The NFL granted Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the ability to play host to the 2017 NFL Draft, in which college football standouts across the nation hope to obtain their goals of being drafted into the NFL among the league’s most intense fans.

Over the weekend, beginning on Thursday, April 27 and ending on Saturday, the three-day draft commenced with the people of Philadelphia coming out in full support of its home team —the Eagles. Fans traveled from all over the country to witness their team choose its future talent, with the hopes of the incoming players leading their teams to a Super Bowl victory.

The first ever outdoor draft took place on the steps of the Philadelphia Art Museum, where the legend of Rocky Balboa was born. Thousands of area locals took part in the construction of the temporary stage that housed the highly sought after 3,000 seats. More than 200,000 hopeful audience members requested the high-demand real estate to see future NFL stars be selected in Philadelphia’s first ever home field advantage at the draft.

Even without purchasing a ticket to the draft, those who wished to attend the vast opportunities the event had to offer were able to do so due to the free admission into the larger venue outside the stage.

“It was great that this year was outside and free to the public,” said Philadelphia born West Virginia University student Brian Schem Jr. “I’m a huge Eagles fan and it was a double whammy for me to see my buddies [Rasul] Douglas and [Shelton] Gibson get selected by my hometown team.”

Philadelphia fans came out in full force all three days, to stand alongside 250,000 of their peers to set an all-time draft attendance record, according to NFL.com.

Attendees were encouraged to participate in the NFL’s combine tests throughout the day to compare themselves with NFL greats. The tests included the 40-yard dash, the high jump, field goal attempts, skills courses and more.

The historic draft saw electric vibes course through the NFL with the bar being set high for host towns.

“I was thrilled to see the league pick Philly as its host town for 2017, as a lifelong Eagles fan, it was great that I was able to share this experience with my grandson,” said Neil Hess, 65-year-old Philadelphia native.

This year’s outdoor venue proved to be cumbersome for some attendees as the heat wave of the early spring came in full force. Luckily, there were multiple water ice tents and public sprinklers to cool off the overheated fans.

As the days continued throughout the exciting weekend, more and more college prospects had their names called to earn a spot on an NFL roster. Most notably, Mitchell Trubisky from the University of North Carolina saw his draft stock exponentially rise as the Chicago Bears moved up to the No. 2 overall pick after trading with the San Francisco 49ers to choose their new quarterback of the future. The senior from UNC is given the opportunity to lead the unstable Bears after only a year of under the helm as a starter in college.

Additionally, highly praised running back Christian McCaffrey of Stanford University, was picked eighth by the Carolina Panthers. The Panthers have shifted their focus from a veteran staff to a younger core group of running backs with the selection of McCaffrey.

On Day 3, notable former Eagles showed up to entice the crowd.

“You are representing right now. You have set the bar of what the draft is supposed to be like,” Brian Dawkins said to the fiery audience. “That’s how you do it! That’s how we do it! Let all the haters hate, don’t worry about the haters. Be you!”

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