Detroit Ready for its Moment in the NFL Draft Spotlight

The Detroit sports scene has been a roller coaster during the first quarter of this century. The Pistons and Red Wings each celebrated championships in the early 2000s, the Tigers made World Series runs in 2006 and 2012 and the fourth professional sports team in the Motor City has been an afterthought … until now.

The Detroit Lions recently finished their most successful season in 30 years, winning the NFC North title and coming within a whisker of their first Super Bowl appearance. The city of Detroit is now draped in Honolulu Blue, just in time for the city to host its first NFL Draft from April 25–27.

“It was the perfect storm in a sense, it all aligned, and we couldn’t have scripted it any better except for if the Lions could have been in the Super Bowl this year,” said Dave Beachnau, executive director of the Detroit Sports Commission. “Certainly from a Detroit perspective, having three nationally televised playoff games and feeding into the Draft, I think they all complimented the effort and visibility for Detroit.”

While the Lions suffered a heartbreaking end to the season that included blowing a 14-point lead against the 49ers, the city is still riding high off a dream season and a bright future. The Detroit Sports Commission had a booth at the media area of Super Bowl 58 in Las Vegas last week to promote the Draft and meet with last year’s Draft host, Kansas City, and the 2025 host, Green Bay.

“Lions mania is at a feverish pitch in Detroit,” said Terry Rhadigan, chairman of the Detroit Sports Commission. “When we were awarded the draft, we were a 3-win team and we didn’t have the relevance that we do now. But while we were in Las Vegas, I can’t tell you the number of people who came up to our booth and said, ‘Oh, we were pulling for you. Oh, so close. What a great story. Congratulations on a great season.’”

The Lions, and in many regards the city of Detroit, have had their share of low points in the past 30 years. But as a blue collar city in love with its Honolulu Blue like perhaps never before, when the NFL decides to host its second biggest event of the year in Detroit, it’s a chance for the city to shine.

“What the 60 million eyeballs will see over three days of the NFL Draft, you can’t pay for that kind of advertising and our city’s come so far with the development and resurgence that Detroit’s no longer a punchline in any regard,” Beachnau said. “And that’s what I think we’re most proud of. That’s what people will see either in person or on the national broadcast.”

“We had two playoff wins at home in a row, which is 100% more than we had in my whole lifetime before,” Rhadigan added with a chuckle. “So the timing could not be better.”

A New Frontier

Detroit is no stranger to hosting big sporting events. The city was the site for the 2006 Super Bowl, 2009 Final Four, numerous World Series and Stanley Cup games, as well as an NBA Finals in 2004. Detroit will host an NCAA Men’s Basketball Regional Final at Little Caesars Arena in late March before the Draft.

But those events have something in common — they’re structured and take place inside a stadium or arena. The NFL Draft takes everything to the streets.

“We’re excited and obviously everyone’s anxious as well because any time you do a free event for the public — which is unique for an event of this magnitude — there are a lot of moving parts,” Beachnau said. “The NFL continues to tell us to make it ‘uniquely Detroit.’ And so you’re not plopping an event inside Ford Field. The nuance of all the moving parts with street closures and local impact on businesses is probably some of the things that give us a little bit of anxiety.”

While there’s no Detroit blueprint for an event of this size taking place outdoors, the city has looked at events it previously hosted as a foundation for Draft planning.

“We’re continuously learning and growing and everything is just about iteration and making it better,” Rhadigan said. “From all-star games and Ryder Cups to Super Bowls and Final Fours, you compile all of that into your planning. This is brand new because it’s not at Ford Field and it’s not at Little Caesars or Comerica Park. It’s in the streets of the city of Detroit.”

In addition to looking at how past events were planned, the Detroit Sports Commission has also leaned on Kansas City, which hosted the Draft in 2023 to the tune of $130 million in estimated economic impact.

“Part of the pre-plan was we went to Kansas City last year and we saw how they did it,” Rhadigan said. “They did a great job and were very helpful to us and allowed us access so we could make sure that our event is going to be all it can be.”

When it comes to attendance, Detroit has a built-in advantage over many other NFL cities — geography.

“I think the main difference between Kansas City and Detroit is we have many NFL markets within a five-hour drive,” Rhadigan said. “With the rabid Lions fans in addition to the influx of Steelers, Bills, Browns, Bengals, Colts and Packers fans, it’s significant. So we think we’re going to have some really strong attendance numbers.”

Creating an Experience

In November, the Detroit Sports Commission and Visit Detroit announced a $1 million living-legacy donation to support youth literacy and active play in the city and surrounding communities. The Draft will take place in the downtown area, with fan activations at the Campus Martius Park and Hart Plaza.

The NFL has held a series of community events throughout Detroit this week. It hosted a Crucial Catch hospital visit in honor of National Minority Health Month; a Character Playbook Speaker Series, bringing local students together for a live panel discussion and to participate in activities emphasizing the importance of mental wellness and a Play Football Prospect Clinic with Special Olympics Athletes event.

On the day of the first round, as part of the NFL’s Inspire Change social justice initiative the league will partner with S.H.I.E.L.D. 1 and the Green Boots Veteran Community Urban Farm to increase access to healthy foods, green space and neighborhood employment opportunities in the local Detroit community. On Friday, the NFL will team up with the Bob Woodruff Foundation and Move United to host the first USA Wheelchair Football League Veterans All Star Game.

Throughout the week the NFL will also partner with the city of Detroit and other local organizations on a series of community greening events through NFL Green, the league’s environmental program. 

“The NFL wants it to be within the city so that you can showcase your town,” Rhadigan said. “They like having that crowd shot where they’re going back a couple blocks and it’s a big crowd. We’re hoping for a drone shot from above that makes downtown Detroit look like Times Square on New Year’s Eve.”

Putting together the pieces of this large puzzle to ensure all have an enjoyable and safe experience takes plenty of time and effort. As part of the event, the NFL Draft Experience will provide fans a free opportunity to take part in games, interactive exhibits, musical performances and autograph sessions, plus take pictures with the Vince Lombardi Trophy. 

“We’re planning some local activations outside the Draft footprint because we’re expecting large crowds,” Beachnau said. “At some point, we think it’s going to hit capacity, especially on Thursday night. And we want to make sure that everyone has a great experience when they come here. So large video screens, other entertainment and beverage opportunities nearby to make them feel like they’re a part of the draft experience.”

Beachnau says everybody is aligned and collaborating on the event between the NFL, the mayor’s office, police department and other city services to have a flawless event. Rhadigan added that even with hundreds of thousands of people expected, the goal is to make sure as many people as possible can see, hear and feel the draft and be part of the experience.

“It takes a lot of people, a lot of agencies — Detroit police, Michigan State Police, the FBI, the ATF, you name it,” Rhadigan said. “Everyone has a little piece of that action. But it’s critical. The fan experience will be such that they won’t have to worry about security and safety because someone else has already worried about it for years. … When you host the Final Four, you draw four markets. In the Super Bowl, you draw two markets. We’ve got 32 markets coming into town. And when you talk about it from a sports travel perspective, there are so many teams that are driving distance to Detroit who can make a short drive and come up and experience it with us. And we just couldn’t be more excited about it.”

With all eyes in the football world heading to Detroit in a few months, Beachnau says the planning process is in a good place. For Lions fans, the long process of success is hopefully just starting.

“I think the success of the Lions this year and the coach, the general manager, everyone that they have in place — the young talent that is on the roster — they’re in it for the long haul and we’re expecting success for the future,” Beachnau said.

Rhadigan is hoping the good fortune of the Lions’ season continues into the draft.

“The next serendipity that we need is to have the weather cooperate,” Rhadigan said. “It doesn’t have to be sunny and 60 degrees, which it could be in Detroit, but it could also snow. Or it could rain, which would be probably the worst-case scenario. But if we could get a little lucky with the weather, we just know that we’re going to have the best draft ever.”