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.”
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.
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Fans finally see Lions in new light. Now Detroit is ready to shine as NFL Draft host
