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DETROIT — The clock touched down in Campus Martius a little over two years ago, counting down the days, the hours, the minutes leading up to Detroit’s big moment. It’s the culmination of a vision, years in the making. For a few days in April, Detroit would become the epicenter of the NFL, welcoming its best and brightest into the league. The pitch involved hundreds of thousands of folks flocking to Detroit’s downtown area, traveling from neighboring NFL cities and all over the country, providing an economic boost and buzz that could have a lasting impact, while perhaps changing the perception of this city.
Thursday, that vision comes to life. And as Detroit gets ready for its close-up, hosting the NFL Draft for the first time, it’s hard to imagine a better time for this city and its NFL franchise to showcase itself to a national audience.
“I’m so excited about the draft being in Detroit,” Lions general manager Brad Holmes said last week. “I really am. It’s just another opportunity for our franchise, our city, just for the world to kind of migrate to downtown Detroit. We have multiple major NFL markets that are within driving distance. I expect it to be pretty packed. I’m excited for the local businesses. I just think it’s going to be really exciting.”
An NFL Draft countdown clock was erected in 2022 in Detroit. (Paul Sancya / Associated Press)
When the NFL announced it would be moving the draft from its longtime host city of New York and accepting bids from other NFL cities, the Lions, along with the Detroit Sports Commission, quickly went to work on a pitch that would land them the draft.
It was a competitive market. Patience was required. Chicago was first, hosting in 2015 and 2016. Then came Philadelphia, Dallas and Nashville. Following a virtual draft in 2020, it returned to an in-person format with Cleveland and Las Vegas up next, and Kansas City hosting a year ago.
And now, after years of planning, Detroit is on the clock.
“This is going to be a party that everyone will want to be at,” said Claude Molinari, CEO of Visit Detroit.
Detroit’s downtown area is as healthy as it has been in some time. A number of financial investments have been made over the years to revitalize the city. City officials have been eager to showcase all Detroit has to offer, working with the Lions and the Detroit Sports Commission to secure the draft. Since the official announcement of Detroit as the home of the 2024 NFL Draft two years ago, those in charge began putting their plans into action.
As the host city, Detroit has a number of activities planned. The draft is free to the public, with city officials encouraging fans to register online or through the NFL OnePass app for entry — though entry inside the draft theater will require tickets. Starting at noon Thursday, the festivities will begin. Hart Plaza will host the NFL Draft experience, which will feature attractions like an autograph stage, photo opportunities with the Lombardi Trophy, all 57 Super Bowl rings, oversized helmets of all 32 teams, a Taste of Detroit set-up, 40-yard dash and vertical testing and an NFL merchandise shop.
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The 2024 NFL Draft Theater is located near Campus Martius. Per the Detroit Free Press, the theater took four weeks to build, has 2 million square feet of operational space, will be lit up by 50 million LED pixels and will hold 1,500 fans per day. The theater will also hold daily free concerts throughout the draft, headlined by Detroit native and rapper Big Sean Thursday evening. Local bars and restaurants are expected to host watch parties for the draft, and benefit from all the extra foot traffic.
In total, officials expect the draft to bring in an estimated $175 million to $200 million in revenue for the city of Detroit, showcasing its revival to a national audience.
“Very excited to see all those people downtown and get the whole world to see Detroit maybe in a different way than what they perceive right now,” said Lions president Rod Wood. “I think it’s going to be a great three-day commercial for the city.”
NFL team banners line Brush Street in Detroit near the NFL Draft festivities. (Kirby Lee / USA Today)
The same could be said of its NFL franchise, too.
In many ways, the Detroit Lions’ rise has mirrored their city’s. A franchise known broadly for its history of losing, the Lions are slowly but surely transforming their image. This process began three years ago, when the franchise’s leadership devised a search committee to find its next head coach and general manager. Interviews for both positions were conducted simultaneously — an unconventional approach, but one that ultimately led them to head coach Dan Campbell and Holmes.
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Those two were tasked with building a winner out of the Lions — no small task. Even before the franchise’s fortune turned, there had been a quiet confidence among team officials that the Lions got it right in Holmes and Campbell. They were building through the draft. They were building their culture. They believed things were different, so much so that the Lions took advantage of the spotlight whenever it was offered, rather than hiding from it.
Two years ago, the Lions were featured on “Hard Knocks,” the HBO documentary series highlighting the ins and outs of a team prior to each season. Many teams are forced to participate in the show, trying to avoid the dozens of cameras capturing their decisions and conversations in training camp. The Lions, however, volunteered — viewing it as an avenue to showcase what they’d been building under Holmes and Campbell. Fresh off a 3-13-1 season first season, mind you.
“That makes a show the best, because that’s usually when the access is the best,” NFL Films’ Shannon Furman told The Athletic in 2022, when asked about the difference it makes when teams volunteer to be on the show, rather than being forced to. “The Lions basically said before it got to that point that they liked the state of their team, their coaching staff. So they kind of talked about it and decided that they were going to volunteer for it.”
The Lions have come a long way since. When the 2022 schedule was initially released, the Lions were the only NFL team without a prime-time game. They had a franchise-record five last season, going 4-1 in those games. Following that 3-13-1 2021 season and a 1-6 start the following year, the Lions have since gone 22-8 — playoffs included. Detroit won its first division title in 30 years, its first playoff game in 32 years and reached the NFC Championship Game, falling just shy of the franchise’s first Super Bowl appearance. A disappointing finish for the team, but a run that won’t soon be forgotten in this city.
This offseason, the Lions have the look of a Super Bowl contender. They added key pieces in free agency like defensive tackle DJ Reader, right guard Kevin Zeitler, cornerback Carlton Davis III and more to a division winner. The organization on Wednesday re-signed two of its cornerstones in right tackle Penei Sewell and wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown for the long haul, giving four-year extensions to both of its young stars. And just last week, the team unveiled brand-new uniforms — largely a hit among the fan base — incorporating elements of the past with the present.
And now, the Lions and the city of Detroit will host the very event that kicked off their turnaround. The team holds the 29th pick in this year’s draft, and believes it has a roster that can contend for the Super Bowl, largely because of the players it acquired during this event in recent years. It’s a full-circle moment, both for the franchise and Detroit. A chance to reflect and appreciate how far both have come, before the festivities begin. It’s hard to find a team and city more intertwined than this one right now.
“I think the exciting thing about hosting the NFL, and the Lions in particular, is they really are emblematic of who we are,” Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer said on a panel Tuesday. “We’ve been knocked down, but we get back up. And we get back up stronger than ever.”
(Top photo: Paul Sancya / Associated Press)
