NFL Draft news: Roger Goodell hints at future Cleveland draft after 2021 dud

Few fans seem to like seeing Roger Goodell come onto the draft stage, but the first round of the event remains highly popular. And the NFL Commissioner hinted at a Cleveland draft after the 2021 dud, according to a post on X by the Browns.

“(The 2021 draft) was not the event we expected,” Goodell said. “But this community came together and met those challenges. And we pulled the draft off here.

“We look forward to coming back here with the draft soon, for sure. I think it’s important.”

Draft attendance figures show a Cleveland dip

Goodell acknowledged the situation with the pandemic still being an issue when the draft came to Cleveland in the spring of 2021. And the numbers clearly show the drop in attendance, according to a post on X by Front Office Sports.

NFL Draft attendance since 2015:

• 2015, Chicago: 200,000
• 2016, Chicago: 225,000
• 2017, Philadelphia: 250,000
• 2018, Dallas: 200,000
• 2019, Nashville: 600,000
• 2020: Virtual
• 2021, Cleveland: 160,000
• 2022, Las Vegas: 300,000
• 2023, Kansas City: 312,000
• 2024, Detroit: 775,000
• 2025, Green Bay: 600,000
• 2026, Pittsburgh: 805,000

The Browns would probably love a redo. The organization held a groundbreaking ceremony on Thursday for its new stadium, which will be enclosed. It is scheduled to be ready for the start of the 2029 season.

And who knows? By then, the Browns may have figured out a way to become a serious Super Bowl contender by then.

Right now, they remain in a rebuilding phase. They have a new coach in Todd Monken, and seemed to have a good 2026 draft. They selected 10 players, including a foundational offensive tackle in Spencer Fano.

Then they grabbed a pair of wide receivers who could make an impact as early as this season. KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston went No. 24 and No. 39 overall.

They also got a potential steal. Safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren fell deep into the second round. General manager saw it and made a deal. He traded up to No. 58 to secure him.

Berry said the Browns had their eyes on McNeil-Warren even earlier, according to brownszone.com.

“He wasn’t someone that we anticipated being there as late as he was,” Berry said. “So when he got within striking distance, we felt the move was appropriate. To be truthful, he was in play for us at 39.”

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