys fans are more as advertised than they are a creation of Jerry Jones ’ hype machine. Unlike Steelers fans, Cowboys fans reliably fill the stadium game after game. These same fans haven’t had nearly as much to cheer about for about two decades, but they still rabidly consume everything associated with the team. They are nearly as widespread as Steelers fans, but that’s more because they became a “national” team than any sort of population exodus from Big D. If I had a complaint with Cowboys fans, it would be that they’ve almost become too cosmopolitan and a little too content with the team’s failings. But every time I start to think that, I hop onto Twitter and see fans in a full-fledged meltdown about Dak Prescott, or Jones' latest brush with headlines, thus renewing my faith in the idea that though they might be glitzy and glamorous, Cowboys fans are just as nuts as the rest of us, if not more so.

4. Kansas City Chiefs

Arrowhead Stadium is probably the loudest outdoor venue in the league and is a truly brutal place for opposing teams. Chiefs fans, obviously, are a large part of that. Sometimes the simple ability to generate noise, and lots of it, gets lost in the shuffle when great fan bases are being discussed. No group of fans is more reliably loud than Chiefs fans. There is no real other defining characteristic that sticks out to me. Anything I could think of is drowned out by the noise level, which is palpable through the television. And they’re probably going to be loud for years to come because after struggling with Alex “checkdown” Smith for years, they got his polar opposite in Patrick Mahomes. They avenged their loss in the 2018 AFC Championship Game with a Super Bowl win last year, and have the best player on the planet. Something tells me these fans won't get fat and happy, and will instead treat titles like burnt ends, savoring as many as they can.

3. Cleveland Browns

Much like the Browns themselves, I suspect this ranking will cause lots of controversy and get people talking. The truth of the matter is that Cleveland fans, despite having virtually nothing to cheer about since getting their team back in 1999, have never really gotten any less rabid. The “new” Browns have been mismanaged almost from the start, and there remains cause for worry that Jimmy Haslam will still find a way to screw things up for this year’s team. Through it all Browns fans have remained resolute. There hasn’t been a more consistently awful franchise over the past two decades, and lesser fans would have folded. The Browns went 0-16 three seasons ago. What did the fans do? They had a parade to commemorate the occasion. Talk about being handed lemons and making lemonade. If you gave the Browns New England’s level of success since the turn of the century, there might not be any fans left in Cleveland, as they’d all have died from sheer happiness. Browns fans are great, and loyal, and deserve good things for a change.

2. Green Bay Packers

I started humming the “Go Pack Go” song as I started typing this, which shows how much Green Bay’s fan culture permeates all football fans. Yes, they get to cheer for one of the league’s storied franchises, and yes, the quarterback is one of the all-time greatest to play the game. But Packers fans lived through decades of mediocrity before Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers brought them back to prominence. They deal with harsh weather, no real proximity to a major city, and still more harsh weather, and they simply readjust their cheese hats and come back for more. When you think about football in its purest form, you probably think about snow falling at Lambeau Field, with the green and gold popping and knowledgeable fans cheering like crazy for the home team. A handful of teams might have bigger fan bases, but there’s an endlessly appealing small-town charm about the Packers and their fans. In fact, they’d be No. 1 on this list except for one truly zealous group.

1. New Orleans Saints

The Big Easy has a well-deserved reputation as a party city without compare, and most of the other warm-weather tourist destination cities in this country don’t boast particularly rabid fan bases. That’s not true in the bayou. Saints fans are the most devoted I’ve ever seen up close. You see Saints jerseys around town, and if you’re ever in New Orleans on a home Sunday, all anyone is talking about is the Saints. There is food and music and culture everywhere in New Orleans, but the football team is just as much a part of the fabric of the city as anything. Moods rise and fall with the performance of the team, and the (understandably) apoplectic response of the partisans to an egregious missed call in the 2018 NFC championship game that cost them a trip to the Super Bowl was at once funny in its sheer scale but also appropriate, given the circumstances. The Superdome might be the loudest, toughest venue in the sport, and Saints fans somehow imbue it with an atmosphere that is equal parts party, rock concert and hostile sporting event. With apologies to the other 31 teams, this is the best fan base in the NFL.

Chris Mueller is the co-host of The PM Team with Poni & Mueller on Pittsburgh's 93.7 The Fan, Monday-Friday from 2-6 p.m. ET. Owner of a dog with a Napoleon complex, consumer of beer, cooker of chili, closet Cleveland Browns fan. On Twitter at @ChrisMuellerPGH – please laugh.

More must-reads:

• Study shows Cowboys have NFL's best fans, Rams worst
• Watch: Stadium - NFL | Discussing the Best and Worst NFL Fan Bases
• The '100 catches in an NFL season' quiz

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Ranking nfl fan bases, from worst to first, share this article, who's the best who's the worst.

Fandomanalytics.com did the homework  on NFL fan bases, crunching the numbers for over 20 years before revealing the rankings in 2023. We can be sure certain fan groups — looking at you, Bills Mafia — will not be happy where they landed. Here’s how all 32 teams’ faithful stack up, from worst to first…

32. Washington Commanders

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31. Los Angeles Chargers

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30. Jacksonville Jaguars

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29. New York Jets

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28. Cincinnati Bengals

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27. Arizona Cardinals

26. Tennessee Titans

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25. Buffalo Bills

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24. Detroit Lions

23. Miami Dolphins

22. Los Angeles Rams

21. Indianapolis Colts

20. Minnesota Vikings

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19. Atlanta Falcons

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18. Baltimore Ravens

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17. Cleveland Browns

16. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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15. Kansas City Chiefs

14. Houston Texans

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13. New York Giants

12. Carolina Panthers

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11. Seattle Seahawks

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10. San Francisco 49ers

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9. Chicago Bears

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8. Denver Broncos

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7. New Orleans Saints

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6. Las Vegas Raiders

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5. Pittsburgh Steelers

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4. Philadelphia Eagles

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3. Dallas Cowboys

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2. Green Bay Packers

1. New England Patriots

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All 32 NFL fanbases ranked from worst to best

How are NFL fans ranked throughout pro football? Which franchises have the best NFL fans? Which ones have the worst NFL fanbases?

NFL fans ranked from worst to best

Picking the best, worst, or even the loudest NFL fanbases is so difficult to do. What truly separates one fanbase from another?

There are plenty of things to consider when ranking NFL fanbases. Sold out crowds, support even at the team’s worst, the longevity of fan support, and things fans will do for the team are some of the aspects of good or bad fanbases.

Here is a ranking of all 32 teams from worst fanbases to the best.

Although attendance is high this season, Los Angeles usually ranks among the worst in home attendance percentage (percent of stadium capacity filled) each season.

From 2008-2019, they ranked in the bottom 10 in home attendance percentage every year and were the worst several times.

31. Cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals have one of the smallest NFL fanbases. Moving to Arizona in 1988, the team just hasn’t been able to get much fan support.

This is most likely due to the fact that NFL fans in the area already had a team they liked prior to 1988, which geographically is probably the Dallas Cowboys.

30. Panthers

A fanbase that is never heard, the Panthers have one of the quietest fans in the NFL.

Becoming the league’s 29 th franchise in 1995, Carolina does well in attendance numbers but is not really an established fanbase yet.

29. Jaguars

With three Florida teams in the NFL, the Jaguars receive the least amount of love from fans in the state.

Their home attendance percentage is among the worst in the league and has one of the cheapest ticket prices.

Could we see some new fanbases added to this list? We looked at some potential expansion cities

If you want to know how small the Tennessee fanbase is, just ask former Titans safety Logan Ryan.

Ryan, who was on the team when they made the playoffs twice, said recently that the Titans fanbase was “non-existent” and that “you couldn’t even get fans to the games.”

27. Bengals

The Bengals are a small market team and do not have a large social following, which puts their fanbase among the worst in the NFL.

Cincinnati ranks among the lowest in home attendance each season and also has one of the cheapest ticket prices in the league.

26. Buccaneers

Although the Buccaneers have had a huge attendance increase in 2021 due to Tom Brady and winning a Super Bowl, Tampa Bay has one of the worst fanbases in the league.

When the team is bad, the fans do not show up, ranking in the bottom five in home attendance percentage in 2018 and 2019.

25. Chargers

The Los Angeles Chargers fanbase is still slowly growing, but currently sits near the bottom of the NFL.

Moving to Los Angeles in 2017, it may take some time before they can build a solid fanbase, especially since they share the city with the Rams, whose NFL fans ranked the worst.

Like the Buccaneers, Cleveland’s attendance falls significantly when the team is not playing well. In addition to low attendance during bad seasons, the Browns rank near the bottom in social media following among Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

The Detroit Lions fanbase sits just below the middle of the pack.

Their attendance is usually around the bottom half of the league each season and ranked 31 st in the NFL this year for home attendance percentage.

22. Washington

With all the controversy surrounding the organization as of late, along with the fact that they do not even have a team name yet, the Washington Football Team’s fanbase is losing patience.

The team’s performance doesn’t help either.

21. Dolphins

With so many sports teams located in Florida, it is hard for any of them to have a huge fanbase.

Miami does have good attendance numbers each year but has one of the cheapest ticket prices in the league. Warm weather also helps get the seats filled.

Although the Colts fans were there during the Peyton Manning era, the team’s attendance has been among the worst in recent years.

In addition to the lack of constant high attendance, the team does not have a large following on social media.

19. Vikings

There is nothing too special about the Vikings fan base, as it is pretty much average compared to the rest of the NFL.

Their attendance numbers are pretty much in the middle but do dip more during bad seasons.

Kansas City has had a huge new wave of fans as of late due to Patrick Mahomes and their recent success.

Even with this success, they still do not fill up the entire stadium for home games.

17. Falcons

The Falcons have a lot of competition in Atlanta with both the Hawks and the Braves.

The home attendance numbers are around average in the league, and so are the ticket prices. The fanbase is not among the largest, so they settle in with their NFL fans ranked at 17.

In their defense, the Jets have not had much to celebrate over the last 11 years.

The Jets do have their fair share of loyal and passionate fans, but for a franchise that has been around for over 55 years, the organization should expect more.

The New Orleans Saints do not have one of the best NFL fanbases but do have one of the loudest.

Their home attendance percentage usually sits within the top 15 in the league but does fall slightly during non-playoff years.

The Giants are one of the oldest franchises in the NFL and have one of the more reserved and quiet fanbases.

When the team is better, the fans show up more and are loud, but when the team is bad, home attendance percentage ranks among the worst in the league.

Houston has a pretty good fanbase when accounting for the fact that they share the same state as the Cowboys.

The Texans attendance is usually a little better than the NFL average, and that is while having one of the more expensive ticket prices in the league.

The Ravens have some of the best home game fans in the league.

However, their fanbase is not that big outside of the stadium, as the franchise is still fairly new. Joining the league in 1996, they do not have a history of loyal and passionate fans as of yet.

11. Raiders

“Raider Nation” is always dressed up and ready to go come game day.

Their attendance is great when the team is winning but struggle to fill the seats when the team is playing poorly.

The dedication and craziness of “Bills Mafia” are why their NFL fans ranked high on this list.

Their attendance is around the NFL average but stayed loyal amid a 17-year playoff drought. Whether coming together to donate money for a great cause or to jump through tables, Bills fans are special.

9. Patriots

The Patriots’ success in the last 20 years has led to a large fanbase.

They have one of the largest social media followings in the league and are also top five in merchandise sales year after year. Attendance doesn’t compare to the bigger fanbases though.

The San Francisco 49ers have a long history, winning five Super Bowls in their existence.

The success in the 1980s helped significantly in gaining loyal fans. They are usually in the top eight for home attendance percentage, while also having some of the most expensive ticket prices.

7. Seahawks

I think there is no debate when saying the Seattle Seahawks have one of the loudest NFL fanbases.

When the “Number 12” get loud, it makes it very difficult for opposing teams. Attendance always ranks in the top 10 and so does their social media following.

Whether the team is doing good or bad, the Broncos always rank among the best in home attendance percentage.

Denver ranks 7 th in social media following in the league, having more than 2.6 million Twitter followers.

When the team is good, the home attendance percentage is one of the highest in the league.

The Bears have one of the most loyal and biggest fanbases, collecting fans throughout their 100-year history.

The Super Bowl parade in 2018 showed just how passionate Eagles fans are. Philadelphia’s attendance percentage is one of the best in the NFL, and their tickets are more expensive than the league average.

New to the NFL? Our guide helps you choose a team to support

3. Steelers

With their NFL fans ranked number three on this list, the Steelers are definitely one of the most popular teams in the league.

They may not have the best attendance, but they do have the third largest social media following in the NFL.

The Dallas Cowboys rank atop the attendance numbers every single year.

However, their ticket prices are cheaper than the league average. They have the biggest social media following of all teams and are always in the top five in merchandise sales.

The Green Bay Packers have the best NFL fans.

They are one of the smallest NFL markets but have the most loyal and dedicated fanbase. They constantly rank high in attendance numbers while having one of the most expensive ticket prices. The Packers have their NFL fans ranked number one on this list.

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Justin Gincauskas

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Having been to all of the stadiums and around tons of NFL fans, this list is not even close to accurate. Vikings and Chiefs are both top ten. These two both have top 5 home field advantages on game day. There are not empty seats at Arrowhead and Minnesota fills their seats over 100 percent every year. 100.4 percent to be exact this year.

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Terrible list Bills are the best fans in America.

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Who are the best nfl fan bases.

Who are the NFL's greatest fanbases? Well, it's a difficult question to answer. The loudest? The fans in Kansas City set a Guinness World Record back in 2014 at 142.2 decibels. The largest? That's still undoubtedly the Dallas Cowboys. 

But to really answer the question, we have to go deeper than that. Fans that have seen off the worst of times and kept right on making noise, fans that truly make life difficult for opposing teams, and fans that know you need to keep pin drop silent when the home team offense is on the field. 

Seattle Seahawks

Although the notion of the fans as "the 12th man" has been around since the late 19th century, the Seattle Seahawks really made the idea their own in 1984, when they retired the number in honour of their fans. In 2003, a giant No. 12 flag was installed at their home stadium and home games now begin with a ceremony for its raising. Prominent supporters are often invited to raise the flag.

Seahawks fans make their impact in other ways, too. They have twice set Guinness World Records for noise generated during matches, and registered the equivalent of a small tremor when Marshawn Lynch broke through the New Orleans Saints defense to score in January of 2011. That run became known as the Beast Quake. 

New Orleans Saints 

The New Orleans fans endured some of the most consistently terrible play in the history of team sports in the early decades of the franchise's existence. With the notable exception of quarterback Archie Manning, the early Saints teams were terrible. Their first ever winning season was the 20th of the team's existence. 

A fan born in the Saints' first season would have been 33 years old when they saw their first playoff victory, a 2000 Wild Card win over the Rams.

The fans gave their team a nickname "The 'aints", and took to wearing bags over their heads at games, joking that they wouldn't want to be spotted watching such a bad team. 

Despite all of that, the Saints are integral to life in New Orleans. They are inextricably linked with the colour, style, and flavour of life in the city. Mardi Gras is the biggest day in the city's calendar, but Saints home games are probably next. 

The city's recovery after Hurricane Katrina is credited, in some part, to the success of the team. The famous blocked punt by Steve Gleason upon their return to the Superdome after the disaster was immortalised in a statue that now sits outside the stadium, titled "Rebirth". The Superdome is routinely cited as one of the toughest places to play, one of the loudest arenas in the league, and that is a credit to the fans. 

Over 800,000 people, in a city with an official population less than half that, lined the streets to celebrate the club's first Super Bowl victory in 2010. When they saw their team unfairly denied in the infamous "Nola No Call" refereeing debacle in 2018 NFC Championship Game, New Orleans fans switched off in record numbers, giving the Super Bowl its lowest rating in any market as fans held blackout parties.   

Cleveland Browns

The Cleveland Browns have been a profoundly struggling franchise for most of their existence since their rebirth in 1999. The same fans that support them now, saw their team taken from them in 1995 when owner Art Modell moved the former Cleveland Browns to Maryland to become the Baltimore Ravens. When the new team began, the fans flocked to them after refusing to support other teams in the interim. 

They are infamous for their loyalty, having continued to fill the stadium despite years of abject play and incompetent coaching. The Dawg Pound, a section of the stadium reserved for the most passionate fans, is a beloved part of NFL fan culture even far from Cleveland. 

Despite losing every game in 2017, the Browns saw almost no dip in home attendance, still averaging 63,882 fans for every game. 

Browns fans have long memories too, often reminding other supporters of their club's eight pre-Super Bowl championship wins. 

Buffalo Bills

There are few more long suffering fan groups than those of the Buffalo Bills. Their first period of sustained success in the late 1980s culminated in four successive Super Bowl trips. They lost all four. 

In the middle of that run, Bills fans set a single-season record in 1991, with 635,889 fans passing through the turnstiles. 

Somehow, Bills fans managed to survive that unprecedented series of defeats, only to slip into a decade of mediocrity. To make matters worse, divisional rival New England emerged from their own period of obscurity, dominating the biannual meetings between the two teams for the better part of 20 years.  

Finally emerging in recent years after all that time under Tom Brady's thumb, the Buffalo Bills are now one of the NFL's most feared teams. Quarterback Josh Allen has led the Bills to back-to-back-to-back AFC East titles, and on deep playoff runs. Like the Seahawks, the Bills have retired the No. 12 jersey in honour of the fans. They went one step further, enshrining the jersey number in the team's Hall of Fame. 

In all of that time, Bills fans have remained. 

Braving the toughest weather in the NFL, perhaps excluding Green Bay, the Bills fans are famous for their extravagant pre-match tailgating. 

In the mid 2010s, a new tradition was born at Bills tailgates, the smashing of tables. Bills fans bring folding tables to the pre-game parties for the express purpose of attempting to shatter them with their own bodies. If that's not cause for an inclusion on a list like this, what is? 

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Top 25 NFL franchises with most fans: The most popular football teams

32 teams make the National Football League, but some franchises get more attention than others. Here, let's take a look at the 25 most popular NFL teams based on social media following.

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By Kelvin Loyola

Updated on February 07, 2024 04:02PM EDT

Football is arguably the most popular sport in the U.S. Fans show their passion and excitement during every game and at every single level, from high school to the NCAA and obviously, in the National Football League.

But in the last few years, the NFL's popularity started to go beyond the United States. That's why the league has taken regular season games to Mexico, England, and Germany. But, have you ever wondered which are the teams with the most fans?

While it's an interesting question, it's also hard to answer. But here, we'll take a look at the 25 teams with most social media followers to try and answer this question. So, without further introduction, sit down and look at the 25 NFL teams with most fans on Instagram.

25. Arizona Cardinals

Arizona Cardinals fans. (Getty Images)

Founded in 1898, the Arizona Cardinals are one of the oldest teams in NFL history. Even though they forged a reputation for being nomads by playing in six different cities, their 1.1 million fans on Instagram reflect the loyalty of their fanbase.

24. Atlanta Falcons

Falcons fan. (Getty Images)

The two-time NFC champions are still waiting for an elusive Super Bowl. The Falcons infamously blew that opportunity in 2017, when they failed to keep a 25-point lead against the Patriots. Even so, they have a strong following of 1.3 million fans on Instagram and play in one of the best stadiums in the world. Can they finally make it?

23. Minnesota Vikings

Vikings fan. (Getty Images)

The Minnesota Vikings may have one of the most faithful fanbases on Earth. While their lack of Super Bowl success is a reason of mockery by other fanbases, Vikings fans will always stand by their team regardless of their championship drought. They may have 1.3 million followers, but the number is just a detail when you see that the entire city of Minnesota is rooting for them. Few cities are so identified with their team like Minnesota is with the Vikings.

22. Houston Texans

Texans fan. (Getty Images)

The Houston Texans are one of the few teams who have never won the Super Bowl, but that hasn't driven their fans away. With 1.4 million followers on Instagram, the team can take pride in having a loyal fanbase who endures the difficult times.

21. Cleveland Browns

Browns fan. (Getty Images)

The legendary Browns have been a mainstay in the NFL since 1944, having won eight championships before the Super Bowl era. But since then, they struggled to succeed, especially since they moved to Cleveland in 1999. 1.4 million fans on Instagram hope to see them get back to glory days at some point.

20. Denver Broncos

Broncos fans. (Getty Images)

It's been a while since the three-time Super Bowl champions gave their fans something to brag about, but the Bronco Country has never turned its back on its beloved team. 1.4 million fans keep an eye on every move they make on Instagram.

19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Bucs fans. (Getty Images)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers may no longer have Tom Brady, but his time with the team was enough to increase their popularity. The Brady effect has lifted the team’s exposure and social media engagement, reflected on their 1.4 million fans on Instagram.

18. Chicago Bears

Bears fan. (Getty Images)

The famed Chicago Bears, winner of a legendary 1985 Super Bowl, have 1.5 million followers on Instagram and are looking to get back to the spotlight after years of misery. It's been a while since the team gave its supporters something to cheer about, but the Bears fans' loyalty has always been unquestionable.

17. Cincinnati Bengals

Bengals fan. (Getty Images)

Joe Burrow has completely turned the Cincinnati Bengals around, leading them to an unlikely Super Bowl appearance in 2022. A team that used to give a lot to be desired in the league, Joey Franchise made the Bengals competitive and increased their popularity around the world. Their 1.5 million followers show up for it.

16. Buffalo Bills

Buffalo Bills Fans (Getty Images)

With 1.6 million followers on Instagram, the Bills are one of the biggest niche teams in the NFL. The Bills have the infamous story of making it to four straight Super Bowls from 1990-1993, losing each of them. Despite that they have a rabid fanbase that bear the cold and has been with the team through thick and thin. Even during the painful times, including those four heartbreaking defeats in the 90s.

15. Los Angeles Rams

Rams fans. (Getty Images)

The 1.6 million followers of the Rams have been through a lot; the team moved from Saint Louis in 2015 to return to Los Angeles, having left the city in 1994. The move resulted in better results, with a memorable Super Bowl triumph at SoFi Stadium in 2022, but it took a toll on their attendance.

14. Miami Dolphins

Miami Dolphins fans (Getty Images)

The Miami Dolphins had to go through a lot in their first years after their founding in 1965. But things changed with Don Shula, the legendary coach who led the franchise to its two Super Bowl championships. One of them was the historic perfect season in 1972, the only unbeaten campaign in the Super Bowl era. Their 1.6 million followers on Instagram also prove they continue to have a solid fanbase despite their lack of success this century.

13. Baltimore Ravens

Baltimore Ravens fans (Getty Images)

The fans in Baltimore love the NFL, and they had to overcome the Colts leaving the city. Luckily, the Ravens have picked up the mantle, winning the Super Bowl on two occasions. The team has a healthy 1.8 million followers on Instagram.

12. Carolina Panthers

Carolina Panthers fans (Getty Images)

While they may not be the biggest name in the league, Carolina Panthers fans are some of the loudest in the NFL and they make up 1.9 million on Instagram. Cam Newton almost led them to the ultimate glory back in the day, but the ring continues to be elusive for the franchise.

11. New Orleans Saints

New Orleans Saints fans (Getty Images)

Drew Brees put the New Orleans Saints on the map by taking the franchise to its first ever Super Bowl win in 2010. The legendary quarterback is no longer active but he still helped the team reach 2 million followers on Instagram.

10. Las Vegas Raiders

Las Vegas Raiders fans (Getty Images)

Once a major team in the NFL, the Raiders' jackets were once one of the highest selling in the 1990s. Since 2020 the Las Vegas Raiders have been in Sin City and have 2.2 million followers. Despite the relocation from Oakland to Las Vegas, their fans have always been there for their team.

9. Green Bay Packers

Packers fans. (Getty Images)

One of the most emblematic teams in the league, the Green Bay Packers boast four Super Bowl titles. Lambeau Field is one of the most iconic stadiums in the NFL and the likes of Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers contributed to the franchise's reputation. With 2.6 million followers on Instagram, the Packers' popularity is also a thing on social media.

8. New York Giants

Giants fans. (Getty Images)

Big Blue is one of the most popular teams in New York, and on Instagram the New York Giants have 2.7 million followers on Instagram. The four-time champions miss the good old glory days, but their crest still imposes tradition and history.

7. Philadelphia Eagles

Philadelphia Eagles fans (Getty Images)

One of the most passionate fans in the league, the Philadelphia Eagles' stadium Lincoln Financial Field is a must-see if you want to live the experience of attending an NFL game. That rabid fanbase is 2.9 million on Instagram.

6. Kansas City Chiefs

Kansas City Chiefs (Getty Images)

The Kansas City Chiefs are at 3 million followers on the gram, and Patrick Mahomes may have a lot to do with it since he's arguably the best quarterback in the league. Arrowhead Stadium definitely has one of the most special atmospheres in the country, as their fans always make sure to deliver. With yet another deep playoff runt that saw them make the 2024 Super Bowl, the Chiefs continued to give reasons to be followed on social media.

5. San Francisco 49ers

San Francisco 49ers fans (Getty Images)

The San Francisco 49ers have a history of success with five Super Bowl victories and legendary players such as Joe Montana and Steve Young. The team's popularity and recognition is reflected by its 3 million followers. And now that they've taken the spotlight by reaching Super Bowl LVIII, their number of fans has grown even more.

4. Seattle Seahawks

Seattle Seahawks (Getty Images)

With 3.2 million followers on Instagram and a rabid fan base, the Seattle Seahawks are a great ticket to see an NFL game. Lumen Field is always packed as the city feels deeply connected with this franchise, regardless of its results.

3. Pittsburgh Steelers

Pittsburgh Steelers fans (Getty Images)

Apart from being one of the most successful franchises with six Super Bowl wins, the Pittsburgh Steelers are one of the best supported teams in the entire NFL. With over 3.5 million fans on Instagram, the Steelers fans are all over the place when you take to social media.

2. Dallas Cowboys

Dallas Cowboys (Getty Images)

America’s team, the five-time champions are considered the most popular team in the whole league, although on Instagram they rank second. 4.6 million fans follow the Dallas Cowboys despite their lack of Super Bowl glory since 1995.

1. New England Patriots

New England Patriots fan (Getty Images)

The team of the social media age, winning six Super Bowls with Tom Brady under center. With 5 million followers, the New England Patriots are the most popular NFL team on Instagram.

Kelvin Loyola is a seasoned content writer and journalist at Bolavip, boasting over 15 years of experience in sports journalism and marketing. He has covered a wide array of sports including the USMNT, MLS, Premier League, LaLiga, Serie A, Ligue 1, and Liga MX, as well as the NBA, MLB, NHL, and various entertainment topics. Prior to his journalism and marketing career, Kelvin worked in post-production, contributing to numerous movie, television, and digital projects. He also brings expertise in project management, social media, and web development. A graduate of Queens College with a degree in Media Studies, Kelvin is bilingual, fluent in both English and Spanish. His passions extend beyond his career to include soccer, marketing, photography, surfing, and pop culture, particularly comics.

• Dallas Cowboys
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• Pittsburgh Steelers
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• Chicago Bears
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Nfl fans who spend the most and least money on their team [2023 survey].

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Are you ready for some football? The 2023 to 2024 NFL season kicks off soon, and fans are eager to get in the stands and cheer on their favorite teams. But as diehards know, the cost of tailgates, tickets, food, and merch means fandom doesn’t always come cheap.

We wanted to know which fans are spending the most money to support their squad. To find out, the FinanceBuzz team surveyed fans of all 32 NFL teams to find out how much money they spend on things like food and alcohol when they go to games, as well as how much they spend on team gear and apparel each year.

Key findings

Nfl fans who spend the most on stadium concessions, nfl fans who spend the least on stadium concessions, nfl fans who spend the most on alcohol, nfl fans who spend the most on merchandise, nfl fans who spend the least on merchandise, team spending standings, how to save while supporting your squad, methodology.

• Los Angeles Rams fans spend the most on average of any fanbase on concessions at in-person games ($176). Carolina Panthers fans spend the least ($61).
• San Francisco 49ers fans spend more than any other fanbase on in-stadium alcohol — $60 on average. Panthers fans spend the least on alcohol, at just $13.
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans spend more annually on merchandise than any other team ($229).
• New England Patriots fans are the most frugal when it comes to team merch, averaging just $78 annually.

For many fans, sporting events just aren’t the same without snacks. So which team’s fans are spending the most to keep themselves fed at the stadium?

Los Angeles Rams fans spend the most on in-stadium food and beverages, dropping a whopping $176.17 on average. That amount is nearly $25 more than the $152.26 Chicago Bears fans spend on average, which is the second-highest amount in the league.

The average amount Rams fans spend on concessions is also nearly $60 higher than the $116.51 that Los Angeles Chargers fans spend on average, which is still the 10th-most in the NFL.

This is a notable difference given that the Rams and Chargers share a home stadium and presumably offer the same concessions at the same prices to both fanbases, meaning that Rams fans are buying more (or at least more expensive) concessions than their fellow Angelinos at SoFi Stadium.

While Rams fans are willing to shell out the big bucks to fill everyone’s bellies at the stadium, other teams’ fans prefer to save more money.

Carolina Panthers fans are the league’s most frugal when they attend games, averaging just $61.13 spent on concessions per game. That amount is more than $115 less than what Rams fans spend on food and drinks when attending a game.

Fans of the Tennessee Titans, Minnesota Vikings, Jacksonville Jaguars, Buffalo Bills, and Cleveland Browns also spend more than $100 less than Rams fans on concessions on average.

While Rams fans spend the most money on all food and drink purchases at games, they fall all the way down to sixth when it comes to how much they spend on alcoholic beverages specifically.

For alcohol expenses, a different NFC West fanbase reigns supreme. San Francisco 49ers fans spend nearly $60 per game on alcohol when they attend games live. Chicago Bears fans spend the second-most on alcohol, and New York Jets fans are third.

Of course, stadium concessions aren’t the only way fans spend money to support their favorite squad. Fans also show their team pride by buying merchandise and apparel.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans have enjoyed perhaps the greatest stretch in team history in the last few seasons, as Tom Brady led the team to three straight playoff appearances, including a victory in Super Bowl LV in 2021.

One way fans have responded to the Buccaneers’ success is by buying lots of merch. In fact, Buccaneers fans spend more on team gear than any other fanbase, to the tune of $228.95 annually on average.

Arizona Cardinals fans are a close second, however, at $228.48 per year on average. That cost comes within 50 cents of Bucs backers in terms of how much they spend on team merchandise.

In third place are fans of the defending Super Bowl Champion, Kansas City Chiefs, with an average annual merch spend of $207.33.

Not every fanbase spends major moolah on merchandise the way Bucs fans do. These teams’ fans choose other ways to show their support.

Fans of Tom Brady’s original team, the New England Patriots, are the group that spends the least amount of money per year on team merchandise. Patriots fans shell out just $77.78 per year on average.

Cleveland Browns fans spend just 25 cents more than Patriots fans, at $78.01 per year on average. And Minnesota Vikings fans are the third-most frugal in this regard, spending just $78.33 per year on average.

To get a handle on fan spending across the entire league, we found the average amount fans of every team in the league spend on food, alcohol, and merch each year.

In the AFC, New England Patriots fans spend more money on in-game concessions than any other fanbase, spending $129.01 on average every time they go to a game in person. Interestingly, those same fans spend less per year on merchandise than any other team in the entire NFL, shelling out just $77.76 on average for team-branded clothes and apparel.

While Pats fans spend the most on total food and drink, they are outdone by a division rival when it comes to spending on alcoholic beverages at games. Jets fans spend an average of $57.78 per year just on alcohol when they see a live game. That’s the highest amount of any AFC fanbase.

Fans of three different NFC teams — the Los Angeles Rams, the Chicago Bears, and the San Francisco 49ers — all spend more on concessions than the top AFC team. 49ers and Bears fans are also the top two biggest spenders on alcoholic beverages at games in the entire league, while fans of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers spend more money on merchandise than any other fanbase in the NFL.

No matter who you root for this NFL season, here are some ways to save money while supporting your team:

• Save on team gear while shopping online. Outside of the team store, there is nowhere better than the internet to find team clothing and apparel. Be sure to check out our review of Capital One Shopping to see how it could help you save money while filling up your digital shopping cart.
• Get rewarded for online purchases. Not all rewards credit cards are created equal. Our breakdown of the best credit cards for online shopping can help you maximize points when buying things like team gear and game tickets online.
• Earn points and rewards for the things you buy everyday (including game day). Fans support their favorite teams around the clock, and sometimes that means buying snacks before the big game, getting new team gear, or buying last-minute game tickets. Using one of the best credit cards for daily use is a great way to get rewarded for all those purchases and so much more.

FinanceBuzz surveyed more than 1,100 NFL fans in July and August 2023. A minimum of 20 responses per team were collected and responses were then averaged.

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Top 10 NFL Team Fanbases

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We all have hobbies. Some people like to spend their free time gardening, for example. Others may like to head to the gym or take a long stroll on the beach. In most cases, the things we do outside of work and school give us reason to persevere through the rigors of everyday life.

There are fans of all sports, but NFL fans seem to go the extra mile when it comes to game day. Some fanbases are more rabid, dedicated, and crazier than others. Which are the best NFL fanbases of all? We’re glad you asked.

10. Seattle Seahawks

There aren’t many NFL franchises that have enjoyed more consistent success than the Seattle Seahawks over the past decade. Seattle won a Super Bowl in 2015 and came awfully close to repeating a year later. Two of the franchise’s three all-time appearances in the NFL’s title game have come over the past decade.

The Seahawks surprised the league last year when they made the Playoffs with Geno Smith as their starting quarterback. Most pundits and non-Seattle fans believed that this team was heading towards some lean years after trading Russell Wilson. With some additional talent added in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Seahawks could actually become a contender in the NFC West division.

The Seahawks have ripped the “12th Man” moniker away from Texas A&M, and you’ll still see plenty of fans milling around town with their dweeby “Fan” No. 12 jerseys. With that said, you can’t have a list of the Top 10 best NFL fanbases without the passionate fans in Seattle.

12 days until #Seahawks football… it’s really almost here 👏🏽 🔥 😭 So here is a video of the Seattle 12th Man crowd, breaking records and proving to be the best crowd in the @NFL 🗣🗣🗣 @thesportsontap pic.twitter.com/AvXOk9A54U — Sports ON Tap Seattle (@SONTSeattle) September 1, 2020

9. Denver Broncos

The Seahawks’ loss is the Broncos’ gain. Denver has been a wayward franchise since Peyton Manning retired after Super Bowl 50. The Broncos have endured five losing seasons in the six years since Manning called it quits, which is quite a drought for one of the NFL’s most successful franchises.

Regardless of the team’s on-field quality, the Broncos routinely rank among the league leaders in attendance. Denver finished third in the league in average attendance in 2021. You can expect those numbers to go up this year as the team will now be guided by an elite head coach in Sean Payton.

Payton will have the Broncos back in the Playoffs sooner than later. It could even be this year if some of the young players step up and Russell Wilson returns to form.

8. Chicago Bears

The Bears are yet another marquee NFL franchise going through a rough patch. Since appearing in the Super Bowl back in 2006, Chicago has made the playoffs just three times with just a pair of division titles.

The Bears are another team that routinely draws well. Attendance thins out a bit when things get dreary, but there is reason for optimism moving forward. The Bears hope to have found their QB of the future in Justin Fields. Additionally, Chicago made some aggressive moves in the offseason to turn this team into a contender for the NFC North in 2023.

The Bears’ next Super Bowl title will be their first since 1985. That’s one of the longest droughts in the entire league, but Chicago has a well-earned reputation as one of America’s finest sports cities for a reason. They’ve also proved that “Da Bears” have one of the best fanbases in the NFL.

7. Philadelphia Eagles

Philadelphia sports fans have a certain reputation, but it’s hard to say they haven’t earned it. Eagles fans are no exception, of course. Several years ago, Eagles fans notoriously booed Santa Claus. Santa Claus! C’mon!

Additionally, also cheered when Cowboys wide receiver Michael Irvin lay motionless on the field after a scary hit during a game back in 1999. Around the same time, nearby Phillies fans also infamously threw batteries at Boston Red Sox outfielder J.D. Drew after Drew decided against signing with the Phillies several years prior.

That’s a series of poor decisions, of course, but the passion is absolutely undeniable. Lincoln Financial Field – a name that just rolls off the tongue – is a tough place to play for visitors every single week. Plus, some of them dress like this, which adds legitimacy to the Eagles’ case among the best NFL fanbases.

Their fandom was finally rewarded a couple of years ago, when the Eagles won the Super Bowl for the very first time. They almost were rewarded again last year, but the Eagles came up short in Super Bowl 57 against the Kansas City Chiefs.

However, Philly is soaring into the 2023 NFL season as arguably the best team on paper. They’re a trendy NFL Pick to win Super Bowl 58.

6. New England Patriots

Boston sports fans are easily the most spoiled of the 21st century. All of the Patriots, Celtics, Red Sox, and Bruins have won championships since the year 2000. This is the only city in America that can brag about such a thing. The Patriots, of course, have been the winningest team of the bunch.

Thanks to Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, the Pats have won a whopping six Super Bowls since 2001, with a whopping nine AFC championships in the same span. Brady’s the greatest player in the history of the sport, while Belichick likely ranks comparably on the all-time coaching ladder.

Boston sports fans may be obnoxious, but they’re dedicated and they show up. Success will likely be a bit more elusive for the Patriots now that the ageless Brady is plying his craft in the Sunshine State with the Buccaneers, but New England’s fans are now well-established as some of the most loyal NFL fans of all.

The Patriots have also sold out every single home game since 1994 (including preseason!), so it’s not like a ton of their fanbase hopped on board when they started winning titles. With that said, this team is expected to finish last in the AFC East division in 2023. A second straight rebuilding year will test the devotion of these New England fans.

5. Las Vegas Raiders

The Raiders have done more moving than any other American pro sports franchise over the past couple of decades. Since their founding in 1960, the Raiders have moved from Oakland to Los Angeles, back to Oakland, and then to Las Vegas. The team has called Sin City home since 2020.

In spite of the constant movement, Raiders fans have stood by their beloved team. The city of Los Angeles is now home to two other franchises – the Rams and Chargers – but the Raiders are still the most popular NFL team among Angelenos by a country mile.

Many fans in the Bay Area, who are no strangers to losing teams, have also stood by the Raiders despite their recent departure. These are some of the most loyal sports fans of all.

Needless to say, they’ve built up quite a new fanbase since moving to Las Vegas, as well. Allegiant Stadium is one of the league’s crown jewels, and fans from all over the league are happy to use the city’s new NFL team as an excuse to make the weekend jaunt to Vegas in the fall. You can’t have a list of the most loyal NFL fans without these guys and The Black Hole.

4. Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers are one of the most decorated franchises in the NFL, so it’s no surprise that they possess one of the best fanbases in the NFL. Pittsburgh sports fans are fiercely loyal, and they have reaped the benefits with championships in football, baseball, and hockey within the last 30 years.

The Steelers are tied with the Patriots for the most Super Bowl titles in the history of the league, with six. However, the team is still transitioning into the Kenny Pickett era after Ben Roethlisberger retired prior to the 2022 NFL season.

The team’s brass hopes Pitt product Kenny Pickett will eventually pick up where Big Ben left off. Last year, Pickett flashed some potential, but also showed plenty of growing pains as well.

The Steelers have sold out every home game for the last 22 seasons and counting, not including 2020, of course. This team has done so much winning over the years that it’s only a matter of time until they get back to the top of the AFC. However, until then, the best NFL betting strategy is to avoid wagering on the Steelers as an AFC contender for the next few seasons.

3. Dallas Cowboys

The next Super Bowl win for the Cowboys will tie them with the Steelers and Patriots for the most ever. Unfortunately, Dallas hasn’t come particularly close to doing so since their last title back in 1995. Jerry Jones seemingly did a deal with the devil back then, as “America’s Team” has just three playoff wins since that last championship nearly 30 years ago.

The Cowboys, however, still rank first in the NFL in attendance every single season. You will find a huge swath of Cowboys fans at every single Dallas road game, as well, which is a testament to the legendary franchise’s nationwide popularity. America’s Team, indeed.

In 2021, Dallas drew an average of 93,421 fans per game, which led the league by a huge 14,000 margin over the second-ranked Packers. AT&T Stadium is easily the biggest in the NFL in terms of capacity, however, so the ‘Boys do have a bit of an advantage in that regard. They’re arguably the biggest NFL fanbase in the world.

2. Green Bay Packers

Green Bay is the smallest market in the US that’s home to a professional sports team, but the Packer fanbase extends far beyond the tiny city limits of Green Bay. The Packers ranked second behind the Cowboys in average home attendance, yet the waiting list for season tickets at Lambeau Field is incredibly long.

There are well over 100,000 names already on that list, so you’d better hurry if you plan to get Packer season tickets at some point during your lifetime.

The Packers have won more titles than any team in the NFL with 13, though that includes the pre-Super Bowl era. Green Bay has gone 4-1 in Super Bowls all-time, with their most recent victory coming in Super Bowl 45 at the expense of the Pittsburgh Steelers back in 2010.

These people are willing to sit in sub-zero temperatures just to get a glimpse of their beloved team. The Packers are also the only publicly-owned major sports franchise in this country. Even you can buy a tiny part of the team if you want to.

With that said, we’ll get to see just how passionate this fan base is. The 2023 NFL season will be a rebuilding one for the Packers after trading franchise quarterback Aaron Rodgers to the New York Jets.

1. Buffalo Bills

The Bills enter the 2023 NFL season as one of the Super Bowl 58 betting favorites . Needless to say, it’s been a long time coming. Bills fans have endured countless lean years since the last of their four consecutive trips to the Super Bowl back in 1993. Despite the postseason drought, Super Bowl losses, and more, Bills fans have garnered quite a reputation over the years for being fiercely loyal and crazy.

Every single week, you’ll see videos on social media of #BillsMafia’s parking lot antics. Their most popular practice, in case you didn’t know, is jumping off of something and crashing through a table. I don’t know why this is the case or how this tradition began, but it sure is a good time.

Never change, Bills Mafia. You are the best NFL fans.

Betting On Your Favorite NFL Team For The 2023-24 Season

If you are a fan of one of these teams, and want to bet on their success for the upcoming 2023-24 season, then we recommend checking out BetUS.

BetUS is one of our favorite NFL betting sites as they offer a wide range football wagers and prop bets. Additionally, this online sportsbook is giving away free money in the form of Welcome Bonuses to new members.

Currently, new members can earn 125% sign-up bonus with their first deposit. Additionally, BetUS has a few exciting sports betting bonuses for those of you that like to deposit with crypto.

This safe online betting site provides all NFL bettors with competitive lines, easy to use desktop and mobile sites, solid customer support and so much more. If you are truly a member of one of the fanbases listed above, then support your team with a wager at BetUS.

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Fan Attendance: Which NFL Teams Had the Most Fans in 2022?

With the COVID-19 pandemic starting to move into the rearview mirror, the 2022 NFL season felt like the first normal season in a few years. The NFL fan attendance numbers this season certainly reflect that, with fans finally feeling comfortable returning to stadiums in large numbers. But what teams excelled the most when it came to fans buying NFL tickets and filling stadiums? Let’s take a look at what NFL teams brought in the most fans during the 2022 season.

Total Attendance

In terms of total attendance, the Dallas Cowboys were the clear winners of the 2022 NFL season, and it was by far. That shouldn’t be surprising because the Cowboys play at AT&T Stadium, one of the most spectacular venues in pro sports. The Cowboys also put together an impressive season despite losing Dak Prescott for a few games early in the season. Those factors helped the Cowboys amass a total of 841,191 fans across their nine home games.

The Cowboys completely blew away the competition in total attendance. The division-rival Giants finished the season second in total attendance with 688,266 fans, which is more than 150,000 fans fewer than those who attended Cowboys’ games in 2022. Even with AT&T Stadium having a capacity that can expand to 105,000 fans, that’s a huge gap between the top two teams in terms of attendance. Rounding out the top five teams in attendance were the Packers, Rams, and 49ers. While the Packers and Rams both failed to make the playoffs, with Green Bay having a loyal and dedicated fanbase and the Rams being the reigning Super Bowl champions, it’s not surprising to see those teams near the top in attendance.

On the other end of the spectrum, the Bengals had the fewest fans this season, although that was because they only had seven home games. The Raiders attracted the second-fewest fans despite playing in one of the NFL’s newest stadiums. Finally, the Commanders had the third-fewest fans at their home games in 2022 despite having nine home games. That means Washington had fewer fans this season than almost every team that played one less home game than the Commanders did.

Best Average

Needless to say, the Cowboys led the NFL in both total 2022 fan attendance and average attendance per game. Again, the size of their stadium helps make that happen. However, the fact that the Cowboys managed to keep AT&T Stadium close to its maximum capacity week after week says a lot. The team attracted an average of 93,465 fans per game, meaning AT&T Stadium needed to use its expanded capacity most weeks.

The average Dallas attendance was more than 15,000 fans, more than the second-highest average, which belonged to the Jets. Despite the Jets finishing last in the AFC East and going 3-5 at home, they were a little better than most people expected. That helped the Jets to bring an average of 78,009 fans to MetLife Stadium in their eight home games. The Giants, who also play at MetLife Stadium, were a close third in average attendance. Meanwhile, the Packers and Broncos rounded out the top five with regard to average home attendance. In the end, the Cowboys, Jets, Giants, Packers, and Broncos were the only five teams to average more than 75,000 fans per game.

Capacity Kings

Of course, there is more than one way to measure attendance than the total number of fans. After all, teams can only allow as many fans into the stadium as they can fit. That’s why the number of sellouts and the total capacity filled says a lot about how a team stacks up in terms of attendance. In that sense, the 49ers were the attendance kings in 2022, reaching 104.6% capacity for their home games. That tends to happen when you finish the regular season with a 10-game winning streak.

But the 49ers weren’t the only team to reach or surpass full capacity. In fact, there were 12 teams that got to 100% capacity or higher in 2022. Close behind the 49ers were the Colts, Buccaneers, Dolphins, and Rams, rounding out the top five in total capacity. Also, the Bengals, Chiefs, Vikings, Seahawks, Browns, Patriots, and Eagles also sold out every game or went beyond their total capacity for the entire season. Also, the Broncos, Ravens, and Titans were all at 99% or higher, meaning 15 of 32 NFL teams hit 99% of their total attendance capacity or greater during the regular season.

Biggest Road Draw

It’s worth noting that home teams shouldn’t get all of the credit for attracting a large contingent of fans. The away team deserves a little credit too. After all, some teams bring fans from their home city on the road with them, while others tend to attract big crowds wherever they go for one reason or another. During the 2022 season, the Bengals attracted the most road fans, with 645,660 fans at their nine road games. The Broncos and Colts weren’t far behind with regard to attracting fans while on the road.

However, with teams no longer playing an equal number of home and road games, the teams that played nine games on the road have the advantage in that area. When it came to average attendance, the Bears led the league in road attendance, playing in front of an average of 74,107 fans while away from home. The Lions, Buccaneers, Bengals, and Broncos round out the top five in that category.

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Which die-hard nfl fans travel the farthest to root for their teams, share this article.

The people at Ticketmaster , the official ticketing partner of the NFL, analyzed ticket sales data from the 2017 season to determine which NFL fanbases traveled the most to watch their teams play away games, and the top 10 may surprise you. Teams are ranked by the average distance fans traveled to games.

10. Washington Redskins – 355 miles

(AP Photo/Mark Tenally, File)

9. Houston Texans – 369 miles

8. atlanta falcons – 378 miles, 7. dallas cowboys – 382 miles.

(AP Photo/Ron Jenkins)

6. Green Bay Packers – 387 miles

5. minnesota vikings – 395 miles, 4. new york giants – 419 miles, 3. oakland raiders – 421 miles.

(AP Photo/Ben Margot)

2. Seattle Seahawks – 479 miles

1. new england patriots – 532 miles.

(AP Photo/Rich Barnes)

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Who did the Dallas Cowboys pick in the 2024 NFL Draft?

T o say that this had been a disappointing offseason for the Dallas Cowboys and their fans would be a massive understatement. Keeping Mike McCarthy was a controversial season, to say the least, and it wasn’t the only one.

Being one of the most popular — if not the most popular — teams in the National Football League , there were hefty — and unfulfilled — expectations about them, especially after Jerry Jones vowed to go all-in .

Free agency was a disaster, and they didn’t extend any of their star players’ contracts. However, they managed to redeem themselves a little with their actions in the 2024 NFL Draft .

Dallas Cowboys: All Picks

With that in mind, we’re going to let you know every single move made by America’s Team during the three-day event, sharing all picks made by Jones and his brass:

• Round 1: No. 29 (from DET) Tyler Guyton, OT, Oklahoma
• Round 2: No. 56- Marshawn Kneeland, EDGE, Western Michigan
• Round 3L No 73 (from DET via MIN)-  Cooper Beebe, G, Kansas State
• Round 3: No. 87- Marist Liufau, LB, Notre Dame
• Round 5: No. 174- Caelen Carson, CB, Wake Forest
• Round 6: No. 216- Ryan Flournoy, WR, Southeast Missouri State
• Round 7: No. 233 (from LV)- Nathan Thomas, OT, Louisiana Lafayette
• Round 7: No. 244- Justin Rogers, DT, Auburn

What’s Next For The Cowboys?

The Cowboys don’t look like a team that’s pushing to go all-in at the moment, but they’ve done a solid job of replenishing their roster with talent with a strong draft class.

Of course, just like what happens with every young team and young players, it’s going to take a while before some of them are ready to make an impact and show the best version of themselves.

There’s still plenty of uncertainty regarding Dak Prescott and his future with the organization. Jerry Jones keeps playing the waiting game, and that could come back to haunt him sooner rather than later.

Prescott has fallen short multiple times, but the Cowboys aren’t putting him in a position to succeed at this moment, either. And now, he could walk away without leaving anything in return.

This is a complicated picture for America’s Team, and it’s hard to believe they’re going to be a Super Bowl contender any time soon, and definitely that won’t be the case in 2024.

More must-reads:

• Rooting on the Internet: All 32 NFL teams ranked by fan support on social media
• Top 25 NFL franchises with most fans: The most popular football teams
• NFL Schedule 2023: Jets, Aaron Rodgers set to visit the Dallas Cowboys early

Lions fans explode in delight about draft choice on record setting night in Detroit

The Detroit Lions faithful were rewarded for their patience Thursday night and exploded in cheers when the team traded up and selected a desperately needed cornerback from the University of Alabama with its first pick in the 2024 NFL Draft in Detroit.

The Lions were set to select near the end of the night at No. 29 until the team traded with the Dallas Cowboys for the No. 24 slot and picked cornerback Terrion Arnold. Draft analysts had said the Lions needed a defensive back after the team released cornerback Cam Sutton following domestic violence allegations and Sutton's hesitancy to turn himself in to authorities.

Several fans chanted "Arno," and the chants only grew louder when the newest member of the pride walked on stage and announced, "I'm home." Inner circle Lions "superfans" seated in the Draft Theater swarmed Arnold for photos after his selection was announced.

The Alabama player's selection came on a night when Detroit set an NFL draft first day attendance record and received praises from attendees from inside the state and out for its hospitality and atmosphere. The developments prompted Visit Detroit spokesman Christopher Moyer to vow that Motown would set more records and put the three-day draft attendance record set in Nashville, Tenn., in 2019 in the city's sights.

Dan Thayer, of Kalamazoo, said he loved the Lions' pick of Arnold and lauded the pipeline of standout Alabama players coming to Detroit over the last few seasons. The Lions' first round choice last year was Alabama running back Jahmyr Gibbs.

"I'm excited to see another 'Bama guy come into the system. They've been strong so far, and Arnold seems like an absolute dog," said Thayer, 29. "Clearly he's a star in his own words."

In a clip shown on ESPN, Arnold promised his high school janitor that he would be given a jersey from his new NFL team after the player gave him an Alabama jersey.

Thayer said he expects a divisional championship from the Lions next season and maybe even a Super Bowl.

"Three years ago you would have sounded insane. After this past season that's what I want to see," Thayer said, referring to the Lions appearance in the National Football Conference championship game. "It (the Draft) has been an incredible experience. Detroit showed out extremely well, and the audience has been unbelievable, and downtown's never looked better."

Crowd cheers Vikings' pick of McCarthy

A Michigan quarterback got a hometown welcome when the Minnesota Vikings drafted J.J. McCarthy with the 10th pick Thursday night in the NFL Draft.

The Vikings traded with another team to select earlier in the draft so they could get McCarthy, who led Michigan to college's national football championship.

Cheers rang out from the crowd stretching back to Campus Martius and Monroe Street, even though McCarthy went to a division rival. Maize and blue jerseys with McCarthy's No. 9 could be seen dotting the crowd and heard particularly loudly.

Detroit sets draft record

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said Thursday night that Detroit had set a league draft record with Day 1 attendance of more than 275,000 people.

The NFL number is attendance within the draft footprint, said Christopher Moyer with Visit Detroit. The police estimate of 400,000 is for all of the people who visited the city on Thursday, he said.

"The message is: Come back tomorrow," Moyer said. "We're going to keep setting records."

Draft imprint hits capacity

Detroit's NFL Draft footprint hit maximum capacity around 6:30 p.m. Thursday, prompting officials to shut off entry for the rest of the evening and causing some fans to try to go around police.

Workers who left the imprint and tried to get back in were denied entry. They stood at the gate near Fort Street and Lafayette, arguing with police to get back in.

As more crowds arrived, people started using the exits as entrances, hopping over fences and trying to bypass police. Police succeeded in blocking them, yelling "This is an exit. Turn around."

By 6:45 p.m., the NFL One Pass app said the draft area was closed and would not reopen for the rest of the evening. The app advised fans to visit Grand Circus Park or go to other Draft Day in the D viewing parties.

“We’ve just been waiting here for 20 minutes, and the police told us to be patient and wait for people to leave to get back in, but now we’re hearing they’re closing it off,” said Justin Williams, 47, of Saginaw. “This is very disappointing.”

“It’s crazy. It wasn’t even that busy around 5 p.m. We were just leaving to check out the other areas,” said Adam Ware, 35, of Montrose. “It’s not like we’re coming back tomorrow. We only slotted today for this.”

Detroit police officials said there were no incidents or arrests.

“We are currently at maximum capacity,” a police spokesman told The Detroit News.

Around 7:35 p.m., police deployed in large numbers to block the major intersections at Washington Blvd. and Michigan Ave. as herds of people left the footprint area to find other places where they can watch the draft. Police are transitioning to the task of directing traffic, with more than a handful at each intersection.

The NFL app reminded fans that Friday's draft area would open at noon.

Dancing between picks

While some fans looked for exits as temperatures dropped, others stayed warm by huddling together or dancing between picks.

Livonia native Tyler Lance boldly wore green and yellow overalls and a cheese head hat in support of the Green Bay Packers, who currently have the 25th pick in the first round. He plans to go to every day of the three-day draft and said he never thought Detroit would host something like it.

"Good for the city. … It's something you reserve for like New York, LA or Chicago. It's normally something that Detroit doesn't get the chance to host," said Lance, 26. "Even though I'm not a Lions fan, I'm more than happy to show up and support the city."

When the draft footprint reached maximum capacity, Lance was all the way back in Hart Plaza. But he was able to get closer to the stage as the night moved on and the Packers' 25th pick approached. He plans to stay until at least then.

Indiana family cheers Bears' pick

The Chicago Bears' second pick in the first round, University of Washington wide receiver Rome Odunze, was met with cheers from Maria and Justin Milam, who brought their two girls, ages five and three, to Detroit from northwest Indiana.

"It's not every year that you get a No. 1 pick," Maria said, referring to the Bears' selection of USC quarterback Caleb Willaims. "We're just looking for that spark in Chicago because it's electrifying when the team is just rocking."

The couple was ecstatic, already planning what games to attend next season. Maria hadn't been to Detroit since she was a teenager and said it seems like the city is starting to boom.

"It's been really cool to see since it's been so long and now I'm coming back as an adult," Maria said. "It was such a good experience for us to have as a family with our kids. We're trying to make memories for them."

Michigan Central get blue

The Michigan Central, the former train station being renovated by Ford Motor Co., was bathed in Honolulu blue lights on Thursday night.

A sea of Honolulu blue

The capacity crowd included football fans from all over the country who had descended downtown for the first day of the three-day NFL Draft, decked out in gear from their favorite teams.

Many said they were enjoying the camaraderie of being around fans from other cities, while Detroit Lions fans represented the majority of draft goers as evidenced by the sea of Honolulu Blue jersey and other gear along the streets.

Some drove, others flew to be part of the action. An estimated 300,000 to 400,000 people are expected to visit Detroit for the draft, which officially starts at 8 p.m. Thursday.

'We should've stayed'

At Honest John’s in Midtown, Detroiter Michael Ballentine and his friends rushed in to watch Chicago’s first draft pick. As Eminem walked out on the stage, he cried out “We were just there! We should’ve stayed!”

“We just left because my friend was wearing shorts. We should have been there to see Em come out though,” said Bellentine, 54, who lives on Six Mile.

“We had a great time. Detroit did an outstanding job putting it on. Maybe they could have better prepared with crowd control. We saw some issues as we were leaving but nothing serious. Our city isn’t coming back, it’s been back. I hope people come more often.”

'It's worth being up front'

Mary, 30, and Nolan Thomas, 33, moved to Detroit from Tennessee last year and had been waiting in their front row spots for the draft to start since noon. They first arrived downtown at 9 a.m. to make sure they were among the first to enter the venue.

"It's worth being up front," Mary said. "We'll be in a nursing home next time this happens."

Nolan grew up in Detroit and said the city has changed and gotten a lot nicer.

Marc and Juanita Rangel traveled from Kansas City and were eager to see who their respective teams, the Steelers and the Cowboys, picked in round one. While the couple has accepted they will always root for different teams, they still enjoy getting dressed up and attending the draft together. Marc wore a black and yellow striped suit with a Steelers sombrero while Juanita sported a sequined Cowboys dress with matching boots and a hat.

"We attended the draft last year and … you know she had such a good time, we had a good time, we wanted to come back," Marc said.

It was the couple's first time in Detroit and they finished the 11 hour drive late Wednesday. They had spent some time at Hollywood Casino in Greektown and then traveled over the border to Little Caesars in Windsor.

"This is the first time that we've been to Detroit or even to Michigan, so we've had a blast," Marc said. "It's exciting to be here, I'm looking forward to some offensive line help this year."

Buffalo Bills mafia members Ashleigh Dopp, 41, and Joanie Dekoker, 67, were feeling excited and hopeful that their team may move up a few spots in the draft and pick up some good receivers.

The pair is familiar with Detroit after attending back-to-back Bills games at Ford Field when they were snowed out of their own stadium in 2022.

"We actually truly love Detroit. They're very welcoming, similar to Buffalo," Dopp said.

Dekoker, who goes by Mama J and has attended 222 consecutive Bills games, has been to at least four NFL drafts before.

Big Sean gives big shoutout

Big Sean, a Detroit rapper whose real name is Sean Anderson, opened the NFL Draft Theater with his song “Paradise,” saying “Detroit is the greatest city on the planet.” He wore a black Lions Aidan Hutchinson jersey and jeans.

“I see everyone repping real hard, but you gotta understand Dan Campbell went from an 0-16 season to the NFC championship. That in itself deserves respect,” Big Sean said to the crowd, who cheered for the beloved coach.

Campbell played on the Lions team that went 0-16 in 2008-09.

“I know a lot people’s lives are gonna change tonight… to work so hard only to see the pursuit of happiness come true," Big Sean said. "We appreciate you and let’s celebrate.”

Big Sean proceeded to perform 30 minutes of his biggest hits with snippets of every reference in his music when he mentions Detroit.

He subtly commented that the crowd may not be his biggest fans but he hoped everyone has a good time.

Some in the theater area were screaming, cheering for his performance, while most of the crowd stood still keeping their spots for the 8 p.m. first pick moment.

“He was as great as he usually is, always reppin' the city proudly. But you can tell a lot of the crowd isn’t from here and isn’t here for a concert, which is why we came,” said Liz Londo, from Taylor.

Father and son reunited

Fans packed in behind the NFL Draft Theatre to catch a glimpse of their teams' picks hours before the first round was scheduled to start.

While the majority clearly favored the Detroit Lions, some, like Tommy McCormick, wore the New England Patriots' red, white and blue. McCormick flew into Detroit from Denver to meet his father and see who the Patriots pick with the No. 3 overall selection.

"My dad and I, we've always watched it like growing up and now every year I'll go home for it to watch it with him, and this year we decided we wanted to meet up in Detroit," said McCormick, 25, who was seeing the draft for the first time in person.

Des Moines native Harold Otis knew he had to take his son Creighton out to see the draft after the pair traveled to Kansas City last year and got hooked. They sported matching Philadelphia Eagles jackets and glasses and had staked out front-row spots to view the Draft Theatre.

"Last year, we went to Kansas City, which is only two hours away, … so we got a little taste of the draft then," Otis said. "The city's definitely well taken care of and looking clean, so definitely enjoying the time here."

Draft stage becomes a magnet

At Hart Plaza, guests packed in to see the Vince Lombardi Trophy, while there were lines for local businesses selling food, for seeing Super Bowl rings and for taking photos with mannequins dressed in new uniforms.

Little Caesars has its own stage, and Rocket Mortgage has a mock Dream Home set up.

Between Hart Plaza and Campus Martius are three large television screens for fans to watch the stage production just a half mile down the way.

By 6 p.m., herds of people started flocking to the NFL Draft stage in Cadillac Square where Detroit Rapper Big Sean was set to perform.

Getting a draft experience

Just like the pros, fans could test their skills in throwing, jumping and 40-yard dash competitions at the Hart Plaza draft experience. Several linked up to take photos with the Vince Lombardi trophy and view over 50 past Super Bowl rings that were on display.

They could also take their own mock draft photos on stage, shop for swag and sample food and drinks from places like Brome modern eatery, M Cantina and La Mara cuisine.

Minnesota Vikings fan Tabb Lonergan made the eight-hour drive Wednesday night down to Detroit from Gwinn, a small town in the Upper Peninsula. He lived in Metro Detroit for about 10 years but moved back to the UP in 2015.

He is looking forward to attending next year's draft in Green Bay, a significantly shorter drive for him compared with Detroit.

'Definitely a new Detroit'

Arielle Joyner, owner of Joyner Juicery on Woodward in Midtown, saw steady business on the first day of the draft event.

She’s expecting a busier Friday and Saturday so she’s extended hours and offering 25% off purchases.

The Detroit native said events like this are “really changing the perception people had of Detroit.”

“It definitely drives traffic, which is really awesome,” Joyner added. “Detroit has been expanding and bringing a lot of jobs. … It’s definitely a new Detroit.”

Hookah owner tries to cash in

Crowds and crowds of fans, many clad in Lions gear, trekked down Woodward Avenue at 5:30 p.m. Thursday to make it to the draft event downtown.

Tony Biggs, owner of my Hookah 2Go on Woodward in Midtown, watched as the QLine continuously filled and emptied with folks.

“Look at all of these people getting off of this QLine that right there smells and spells money,” Biggs said. “It’s a continuous steady flow of traffic.”

He expanded his hours to open at 3 p.m. instead of 7 p.m.

“I took time off my regular job to be here for this,” Biggs said. “I’ll be here until midnight.”

Draft entry gets congested

Around 5:15 p.m., the NFL One Pass reported that Draft Entry 2 on Griswold "is exceptionally congested and causing delays."

The app advised fans to try Draft Entry 1 or Entry 3 instead.

Captain Fan Man draws crowd

Plenty of Lions fans mingling in the Draft Experience area were looking to get a quick photo with Terrell Autrey, 47, a Lions loyalist who goes by Captain Fan Man and was decked out in a jersey, helmet, heavyweight Lions belt and a shield.

Autrey, a Detroiter who’s been a season ticket holder for a decade, said he had confidence that Lions General Manager Brad Holmes would make the right picks for his team.

“He’s a genius,” Autrey said, and isn’t afraid to make decisive decisions. Captain Fan Man said he hopes his team can snag a defensive star or two preferably a high-quality defensive end.

As the crowds moved around him Thursday, Autrey said the only event he’s seen in Detroit that compares is the 2006 Super Bowl, where he recalls cheering for star Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jerome Bettis.

“That was like the closest ever to this,” he said. “But this is a nice environment. I like the way it’s going. I was here about nine in the morning. I’m staying here until the draft is over. I hope we move up.”

Captain Fan Man said he’s been looking forward to this weekend for a long time.

“Everyone who knows me knows I’m a Lions fan. Every time someone ask me (about the draft), I just start laughing and giggling,” he said. “But yes, this is very big for me and a lot of lions fans. This is huge.”

Corktown getting some fans

On Woodward Avenue, food trucks have stationed overnight in parking lots in front of QLine stops, with lines of people. Groups of people, almost all representing blue Lions jerseys, were walking south to the action near the draft stage.

The opposite was happening in Corktown, where merchants hoped to benefit from a spillover of fans from downtown. Businesses had set up under tents leading up to the Corner Ballpark, the former Tigers Stadium where PAL is hosting free kid-friendly events.

Friends, Max Polston and Truman McCormick, both 13 from Grand Haven, traveled with their parents to Detroit Thursday for the festivities. They said the enjoyed the PAL activities most so far.

“We got to try on the Lions new helmets and uniforms. And try on a full football player uniform, which was heavy,” said Polston. “And we played flag football, which was fun. We’re hoping to see some players today. I hope J.J. McCarthy (Michigan quarterback) doesn’t get picked in the first round. I want him for us.”

McCarthy was picked 10th overall by the Minnesota Vikings.

Police presence felt

In downtown Detroit, people can be seen walking around the federal courthouse, making their way to the coney islands and Campus Martius. Some visitors could be heard looking at their Google maps, and noticing the city’s map uniquely has been updated into a 3D visual.

Detroit police officers were issuing several orange parking tickets in zones where no parking signs are posted for the event. Helicopters can be heard above and ambulances from a distance.

The police presence is heavy — on foot, horseback, blocking streets. Police Chief James White has said no officer is being given a day off during the three-day draft.

Officers have set up a lot of security checkpoints and metal detectors on sidewalks well beyond the Draft Experience fence.

A tailgate for 32 teams

Excitement not felt since the Lions' home playoff victory against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in late January coursed through the streets of downtown ahead of Thursday's first round draft selection.

It felt like a tailgate for all 32 teams as children clad in Chicago Bears and Pittsburgh Steelers jerseys tossed the ball around with others representing the Honolulu blue and Buccaneer red in the shadow of the Spirit of Detroit statue, decked out in a custom NFL Draft jersey himself.

The line to take a photo in the NFL clock wound down Woodward Avenue as the final hours ticked by. Fans had already staked out prime spots at the barricades directly behind the Draft Theatre at the Monroe Street Midway lot, with some arriving to stand in line as early as 5 a.m.

Some fans, like Steve and Dana Freeman, traveled all the way from Fort Payne, Alabama, to watch the Bears make the first pick on the draft. While Steve grew up in Alabama, his grandfather is from Chicago and he latched onto the Bears at an early age.

The pair drove roughly 700 miles to Detroit on Wednesday on the back of a Harley-Davidson motorcycle.

"We got up early yesterday morning and just took off, it took us 11 and a half hours to get here," Steve, 49, said.

Detroit isn't their first draft experience, but Steve said it was different compared to previous years in Las Vegas and Nashville. It's his and Dana's first time visiting the city.

"I love the architecture and everything around here, everything's been amazing. It's actually a lot better than what we thought it was going to be," Steve said. "As we started walking around, we just loved all the buildings and all the people who've been amazing, everybody's really friendly."

One eatery seeing slow business

George Antonopoulos, owner of Athens Souvlaki Greek and American restaurant inside the Penobscot Building with an entrance off Fort Street, said his business was down 50% every day this week, including the draft kick-off day on Thursday.

Antonopoulos’ main customers are office employees, and many of them were told to stay home during draft week.

He’s planning to extend his hours from closing at 3 p.m. to closing at 10 p.m., hoping more crowds come in later.

“We’ve been telling people that we're gonna stay late all day, I have three chalkboards … telling people to come in. I passed out fliers earlier this week,” Antonopoulos said “What else can I do?”

'Everybody's been awesome'

Even local residents were representing different teams.

Plymouth native Jacob Sanchez, 21, inherited his love for the Green Bay Packers from his family in the Upper Peninsula. He arrived downtown at 7:30 a.m. to make sure he was first through the gates and could stake out a good spot near the back of the Draft Theatre.

"The draft only comes around once in a lifetime, twice if you're lucky," said Sanchez, who wore a classic Wisconsin cheese head hat.

Each team selects around 15 lucky inner circle fans to watch the draft from inside the theater. Several of these fans are draft veterans, such as friends and Minnesota Vikings fans Tali Roberts and Jonathan Newman from Nashville. While the two weren't selected for the inner circle this year, they stuck to their Vikings roots and made the eight-hour drive out to Detroit anyway.

The pair stood out from the crowd with full Viking face paint, braids, horned helmets and furry boots. Several passersby even stopped them for photos.

This is Roberts' fourth draft but her first time in Detroit. Other than the Vikings, the camaraderie is what brings the pair out to the draft every year.

"Everybody's been awesome," said Roberts, 56. "All of us being together — it only happens in Canton (Ohio, where the Hall of Fame is located) and at the draft, where all the teams are at the same place, that's why I love it."

Captain Seahawks draws gawkers

Wallace Watts, better known by the moniker Captain Seahawk, couldn't help but draw attention walking around downtown in a bedazzled green suit, white wig and seahawk hat. He is one of the Hawks' inner circle fans, along with Cammie Watts, who goes by Cam Hawk while in her own glittery costume and pink Seahawks hat.

The pair have been attending drafts for the last five years and remarked on how well-represented Lions fans were in the crowd Thursday afternoon. Cammie has never been to Detroit but said she's loving it so far. Her favorite part of the draft is sharing the love of football with everyone.

"What would we do if we didn't have football? What if we didn't have that excitement in our life?" Watts, 55, said.

'Deli sees 'really steady' business

Danny Zaghir, owner of Frank’s Deli inside the Buhl Building on Griswold near the draft entrance, said business on Thursday afternoon was “really steady.”

He put a chalkboard sign on Griswold to get new guests inside.

“We have had a lot new faces. We’ve had our regular customers, too, but most of them are working from home,” Zaghir said. “This weekend we are definitely relying on the people coming for the draft. And they haven’t disappointed.”

The New York style deli, which also sells grocery items, extended its hours to close at 11 p.m. for the big event.

“We doubled up on all of our food,” Zaghir said. “We try to be as low-cost as possible.”

Cowboy loves fellow fans

Cowboys inner circle fan and Austin native Mateo Franco, 47, estimated he's been to at least 12 NFL drafts. Franco, a former bull rider himself, wore Cowboys chaps and an oversized cowboy hat to support his team.

For him, the best part of the draft is the fans. It presents a unique opportunity for fans from all 32 teams to get along.

"Football is family. Yeah, family is fun. And this community right here doesn't get any better than that," Franco said.

Three teams, one bond

Fans from across the country flocked to downtown Detroit for the draft event on Thursday.

Joe Walker, 43, of Scranton, Pennsylvania; Rich Aston, 52, of San Antonio, Texas; and David Johnson, 43, of Chicago, all drove hours to make it to opening day of the draft.

All three are supporting different teams, but were together enjoying Detroit and the draft festivities. They had no difficulties traveling into the city.

Johnson, a Bears fan, said “there's hardly no traffic compared to Chicago.”

Walker’s cheering for the Dallas Cowboys and “hoping they pick the best player available.”

Aston, who drove 19 hours from Texas to hang out with his friends on draft day, wants his Pittsburgh Steelers to pick players for “some O-line help," referring to the offensive line.

Food trucks get deluged

Orlando Washington, who runs the food truck BRO-rritos Burritos and Tacos, had a brief lull in customers streaming to and from from the Draft Experience on Thursday afternoon. He said he expected the crowd sizes downtown would be so large in the coming days “we’ll probably never see it again.”

“I’m just glad I can contribute and help feed the hungry (fans),” said the native Detroiter.

He figures it could easily be the best couple days of the year, sales-wise, for his truck.

”I think it’s just phenomenal. I mean, it’s like we’re nonstop already. We probably haven’t seen the worst yet … or the best,” Washington said, laughing.

Many food trucks like Washington’s already had long lines around the downtown draft zone Thursday afternoon. Restaurants and exclusive draft parties, many with their own security, also were rapidly filling with hours still to go before the Chicago Bears are scheduled to make the first pick after 8 p.m.

Pot, art merchants fight for fans

Marijuana companies weren’t missing their chance to advertise to the out-of-towners, sponsoring some of the parties — and advertising on billboard box trucks with big screens that were rolling around downtown, and on airplanes pulling banners overhead.

The company Leaf and Bud, which claims to be Detroit’s biggest dispensary, had both the ground and air covered with ads.

Other vendors were hawking everything from candy, to cheap sunglasses to wooden sculptures and other types of art imported from Senegal.

Mbaye Niang, who runs Niang African Art, usually positions his wares under a tent in Campus Martius Park. But that spot is overtaken with the draft stage area, so Niang shifted to the corner of Park and Woodward avenues to try his luck with the NFL fans, who were queuing to enter the draft party nearby.

Niang acknowledged there was a stark contrast between the typical customer interested in African art and the fans dressed in various colorful team jerseys. But he remained hopeful that many would have their interest piqued, perhaps as they headed for home or back to their hotels later in the day.

“I like the vibe that it brings,” said Niang, 42, who has lived in Detroit more than two decades, about the draft.

Still, he said it’s important that it’s not a one-off advertising event for the city. Longer-term investments need to be made, including in downtown, which Niang still noted has many empty buildings.

“Monday, Tuesday it’s going to go back to normal … when you take all these banners down, and all this, then we go back to normal,” Niang said. “So invest in the city first. Bring things, and in the people who work here, like the everyday Detroiters. You see what I’m saying? And then you can advertise all you want, and bring all the people back.”

He added: “Don’t just put up a big show and then tomorrow you close everything back up and … it’s a ghost town.”

Traffic crawling on I-94

Four hours before the draft's start, hundreds of cars packed Interstate 94 and the Lodge Freeway leading into downtown. Two rear-end accidents were assisted by Michigan State Police. Those heading into the city should expect at least 45 minutes for traffic congestion on I-94.

Authorities were also monitoring traffic above I-94 Cecil Avenue where cars slowed down to take photos and look at the new D-E-T-R-O-I-T gateway sign.

Taking earlier exits like Warren, school-aged kids could be seen dressed in NFL gear, waiting for Detroit Department of Transportation buses at stops to get downtown. Traffic is dense, especially in the university district.In Midtown, there were no visible visitors in the museum district around 4 p.m.

Traffic on I-375 south leading into downtown was backed up at a dead stop for at least a half-mile at 4:30 p.m.

Sticker shock for parking

Big events usually mean jacked-up parking prices in Detroit, and Thursday was no exception.

Most parking lots in downtown are charging $100. One on Gratiot was charging $70.

'So far, so good'

Anita's Kitchen on Jefferson Avenue is having a "so far, so good" experience, General Manager Lauren Peterson said Thursday afternoon.

“We’ve had a lot of walk-ins, a lot of people eating before they go in. It's been really steady, not like crazy wild. Everyone’s been pretty controlled," Peterson said.

The restaurant is opening an outdoor patio food booth for fans Thursday-Saturday since it’s right by the entrance to the draft day events.

The fast-casual eatery with “an authentic Lebanese flair,” will have falafel, gyro pita, and shawarma sandwiches, fries and wings available at the patio from 3 p.m to 6 p.m. Thursday and Friday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday.

Day trip to Detroit

Some Metro Detroiters drove downtown to embrace the unique experience of having the draft in the city.

Howell resident Dylan Matovski and his son Emerson, 12, took a day trip to Detroit. Matovski said that since the draft is in Detroit for the first time, he “just wanted to experience it” with his son.

“With the Lions being better now, it’s great to see the city enjoying that success and a lot of people coming out to just enjoy the nice weather and the experience,” he said.

Emerson, who plays on his local football team, said he might want to do the 40 yard-dash or the vertical jump in the NFL D, which are activities that draft visitors can partake in.

The Ramirez family, who are Chicago Bears fans, traveled to Detroit from Visalia, California, for the draft. The family had a layover in Dallas-Fort Worth Airport a few days ago, but they got stuck there because their flight to Detroit was canceled, said father Bosco Ramirez, 40. They spent a day and a half in Dallas, taking the opportunity to sightsee and try some Texas barbeque.

Ramirez’s mother, who lives in Saline, went with the family to the draft on Thursday. Ramirez said he’s “excited” about the draft. The Bears have the No. 1 pick, and he said the consensus is that the team will choose USC quarterback Caleb Williams.

“I mean it’s a great draft to go to if you’re a Bears fan, obviously,” he said. “We have two top 10 picks.”

Duggan welcomes fans, media

Speaking to reporters early Thursday afternoon, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan said the people who are here "know this is a dramatically different city,"

"Everybody last summer who came to town for different conferences all said the same thing to me: 'Oh my God, this wasn't what I expected' or 'when did the riverfront get here?' or 'when did all these restaurants open up?' This draft feels important because you can't explain what's going on in Detroit, you have to experience it. 

"It's all part of changing our image," said Duggan, who has been invited by the Lions to announce one of their three Draft picks on Saturday. "Never thought I'd see the day I'd wake up and see two positive stories about Detroit in the New York Times. That hasn't happened in my lifetime.

"This is what we hope for," he said, "to reintroduce ourselves to the country."

Fans line up for fan experience

Hundreds of people were lined up late Thursday morning at Entry 2 on Griswold to enter the NFL Fan Experience.

The crowd included many Lions fans, sporting Honolulu blue jerseys or other Lions merchandise. Fans of other teams were interspersed within the sea of Lions faithful, including people supporting the Miami Dolphins, Pittsburgh Steelers, Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers. And some represented the University of Michigan, wearing UM hats or sweatshirts, apparently in honor of potential draftees quarterback J.J. McCarthy and running Blake Corum, among others.

Rachael Clapper of Fowlerville, near Lansing, was waiting in line with her eight-year-old daughter, Macklynn. Clapper wore a blue and green sweatshirt, and Macklynn had on Seattle Seahawks-themed face paint. Clapper said Captain SeaHawk and Kam Hawk — who are well-known Seahawks fans — are in Detroit for the draft, so she and her daughter wanted to meet them. They also came to the draft for the “whole experience.”

“We’re missing football big time,” Clapper said, “so this is kind of aiding in that.”

They’re just here for the day, and she said the drive to Detroit “was fantastic.” They took U.S. 23 and M-14. 

Steady stream of travelers at DTW

Hours ahead of the action, a steady stream of travelers in NFL jerseys poured into Detroit Metro Airport on Thursday morning.

Allie Goodman, of Naples, Florida, said she’d been looking forward to the draft ever since making travel arrangements in January after the Pro Bowl.

“We want to see all around Detroit,” said Goodman, 33. “We’re just looking forward to seeing our super fan friends, and obviously we want to welcome our draft picks.”

Bearing a construction hard hat modified with Miami Dolphins regalia in full aqua, blue, orange and white, Goodman said she was excited to explore Detroit for the first time and hopefully see Eminem perform.

The couple considered themselves hardcore Dolphins fans, having already traveled to see the 2022 NFL Draft in Las Vegas, NFL games in London and even a Super Bowl, said Jared Goodman, 34.

A love for both Detroit and Washington Commanders brought Marcus Ellis into the city on Thursday morning from D.C., the 47-year-old fan told The News.

Ellis had visited Detroit several times before, but was looking forward to seeing the downtown transformation that had been lighting up his social media, he said.

Seeing the draft in person had always been a bucket list experience Ellis hoped to accomplish, he added.

Now was the perfect time to see that vision through, he said.

“I’m hoping to see my team get the best pick possible,” Ellis said. “That is the primary reason why I’m here, to bring us some D.C. luck. I’m going to enjoy food, the sights, the music, the people — everything that Detroit brings.”

Seeing the draft in person was also a longtime bucket list item for 9-year-old Jared Soriano, the Minnesota Vikings fan said.

Soriano, of Farmington, Minnesota, has been watching NFL football games since he was a baby and can now recite near-encyclopedic knowledge of the sport, his 22-year-old sister, Emma Melendez, said.

The siblings planned to make a ton of memories out of their time together, said Melendez, of Rosemount, Minnesota.

Soriano said he felt thrilled to visit Detroit for the first time and see his favorite team up close.

“I’ve kind of been bragging about it,” he said, adding that he also plays wide receiver on his football team.

He only hoped the team didn’t make “a dumb decision” by picking University of Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy, Soriano said.

Other young fans were also making their way through the arrivals section in the airport, including 10-year-old Liam Powell in stride with his cousins, aunt and mother.

Powell, of Rosemount, Minnesota, had been looking forward to making the trip with his dad for a long time, said his mother, Jolina Pettice.

Pettice, her sister and nephews were happy to step in when Powell’s father sustained a last-minute injury that prevented him from traveling, said Pettice, 41.

Originally from Illinois, Pettice said she was excited to see the Chicago Bears get the first draft pick.

Powell was especially excited for the opportunity to see pro players up close, he said.

“It’s always been on my bucket list,” he said.

Also arriving at the airport, Cowboys fan John Stewart and his father were looking forward to being in Detroit even if just for one day, the 18-year-old Dallas traveler said.

Stewart said he has always been interested in working with NFL one day, so he jumped at the chance to catch a glimpse behind the scenes this week, he said.

Philip Cole, 61, was excited to revisit Detroit after a long time away, the Kansas City, Missouri resident said.

Cole had a chance to see the draft when it was hosted in his native city last year, he said. More than football festivities, Cole said he was excited to see how events panned out in Detroit’s new landscape.

“Looking at the city at its best,” Cole said of his wishes while visiting. “Checking out downtown and all the new development in Detroit.”

Robert Pike, 70, said he was also happy to be back in Detroit again.

Pike, of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, is a lifelong Detroit Lions and Red Wings fan, he said.

Coming to the city this weekend with his nephew, Pike was eager to check out the NFL draft layout across the city after visiting many times before for Red Wings games, he said. “I’m really excited about it."

Staff Writers Marnie Munoz and Anne Snabes contributed.

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👀 Draft picks by school | 2024 NFL draft

Here are the colleges with the most players drafted in the 2024 NFL draft:

2024 NFL draft concludes with Round 7️⃣

That's a wrap as the 2024 NFL draft has come to an end. In the seventh and final round, 37 players were selected with a total of 20 defensive players and 17 offensive players. 

Holy Cross' C. J. Hanson was the final FCS player selected in the 2024 NFL draft — rounding out the 11 total FCS players selected this year.

DRAFTED ‼️ C.J. Hanson is headed to the @Chiefs — as the first Crusader to be selected in the @NFLDraft since 1989! #GoCrossGo pic.twitter.com/6F9T4Q7iNd — Holy Cross Football (@HCrossFB) April 27, 2024

The Buffalo Bills selected their very first International Pathway Program player Travis Clayton from England. The Mr. Irrelevant title went to Alabama's Jaylen Key (safety), the 257th overall pick heading to the New York Jets.

Full results from Round 7 of the NFL draft: 

• 221. Buffalo Bills (from Kansas City): Travis Clayton, OT, Bills International Pathway Program Player
• 222. Washington Commanders: Javontae Jean-Baptiste, Edge, Notre Dame
• 223. Las Vegas Raiders (from New England): Trey Taylor, SAF, Air Force
• 224. Cincinnati Bengals (from Houston): Daijahn Anthony, SAF, Mississippi
• 225. Los Angeles Chargers: Brenden Rice, WR, USC
• 226. Arizona Cardinals (from New York Giants): Jaden Davis, DB, Miami
• 227. Cleveland Browns (from Tennessee): Myles Harden, CB, South Dakota
• 228. Baltimore Ravens (from New York Jets): Nick Samac, C, Michigan State
• 229. Las Vegas Raiders (from Minnesota): MJ Devonshire, CB, Pittsburgh
• 230. Minnesota Vikings (from Arizona): Michael Jurgens, C, Wake Forest
• 231. New England Patriots (from Chicago): Jaheim Bell, TE, Florida State
• 232. Minnesota Vikings (from Houston): Levi Drake Rodriguez, DT, Texas A&M-Commerce
• 233. Dallas Cowboys (from Las Vegas): Nathan Thomas, OT, Louisiana-Lafayette
• 234. Indianapolis Colts: Jonah Laulu, DT, Oklahoma
• 235. Denver Broncos (from Seattle): Devaughn Vele, WR, Utah
• 236. Jacksonville Jaguars: Myles Cole, DE, Texas Tech
• 237. Cincinnati Bengals: Matt Lee, C, Miami
• 238. Houston Texans (from New Orleans): Solomon Byrd, Edge, USC
• 239. New Orleans Saints (from Denver): Josiah Ezirim, OT, Eastern Kentucky
• 240. Carolina Panthers (from Pittsburgh): Michael Barrett, LB, Michigan
• 241. Miami Dolphins: Tahj Washington, WR, USC
• 242. Tennessee Titans (from Philadelphia): James Williams, SAF, Miami
• 243. Cleveland Browns: Jowon Briggs, DT, Cincinnati
• 244. Dallas Cowboys: Justin Rogers, DT, Auburn 
• 245. Green Bay Packers: Michael Pratt, QB, Tulane
• 246. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Devin Culp, TE, Washington
• 247. Houston Texans: Marcus Harris, DT, Auburn 
• 248. Kansas City Chiefs (from Buffalo): C. J. Hanson, G, Holy Cross
• 249. Houston Texans (from Detroit): LaDarius Henderson, G, Michigan
• 250. Baltimore Ravens: Sanoussi Kane, SAF, Purdue
• 251. San Francisco 49ers: Tatum Bethune, LB, Florida State
• 252. Tennessee Titans (from Kansas City): Jaylen Harrell, Edge, Michigan
• 253. Los Angeles Chargers (compensatory selection): Cornelius Johnson, WR, Michigan
• 254. Los Angeles Rams (compensatory selection): KT Leveston, G, Kansas State
• 255. Green Bay Packers (compensatory selection): Kalen King, CB, Penn State
• 256. Denver Broncos (from New York Jets, compensatory selection): Nick Gargiulo, C, South Carolina
• 257. New York Jets (compensatory selection): Jaylen Key, SAF, Alabama

Round 6️⃣ Results

One more round to go! During the sixth round of the 2024 NFL draft, Alabama kicker Will Reichard was selected by the Minnesota Vikings as the 203rd overall pick — marking the first kicker to be taken off the board.

WILL THE THRILL!!! 🙌 Congratulations, @WillReichard #RollTide pic.twitter.com/ILkKFrOGAJ — Alabama Football (@AlabamaFTBL) April 27, 2024

To keep the QB train moving, Joe Milton III (Tennessee) was selected 193rd overall by the New England Patriots and Devin Leary (Kentucky) was selected 218th overall by the Baltimore Ravens. 

Full results from Round 6 of the NFL draft: 

• 177. Minnesota Vikings (from Jacksonville): Walter Rouse, OT, Oklahoma
• 178. Pittsburgh Steelers (from Carolina) : Logan Lee, DT, Iowa
• 179. Seattle Seahawks (from Washington): Sataoa Laumea, G, Utah
• 180. New England Patriots: Marcellas Dial, CB, South Carolina
• 181. Los Angeles Chargers: Kimani Vidal, RB, Troy
• 182. Tennessee Titans (from Philadelphia): Jha'Quan Jackson, WR, Tulane
• 183. New York Giants: Darius Muasau, LB, UCLA
• 184. Miami Dolphins (from Chicago): Malik Washington, WR, Virginia
• 185. Philadelphia Eagles (from New York Jets): Johnny Wilson, WR, Florida State
• 186. Atlanta Falcons (from Arizona): Jase McClellan, RB, Alabama
• 187. Atlanta Falcons: Casey Washington, WR, Illinois
• 188. Houston Texans (from Minnesota): Jamal Hill, LB, Oregon
• 189. Detroit Lions (from Houston): Mekhi Wingo, DT, LSU
• 190. Philadelphia Eagles (from New York Jets): Dylan McMahon, C, N.C. State
• 191. Arizona Cardinals (from Indiana): Tejhaun Palmer, WR, UAB 
• 192. Seattle Seahawks: DJ James, CB, Auburn
• 193. New England Patriots (from Jacksonville): Joe Milton III, QB, Tennessee
• 194. Cincinnati Bengals: Tanner McLachlan, TE, Arizona
• 195. Pittsburg Steelers: Ryan Watts, CB, Texas
• 196. Los Angeles Rams: Tyler Davis, DT, Clemson
• 197. Atlanta Falcons (from Cleveland) : Zion Logue, DT, Georgia
• 198. Miami Dolphins: Patrick McMorris, SAF, California
• 199. New Orleans Saints (from Philadelphia): Khristian Boyd, DT, Northern Iowa
• 200. Carolina Panthers (from Buffalo) : Jaden Crumedy, DT, Mississippi State
• 201. Indianapolis Colts (from Philadelphia): Micah Abraham, CB, Marshall
• 202. Green Bay Packers: Travis Glover, OT, Georgia State
• 203. Minnesota Vikings (from New York Jets): Will Reichard, K, Alabama
• 204. Buffalo Bills: Tylan Grable, OT, UCF
• 205. Houston Texans (from Detroit): Jawhar Jordan, RB, Louisville
• 206. Cleveland Browns (from Baltimore): Nathaniel Watson, LB, Mississippi State
• 207. Seattle Seahawks (from Denver): Michael Jerrell, OT, Findlay
• 208. Las Vegas Raiders (from Kansas City): Dylan Laube, RB, New Hampshire
• 209. Los Angeles Rams (compensatory selection): Joshua Karty, K, Stanford
• 210. Detroit Lions (from Philadelphia, compensatory selection): Christian Mahogany, G, Boston College
• 211. Kansas City Chiefs (from San Francisco, compensatory selection): Kamal Hadden, CB, Tennessee
• 212. Jacksonville Jaguars (compensatory selection): Cam Little, K, Arkansas
• 213. Los Angeles Rams (compensatory selection): Jordan Whittington, WR, Texas
• 214. Cincinnati Bengals (compensatory selection): Cedric Johnson, Edge, Mississippi
• 215. San Francisco 49ers (compensatory selection): Jarrett Kingston, G, USC
• 216. Dallas Cowboys (compensatory selection): Ryan Flournoy, WR, Southeast Missouri State
• 217. Los Angeles Rams (compensatory selection): Beaux Limmer, C, Arkansas
• 218. Baltimore Ravens (from New York Jets, compensatory selection): Devin Leary, QB, Kentucky
• 219. Buffalo Bills (from Green Bay, compensatory selection): Daequan Hardy, CB, Penn State
• 220. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (compensatory selection): Elijah Klein, G, Texas-El Paso

The final round of the 2024 draft is underway. Follow this page for updates after each round.  

📲 For exclusive draft coverage and commentary, follow on  Bleacher Report.

Round 5️⃣ results

Five rounds down, only two more to go! The fifth round in the 2024 NFL draft saw the first quarterback selected since Round 1 when South Carolina's Spencer Rattler was taken 150th overall by the New Orleans Saints. 

At No. 150, the #Saints take South Carolina QB Spencer Rattler. That’s 138 picks from the sixth QB to the seventh. — Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 27, 2024

The 138 picks between QB selections broke the NFL draft record for most picks in between quarterback selections. 

Full results from Round 5 of the NFL draft: 

• 136. Seattle Seahawks (from Denver): Nehemiah Pritchett, CB, Auburn
• 137. Los Angeles Chargers (from New England): Tarheeb Still, CB, Maryland 
• 138. Arizona Cardinals: Xavier Thomas, Edge, Clemson
• 139. Washington Commanders: Jordan Magee, LB, Temple 
• 140. Los Angeles Chargers: Cam Hart, CB, Notre Dame
• 141. Buffalo Bills (from Carolina): Sedrick Van Pran-Granger, C, Georgia 
• 142. Indianapolis Colts (from Carolina): Anthony Gould, WR, Oregon State
• 143. Atlanta Falcons: JD Bertrand, LB, Notre Dame
• 144. Chicago Bears (from Buffalo): Austin Booker, Edge, Kansas 
• 145. Denver Broncos (from N.Y. Jets): Kris Abrams-Draine, CB, Missouri 
• 146. Tennessee Titans (from Minnesota): Jarvis Brownlee Jr., CB, Louisville 
• 147. Denver Broncos: Audric Estime, RB, Notre Dame
• 148. Las Vegas Raiders: Tommy Eichenberg, LB, Ohio State 
• 149. Cincinnati Bengals: Josh Newton, CB, TCU
• 150. New Orleans Saints: Spencer Rattler, QB, South Carolina 
• 151. Indianapolis Colts: Jaylon Carlies, S, Missouri 
• 152. Philadelphia Eagles (from Washington): Ainias Smith, WR, Texas A&M
• 153. Jacksonville Jaguars: Deantre Prince, CB, Ole Miss 
• 154. Los Angeles Rams: Brennan Jackson, Edge, Washington State
• 155. Philadelphia Eagles (from Indianapolis): Jeremiah Trotter Jr., LB, Clemson  
• 156. Cleveland Browns (from Philadelphia): Jamari Thrash, WR, Louisville
• 157. Carolina Panthers (from Minnesota):  Chau Smith-Wade, CB, Washington State
• 158. Miami Dolphins: Mohamed Kamara, Edge, Colorado State 
• 159. Kansas City Chiefs (from Dallas): Hunter Nourzad, C, Penn State 
• 160. Buffalo Bills (from Green Bay): Edefuan Ulofoshio, LB, Washington 
• 161. Washington Commanders (from Philadelphia): Dominique Hampton, S, Washington 
• 162. Arizona Cardinals (from Houston): Christian Jones, OT, Texas
• 163. Green Bay Packers (from Buffalo): Jacob Monk, C, Duke 
• 164. Indianapolis Colts (from Detroit Lions): Jaylin Simpson, S, Auburn 
• 165. Baltimore Ravens: Rasheen Ali, RB, Marshall 
• 166. New York Giants (from San Francisco): Tyron Tracy Jr., RB, Purdue
• 167. Jacksonville Jaguars (from Minnesota): Keilan Robinson, RB, Texas
• 168. Buffalo Bills (from Green Bay; compensatory Selection): Javon Solomon, Edge, Troy 
• 169. Green Bay Packers (compensatory selection): Kitan Oladapo, S, Oregon State 
• 170. New Orleans Saints (compensatory selection): Bub Means, WR, Pittsburgh 
• 171. New York Jets (from Philadelphia; compensatory selection): Jordan Travis, QB, Florida State
• 172. Philadelphia Eagles (compensatory selection): Trevor Keegan, OG, Michigan 
• 173. New York Jets  (from San Francisco; compensatory selection): Isaiah Davis, RB, South Dakota State 
• 174. Dallas Cowboys (compensatory selection): Caelen Carson, CB, Wake Forest 
• 175. New Orleans Saints (compensatory selection): Jaylan Ford, LB, Texas  
• 176. New York Jets (from San Francisco; compensatory selection): Qwan'tez Stiggers, CB, Toronto Argonauts (CFL)

Follow this page for updates after each round.  

Round 4 results

• 101. Carolina Panthers: Ja'Tavion Sanders, TE, Texas 
• 102. Seattle Seahawks (from Washington): Troy Franklin, WR, Oregon 
• 103. New England Patriots: Layden Robinson, OG, Texas A&M 
• 104. Arizona Cardinals: Dadrion Taylor-Demerson, S, Texas Tech 
• 105. Los Angeles Chargers: Justin Eboigbe, DT, Alabama 
• 106. Tennessee Titans: Cedric Gray, LB, North Carolina  
• 107. New York Giants: Theo Johnson, TE, Penn State 
• 108. Minnesota Vikings: Khyree Jackson, CB, Oregon 
• 109. Atlanta Falcons: Brandon Dorlus, DT, Oregon
• 110. New England Patriots (from Los Angeles Chargers): Javon Baker, WR, UCF 
• 111. Green Bay Packers (from New York Jets): Evan Williams, S, Oregon 
• 112. Las Vegas Raiders: Decamerion Richardson, CB, Mississippi State  
• 113. Baltimore Ravens (from Denver): Dovontez Walker, WR, North Carolina 
• 114. Jacksonville Jaguars: Javon Foster, OT, Missouri 
• 115. Cincinnati Bengals: Erick All, TE, Iowa 
• 116. Jacksonville Jaguars (from New Orleans): Jordan Jefferson, DT, LSU 
• 117. Indianapolis Colts: Tanor Bortolini, C, Wisconsin
• 118. Seattle Seahawks: Tyrice Knight, LB, UTEP  
• 119. Pittsburgh Steelers: Mason McCormick, OG, South Dakota State
• 120. Miami Dolphins (from Philadelphia): Jaylen Wright, RB, Tennessee 
• 121. Seattle Seahawks (from Denver): AJ Barner, TE, Michigan 
• 122. Chicago Bears (from Philadelphia): Tory Taylor, P, Iowa  
• 123. Houston Texans (from Philadelphia): Cade Stover, TE, Ohio State
• 124. San Francisco 49ers (from Dallas): Malik Mustapha, S, Wake Forest 
• 125. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Bucky Irving, RB, Oregon 
• 126. Detroit Lions (from Green Bay): Giovanni Manu, OT, British Columbia
• 127. Philadelphia Eagles (from Houston): Will Shipley, RB, Clemson
• 128. Buffalo Bills: Ray Davis, RB, Kentucky 
• 129. San Francisco (from Detroit): Isaac Guerendo, RB, Louisville 
• 130. Baltimore Ravens: T.J. Tampa, CB, Iowa State
• 131. Kansas City Chiefs: Jared Wiley, TE, TCU
• 132. Detroit Lions (from San Francisco, compensatory selection): Sione Vaki, S, Utah
• 133. Kansas City Chiefs (from Buffalo, compensatory selection): Jaden Hicks, S, Washington State
• 134. New York Jets (from Baltimore, compensatory selection): Braelon Allen, RB, Wisconsin
• 135. San Francisco 49ers: Jacob Cowing, WR Arizona

Follow this page for updates after each round.  

📲 For exclusive draft coverage and commentary, follow on  Bleacher Report.

Draft concludes today with rounds 4-7

The final day of the 2024 NFL draft begins at noon ET.

Rounds 4-7 still have plenty of intrigue with quarterbacks Spencer Rattler and Michael Pratt still on the board as the two highest projected QBs remaining. Rounds 2 and 3 saw no quarterbacks selected after the first round featured six QB selections in the top 12 overall picks. 

Here is the order for round four: 

• 101. Carolina Panthers
• 102. Seattle Seahawks (from Washington)
• 103. New England Patriots
• 104. Arizona Cardinals
• 105. Los Angeles Chargers
• 106. Tennessee Titans
• 107. New York Giants
• 108. Minnesota Vikings
• 109. Atlanta Falcons
• 110. New England Patriots (from Los Angeles Chargers)
• 111. New York Jets
• 112. Las Vegas Raiders
• 113. Baltimore Ravens (from Denver)
• 114. Jacksonville Jaguars
• 115. Cincinnati Bengals
• 116. Jacksonville Jaguars (from New Orleans)
• 117. Indianapolis Colts
• 118. Seattle Seahawks
• 119. Pittsburgh Steelers
• 120. Philadelphia Eagles (from L.A. Rams)
• 121. Denver Broncos (from Miami)
• 122. Chicago Bears (from Philadelphia)
• 123. Philadelphia Eagles (from Houston Texans)
• 124. San Francisco 49ers (from Dallas)
• 125. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
• 126. Green Bay Packers
• 127. Houston Texans
• 128. Buffalo Bills
• 129. New York Jets (from Minnesota)
• 130. Baltimore Ravens
• 131. Kansas City Chiefs
• 132. Philadelphia Eagles (from San Francisco, compensatory selection)
• 133. Kansas City Chiefs (from Buffalo, compensatory selection)
• 134. New York Jets (from Baltimore, compensatory selection)
• 135. San Francisco 49ers

Round 3 recap: Offensive lineman dominate, two FCS prospects picked up

Ten offensive linemen were taken off the board in Round 3, and five more wide receivers were scooped up to close out Day Two. The first two FCS players off the board were Kiran Amegadjie (Yale) and Jalyx Hunt (Houston Christian) picked by the Chicago Bears and Philadelphia Eagles respectively.

Washington and Michigan, the 2024 College Football Playoff National Championship contenders, are facing off — this time fighting for the most draft picks. Michigan and Washington are tied at seven, with the Wolverines storming back — tallying four picks in the third round. This comeback was fueled by an incredible three-pick streak between picks 83-85 for Jim Harbaugh's former squad. On the other side, the Huskies now have all three of their starting wide receivers from 2024 off the board through three.

Offensive tackle remains the most popular pick (17), with wide receivers finishing right behind after three rounds at 16. Teams are fatigued from quarterbacks after taking a record-setting six on Day One after no quarterbacks were selected on Day Two.

Here is the full list of round three:

• No. 65 New York Jets: Malachi Corley, WR, Western Kentucky
• No. 66 Arizona Cardinals: Trey Benson, RB, Florida State
• No. 67 Washington Commanders: Brandon Coleman, OG, TCU
• No. 68 New England Patriots: Caedan Wallace, OT, Penn State
• No. 69 Los Angeles: Chargers: Junior Colson, LB, Michigan
• No. 70 New York Giants: Andru Philips, CB, Kentucky
• No. 71 Arizona Cardinals: Isaiah Adams, OT, Illinois
• No. 72 Carolina Panthers: Trevin Wallace, LB, Kentucky
• No. 73 Dallas Cowboys: Cooper Beebe, OG, Kansas State
• No. 74 Atlanta Falcons: Bralen Trice, Edge, Washington
• No. 75 Chicago Bears: Kiran Amegadjie, OT, Yale
• No. 76 Denver Broncos: Jonah Elliss, Edge, Utah
• No. 77 Las Vegas Raiders: Delmar Glaze, OT, Maryland
• No. 78 Houston Texans: Calen Bullock, S, USC
• No. 79 Indianapolis Colts: Matt Goncalves, OT, Pittsburgh
• No. 80 Cincinnati Bengals: Jermaine Burton, WR, Alabama
• No. 81 Seattle Seahawks: Christian Haynes, OG, UConn
• No. 82  Arizona Cardinals: Tip Reiman, TE, Illinois
• No. 83 Los Angeles Rams: Blake Corum, RB, Michigan
• No. 84 Pittsburgh Steelers: Roman Wilson, WR, Michigan
• No. 85 Cleveland Browns: Zak Zinter, OG, Michigan
• No. 86 San Francisco 49ers: Dominick Puni, OT, Kansas
• No. 87 Dallas Cowboys: Marist Liufau, LB, Notre Dame
• No. 88 Green Bay Packers: MarShawn Lloyd, RB, USC
• No. 89 Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Tykee Smith, S, Georgia
• No. 90 Arizona Cardinals: Elijah Jones, CB, Boston College
• No. 91 Green Bay Packers: Ty'Ron Hopper, LB, Missouri
• No. 92 Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Jalen McMillan, WR, Washington
• No. 93 Baltimore Ravens: Adisa Isaac, Edge, Penn State
• No. 94 Philadelphia Eagles: Jalyx Hunt, Edge, Houston Christian
• No. 95 Buffalo Bills: DeWayne Carter, DT, Duke
• No. 96 Jacksonville Jaguars: Jarrian Jones, CB, Florida State
• No. 97 Cincinnati Bengals: McKinnley Jackson, DT, Texas A&M
• No. 98 Pittsburgh Steelers: Payton Wilson, LB, NC State
• No. 99 Los Angeles Rams: Kamren Kinchens, S, Miami
• No. 100 Washington Commanders: Luke McCaffrey, WR, Rice

First FCS player off the board 👀

Adding to the front lines with @the2kkiran5 💪 pic.twitter.com/eCvPqwIilz — Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) April 27, 2024

Round 2 recap: Defense prioritized after offensive-focused round one

Twenty defensive players were taken off the board in round two, 12 more than in the first. Seven defensive tackles and corner backs were selected after just four combined were taken in the first round.

Offensive tackle and wide receiver are the popular picks, with 11 taken through two. Cornerbacks sit right behind with 10.

Round two ended in a four-way tie for most picks by school, with Texas, Washington, Alabama and Georgia having five selections through the first 64 picks.

Here is the full list of round two:

• No. 33 Buffalo Bills: Keon Coleman, WR, Florida State
• No. 34 Los Angeles Chargers: Ladd McConkey, WR, Georgia
• No. 35 Atlanta Falcons: Ruke Orhorhoro, DT, Clemson
• No. 36 Washington Commanders: Jer'Zhan Newton, DT, Illinois
• No. 37 New England Patriots: Ja'Lynn Polk, WR, Washington
• No. 38 Tennessee Titans: T'Vondre Sweat, DT, Texas
• No. 39 Los Angeles Rams: Braden Fiske, DT, Florida State
• No. 40 Philadelphia Eagles: Cooper DeJean, CB, Iowa
• No. 41 New Orleans Saints: Kool-Aid McKinstry, CB, Alabama
• No. 42 Houston Texans: Kamari Lassiter, CB, Georgia
• No. 43 Arizona Cardinals: Max Melton, CB, Rutgers
• No. 44 Las Vegas Raiders: Jackson Powers-Johnson, C, Oregon
• No. 45 Green Bay Packers: Edgerrin Cooper, LB, Texas A&M
• No. 46 Carolina Panthers:  Jonathon Brooks, RB, Texas
• No. 47 New York Giants: Tyler Nubin, S, Minnesota
• No. 48 Jacksonville Jaguars: Maason Smith, DT, LSU
• No. 49 Cincinnati Bengals: Kris Jenkins, DT, Michigan
• No. 50 Washington Commanders: Mike Sainristil, CB, Michigan
• No. 51 Pittsburgh Steelers: Zach Frazier, C, West Virginia
• No. 52 Indianapolis Colts: Adonai Mitchell, WR, Texas
• No. 53 Washington Commanders: Ben Sinnott, TE, Kansas State
• No. 54 Cleveland Browns: Michael Hall Jr., DT, Ohio State
• No. 55 Miami Dolphins: Patrick Paul, OT, Houston
• No. 56 Dallas Cowboys: Marshawn Kneeland, Edge, Western Michigan
• No. 57 Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Chris Braswell, Edge, Alabama
• No. 58 Green Bay Packers: Javon Bullard, S, Georgia
• No. 59 Houston Texans: Blake Fisher, OT, Notre Dame
• No. 60 Buffalo Bills: Cole Bishop, S, Utah
• No. 61 Detroit Lions: Ennis Rakestraw Jr., CB, Missouri
• No. 62 Baltimore Ravens: Roger Rosengarten, OT, Washington
• No. 63 Kansas City Chiefs: Kingsley Suamataia, OT, BYU
• No. 64 San Francisco 49ers: Renardo Green, CB, Florida State

A linebacker and running back are taken back-to-back to end the droughts

The Green Bay Packers ended the linebacker drought, selecting Edgerrin Cooper out of Texas A&M with pick No. 45.

With the very next pick, the Carolina Panthers took the first running back off the board, Jonathon Brooks out of Texas. This selection marked the end of the second-longest running back drought in NFL draft history. The record dates back to 2014 when Bishop Sankey was taken with pick No. 54.

Carolina trades up to select Texas RB Jonathon Brooks with the No. 46 pick, per @albertbreer First RB taken in the 2024 draft 😤 pic.twitter.com/3l36jfLegk — B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) April 27, 2024

First 10 off the board in round two

The wide receiver train keeps rolling, and seven defensive prospects were taken with the first 10 picks of round two — only one less than the entire first round.

There are still no running backs off the board through 42 selections, the second-longest drought in NFL history.

Round 2 kicks off tonight

The 2024 NFL draft picks back up today, April 26, at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN and NFL Network. Rounds 2-3 will air tonight and the draft will conclude on Saturday with rounds 4-7 at noon on NFL Network.

Round 2 will begin with the Buffalo Bills on the clock with pick No. 33. The Bills traded back twice yesterday — starting the night with pick No. 28 before trading down to No. 32 and then No. 33 to close out the night.

Following the Bills: No. 34 New England Patriots, No. 35 Arizona Cardinals, No. 36 Washington Commanders, No. 37 Los Angeles Chargers and No. 38 Tennessee Titans.

Last night, two Heisman winners, seven wide receivers and eight defensive prospects were selected. The seven receivers taken tied a record for most drafted in the first round since 2004. There are plenty of big-name wideouts still on the board including Adonai Mitchell (Texas), Ladd McConkey (Georgia) and Keon Coleman (Florida State).

Top 10 players available on Day 2: 1. CB Kool-Aid McKinstry, Alabama (8.4) 2. DL Jer'Zhan Newton, Illinois (8.0) 3. WR Keon Coleman, Florida State (8.0) 4. IOL Jackson Powers-Johnson, Oregon (8.0) 5. IOL Zach Frazier, West Virginia (7.8) 6. CB Cooper DeJean, Iowa (7.7) 7. S… pic.twitter.com/BIXeHXTRb0 — B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) April 26, 2024

Colleges with the most first round draft picks 📊

LSU, Alabama and Washington lead with three players taken in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft with the Tigers and Huskies each claiming two picks in the top 10.

Here are the colleges with multiple first round picks.

For a full list of the 2024 NFL draft first-round picks keep scrolling down ⬇️

Here's a full list of the 2024 NFL first round draft picks ⤵️

USC quarterback Caleb Williams headlines the top 10 picks in the 2024 NFL draft.

The top 10 saw five quarterbacks selected, including the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, Jayden Daniels, who was selected second. For the first time in NFL draft there was not one defensive player selected in the top 10.

This is the full list of first-round picks:

• Chicago Bears:  Caleb Williams, QB, USC
• Washington Commanders:  Jayden Daniels, QB, LSU
• New England Patriots:  Drake Maye, QB, UNC
• Arizona Cardinals: Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, Ohio State
• Los Angeles Chargers:  Joe Alt, OT, Notre Dame
• New York Giants:  Malik Nabers, WR, LSU
• Tennessee Titans:  JC Latham, OT, Alabama
• Atlanta Falcons:  Michael Penix Jr., QB, Washington
• Chicago Bears: Rome Odunze, WR, Washington
• Minnesota Vikings:  JJ McCarthy, QB, Michigan
• New York Jets: Olumuyiwa Fashanu, OT, Penn State
• Denver Broncos: Bo Nix, QB, Oregon
• Las Vegas Raiders: Brock Bowers, TE, Georgia
• New Orleans Saints: Taliese Fuaga, OT, Oregon State
• Indianapolis Colts: Laiatu Latu, EDGE, UCLA
• Seattle Seahawks: Byron Murphy II, DT, Texas
• Minnesota Vikings: Dallas Turner, OLB, Alabama
• Cincinnati Bengals: Amarius Mims, OT, Georgia
• Los Angeles Rams : Jared Verse, EDGE, Florida State
• Pittsburg Steelers : Troy Fautanu, OT, Washington
• Miami Dolphins: Chop Robinson, EDGE, Penn State
• Philadelphia Eagles : Quinyon Mitchell, CB, Toledo
• Jacksonville Jaguars: Brian Thomas Jr., WR, LSU
• Detroit Lions: Terrion Arnold, CB, Alabama
• Green Bay Packers: Jordan Morgan, OL, Arizona
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Graham Barton, C, Duke
• Arizona Cardinals: Darius Robinson, DE, Missouri
• Kansas City Chiefs : Xavier Worthy, WR, Texas
• Dallas Cowboys: Tyler Guyton, OT, Oklahoma
• Baltimore Ravens : Nate Wiggins, CB, Clemson
• San Francisco 49ers: Ricky Pearsall, WR, Florida
• Carolina Panthers: Xavier Legette, WR, South Carolina

Rounds 2️⃣ and 3️⃣ begin at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, April 26. Rounds 4-7 begin on Saturday at noon ET. You can watch the NFL draft on NFL Network, ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Deportes and NFL+.

⤵️ Below is a full breakdown of each top-10 pick, including notable moments and stats from each player's college career. 

Michigan's national champion QB goes No. 10 to Minnesota

pic.twitter.com/ChJz4Czcsh — Michigan Football (@UMichFootball) April 26, 2024

The Minnesota Vikings trade up to No. 10 to select Michigan's JJ McCarthy.

McCarthy won the national championship at Michigan, guiding the Wolverines to a 28-1 record over two seasons. McCarthy is the first Michigan quarterback to be selected in the first round since his former head coach, Jim Harbaugh, was taken in the 1987 draft. 

NFL Draft 2024 garners 150K fans and some of the most stunning images of the crowd

The 2024 NFL Draft has arrived, and with it so have hundreds of thousands of football fans.

The area in downtown Detroit around the Campus Martius Park and Hart Plaza are dedicated to the affair that will see 257 young athletes go from prospects to professionals.

The moment has garnered a wave of fans every year, and this one is no exception. As fans fill the area, the spectacle is something that is as remarkable as a Caleb Williams touchdown. The NFL estimated 150,000 fans filled the area.

Here are just some of the sights and sounds from draft day.

NFL Draft Live: NFL draft picks 2024: Tracker, analysis for every selection in first round

NFL DRAFT HUB: Latest NFL Draft mock drafts, news, live picks, grades and analysis.

2024 NFL Draft: Detroit images and sounds from draft day

Record Number Of Fans Attended NFL’s Endless Draft For Some Reason

The NFL Draft is one of the most inexplicable events on the sports calendar, with massive ratings and a huge number of attendees camping out over three days to watch what is essentially a live press conference.

Reading a list of 32 names off of a sheet, which would take, at most roughly 90 seconds, is dragged, kicking and screaming, out to four hours of television coverage. It's a true test of stamina and a willingness to convince yourself that waiting two hours to see your team draft someone who will likely barely play for three years before being released is a valuable use of time.

Somehow, the same fans who believe that 90-minute long soccer games or 2 hour and 15 minute baseball games are "boring" are willing to sit through four hours, for several consecutive days, of the same repetitive analysis, painfully awkward interviews and mind-numbing commercial breaks while "the pick is in" flashes on the screen.

Regardless, the NFL has somehow convinced the sports public that this made-for-television press conference is worthy of not one, not two, but three days to get through seven rounds. Twelve hours of real world time to get through seven rounds. Incredible. And in 2024, the endless slog resulted in 700,000 in-person attendees, a new record. Who could have waited to see the list of draftees posted immediately on websites afterwards, which would take a few seconds to read. Incredible.

The crowd at the NFL draft's main stage on Saturday, April 27, 2024, third day of the event in downtown Detroit. Photo: Mandi Wright-USA TODAY NETWORK

NFL Draft Must Be Stopped

It's too late for this year's draft to be stopped, but given how successful college protesters are at getting campuses and events shut down, maybe we can convince some of them to protest in Green Bay next year. Maybe that way we can convince the league to cut it down to two hours per day? Or actually just get the entire thing done on one day? 

After all, as we hear how great this player is, or how well he'll fit into the team's scheme, or how his "length" and "wingspan" and "speed" will make him a star, the reality is that the hit rate on most first round draftees is unbelievably low. Not counting the lower rounds either.

It's a testament to the power of the NFL that the draft is this popular. But then again, maybe one day the league will realize that the average NFL game has roughly 11 minutes of action in it, or that 25 percent of NFL broadcasts are commercials, with 50 minutes of advertising spread out over 20 breaks.

Based on last year's ratings though, the answer is probably not.

NFL | NFL draft attendance record within reach in…

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NFL | NFL draft attendance record within reach in Detroit, Commissioner Roger Goodell tells fans on Day 2

DETROIT (AP) — The NFL draft tour has not had a stop quite like the one in Detroit.

“So Detroit, you’re within 100,000 of breaking the all-time record.”

Nashville drew 600,000 fans over the three days of the NFL draft in 2019 to set the mark the Motor City will shoot to surpass on Saturday. Nashville had the previous first- and second-round records, drawing 200,000 fans each day.

Michigan coach Sherrone Moore, assistant coaches and players he has returning from last season’s national championship-winning team were introduced on stage by Goodell, and the crowd sang the school’s fight song before the second round kicked off.

“It’s super special to be here,” Wolverines tight end Colston Loveland said. “Detroit showed out, for sure.

“There’s lot of bodies here.”

Streets, restaurants, bars and hotels were filled for a second straight day as fans of the 32 teams gathered for a party that showed no signs of slowing down.

Larry Kordosky traveled from Arizona to attend his second NFL draft and left no doubt who his favorite team is, wearing red and blue pants with Bills logos and a Buffalo jersey under black shoulder pads.

“You couldn’t ask for a better crowd or host,” Kordosky said, standing in a rare open space in the middle of Campus Martius Park. “I had never been to Detroit. I love it. It’s an amazing city.

“I went to the draft in Las Vegas two years ago, but it was nothing like this. There are fans everywhere, especially Lions fans.”

Lions season-ticket holder Reiner Calderero of Warren, Michigan, and Christopher Guiao of Sterling Heights were in the first row up against a barricade just beyond the covered theater area where the picks were announced.

They were easy to pick out in the crowd.

The men wore the same Honolulu blue and silver masks they put on for home games at nearby Ford Field.

Guiao said the NFL draft experience exceeded his high expectations.

“All day, both days, the whole area has been packed,” he said. “Hopefully, the world sees what we see. Detroit is a beautiful city with warm people.”

In addition to the intangible benefits of showing the city in a good light for visitors and 50-plus million people watching on TVs, phones and tablets, the economic impact was expected to exceed $160 million and that’s when local organizers were expecting 400,000 fans to attend the three-day event.

More than 20 teams have inquired about hosting a future NFL draft and Green Bay will be on the clock after the seventh round concludes Saturday.

The Motor City, which was once one of the nation’s largest and most powerful cities, has bounced back from filing for bankruptcy in 2013 and has made the most of an opportunity to shine.

“A special thank you to everybody here who came from across Michigan and across the United States to help Detroit set new attendance records for the NFL draft,” Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, joined by Hall of Famer Barry Sanders, said on stage before announcing the Lions had drafted Missouri cornerback Ennis Rakestraw Jr. in the second round.

The NFL draft is giving Detroit a chance to show the world how far it has come, according to Dan Gilbert, whose real-estate company, Bedrock, was among the private and public entities to land the league’s annual event.

“The city, it’s got an energy to it,” Gilbert said in an interview with The Associated Press. “I think that’s one of the reasons we’re able to convince the NFL to do the draft out here. They could feel the energy as we took them on tours here.”

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