The Washington Commanders may not be focused on the 2027 NFL Draft just yet, but the league has already picked its location — the National Mall. The official announcement is expected Monday at the White House, where NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and Commanders owner Josh Harris will reportedly join President Donald Trump. Trump also plans to deliver a separate sports-related announcement at 1 p.m. ET.
The site lined with national monuments will transform into an NFL showcase in the spring of 2027. Mark Maske of The Washington Post broke the news on Sunday.
Washington will host the NFL draft in 2027 on the National Mall, source says. The official announcement is expected to come Monday at the White House, according to that source.
— MarkMaske (@MarkMaske) May 5, 2025
“Washington will host the NFL draft in 2027 on the National Mall, source says. The official announcement is expected to come Monday at the White House, according to that source,” Maske said in a post in X (formerly Twitter).
The Washington Commanders shed years of dysfunction after Josh Harris purchased the team in July 2023. In his first season as majority owner, Washington surged from a 4-13 record to 12-5 and reached the NFC Championship Game, led by new general manager Adam Peters and head coach Dan Quinn.
The future looking bright for the Washington Commanders
Excitement has surged in Washington after Jayden Daniels guided the Commanders to their first NFC Championship Game appearance since 1991. The momentum continued in March when the team quickly boosted its offense by acquiring Deebo Samuel in a trade.
NFL fans will pack iconic landmarks like the Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, and Smithsonian Museums when the 2027 Draft arrives. For the first time, the league is choosing a historic national site to stage the event, moving away from its recent trend of holding the draft in NFL stadiums—like Lambeau Field last year.
Following the 2025 NFL Draft in Green Bay, Wisconsin, which drew over 600,000 fans across three days from April 24 to 26, the league has chosen Pittsburgh as the host city for the 2026 event.
The 2027 draft announcement comes just a week after the Commanders revealed plans to build a new 65,000-seat stadium on the old RFK Stadium site. The nearly $4 billion proposal, with the Commanders contributing $2.7 billion, still requires approval from the D.C. City Council. The team aims to return to the site where it played from 1961 to 1996.
