Green Bay area and Packers officials will be headed to 2024 NFL draft in Detroit as they prep for 2025
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![A rendering of an aerial view of downtown Detroit during the NFL draft showing the sites of draft events.](/gcdn/authoring/authoring-images/2024/04/17/PGRB/73353599007-first-look-2024-nfl-draft-rendering-1.jpg?width=660&height=372&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp)
Green Bay Packers fans attending the NFL draft in Detroit might be surprised that the host city is more than they expect.
"We are not blind to the fact there is a perception about Detroit that is old, that is outdated, that is not accurate," said Claude Molinari, CEO of Visit Detroit. "They will see a different Detroit than what their perception is."
Molinari expects a large turnout with a $150 million to $200 million economic impact. The largest reported attendance for the draft was 600,000 in Nashville in 2019. Kansas City reported 300,000 in 2023.
"We have six NFL cities within a four-hour drive of Detroit," Molinari said. "We imagine we'll easily surpass what Kansas City had last year."
Green Bay is only an hour away by air. Molinari expects a large turnout of football fans from Wisconsin, as well.
More:2024 NFL draft in Detroit: Everything you need to know before you go
Detroit's image was that of a failed city. It had one of the highest crime rates in the nation and filed for bankruptcy in 2013. Crime rates have fallen over the last three years and development changed downtown, which will be the center of draft activities scheduled for April 25-27.
The draft provides Detroit the opportunity to show off its community to a nationwide audience, which is one of the reason's Discover Green Bay is excited about the 2025 edition.
"In so many ways, that’s why convention and visitor bureaus want to try and land these things," said Brad Toll, CEO of Discover Green Bay. "When we go to conventions, you better believe we are talking about the draft. It puts you on a different playing field. Just imagine Detroit’s advertising next week."
Information on the NFL draft in Detroit can be found at nfl.com/draft/event-info/ and at visitdetroit.com/2024nfldraft/,
Green Bay representatives get one last look before their turn
Football fans won't be the only ones attending. Representatives of the Green Bay Packers, the city of Green Bay, Ashwaubenon, Brown County and Discover Green Bay will be in Detroit to soak up any last-minute knowledge before they find themselves on the clock for the next draft, scheduled for April 24-26, 2025, in Green Bay.
A number of them have attended multiple drafts, going back to Philadelphia in 2017, and want to see how the Detroit draft is organized and executed as the NFL continues to evolve the event. Toll said community representatives are encouraged to contact their counterparts in Detroit for a detailed look at how the draft will affect their operations.
"We've seen a number of drafts first-hand, but we are always interested in seeing how they've changed each year," said Aaron Popkey, Packers director of public affairs. "In this one, we will have a number of representatives from a number of our departments to see exactly how it takes place there and envisioning how those same elements can take place at Lambeau Field."
Detroit has a smaller footprint than Kansas City, but Green Bay's might be as big or bigger. In Green Bay, the Resch complex, Lambeau Field and Titletown all will be included.
"We do have a lot of open spaces. That’s what you need. I would think our space would be at least as big," Toll said.
The Packers lobbied for years to get the draft, and they believe that despite limitations of things like hotel rooms, the community will successfully host the event. The Packers estimate attendance of 240,000, with a statewide economic impact of $90 million and a local impact of $20 million.
"We are building an experience that is bigger than ourselves," Packers President and CEO Mark Murphy said after the league awarded the draft to Green Bay in 2023. "It is an incredible, once-in-a-generation opportunity that will create a lasting legacy for Wisconsin. It will be exciting. It's an awful lot of work. We have less than two years, but we're ready to get started."
Detroit is not new to hosting large events, such as the Super Bowl
Detroit is not new to big events. It hosted the Super Bowl in 2006, the NCAA Final Four in 2009, and will again in 2027, and the Ryder Cup in 2004. Only Las Vegas, London and New York City have more theaters than Detroit, Molinari said.
"We are used to hosting 100,000 people downtown," he said.
The NFL Draft Theater and main stage will be at Campus Martius Park, which was named the best public square in the United States in USA Today's Readers Choice selections. The NFL Draft Experience is four blocks south in the 15-acre Detroit Civic Center.
Because of the expected large turnout, attendees are encouraged to use remote parking lots. Shuttles, the QLine, a north-south rail service, and the People Mover, an elevated train, are among the options for getting from remote lots to the draft site.
More:What time will the Green Bay Packers make their picks during the 2024 NFL draft weekend?
"Between the QLine and the People Mover, which are free for the event, we expect to move people around a lot," Molinari said.
The weather forecast for Thursday calls for sunny skies with a high of 57. Friday calls for partly cloudy and 61, and Saturday could see showers and 72.
Concert series and prayer halls included in other NFL draft events
Fans will find more to do than attend the draft. The Detroit Tigers have a homestand against the Kansas City Royals, and the area is replete with restaurants and museums, including the impressive Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation.
The NFL is sponsoring other events as well, some of which include:
- Big Sean, Detroit Youth Choir and Bazzi will headline the NFL Draft Concert Series. Big Sean will perform at 6:15 p.m. EDT Thursday, the Detroit Youth Choir at 6 p.m. Friday and Bazzi after the draft concludes on Saturday. The NFL Players' Choir will perform after the Detroit Youth Choir. After drafting concludes on Friday and Saturday, fireworks and a tribute to Detroit music will take place. Performances will be at the Draft Theater in front of Campus Martius Park. The performances are standing room only and free. To attend, download the NFL OnePass app at NFL.com/DraftAccess.
- Activities include a Pro Football Hall of Fame exhibit and an autograph-signing opportunity with current and former NFL players, as well as a 40-yard dash, vertical jump, deep throw accuracy challenges, and more, as reported by the Detroit Free Press.
- For the first time, the NFL will install prayer halls at one of the major tentpole events. The goal is to create a welcoming and inclusive experience for fans of all faiths.
- The USA Wheelchair Football League Veterans All Star Game is scheduled for 10 a.m. to noon at Huntington Place, 1 Washington Blvd., Detroit. Fans who would like to attend the game are asked to RSVP at https://rsvp.zkipster.com/_76knk.
Contact Richard Ryman at rryman@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @RichRymanPG, on Instagram at @rrymanPG or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RichardRymanPG