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Final day of NFL draft was a victory lap for fans, families and Detroit
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- Final day of NFL draft was a victory lap for fans, families and Detroit
Detroit capped off its week in the national spotlight by making professional football history.
The 2024 NFL draft broke the event's all-time attendance record, with more than 775,000 fans spectating downtown, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced to a cheering crowd while pledging to put her "Buffs" (high-end sunglasses) on to read the next Detroit Lions pick in the draft.
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"It has been a historic week here in the great city of Detroit. We have shown the world what the Motor City is all about," Whitmer said on Saturday afternoon. "It is my honor to announce that the 2024 NFL Draft has now broken the all-time record."
Mayor Mike Duggan said in looking out at the sea of people for the first time, "my jaw dropped."
"Oh my God, it's an incredible thing to see those fans as far as you can see, literally," he said. "It is hard to believe the visual impact you see. You can't help but react to the fans."
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer speaks to the crowd at the NFL draft main theater, including revealing that Detroit has set the all-time draft attendance record — "700,000 and counting" — on Saturday, April 27, 2024, the third day of the NFL Draft in Detroit.
Detroit this year beat Nashville's three-day attendance record, which was 600,000 people in 2019.
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Saturday's festivities began with rain, but it didn't deter families from showing up with strollers, tikes and teenagers in tow. With no school on Saturday, parents braved the crowds because they said they wanted their children to experience the unprecedented event in Detroit, to witness the crowds, and to soak in the excitement. And Lions fans continued to show up and show out in throngs, declaring their passion for the team and coaching staff.
For some fans and Detroiters, the final day of the draft signified a victory lap: a moment to show off following a stunning Detroit Lions season and years of development in the core of the city.
Lions fan Thomas Nunnally, 44, of Wixom, danced as he glided through the crowd with his 5-year-old daughter, Shade'e, on his shoulders. The event was executed well — the best he has seen handled in Detroit, he said.
"Now the whole world can see us shine," Nunnally said of Detroit.
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Raising the next generation of football fans
Hart Plaza near the riverfront was especially busy at midday, with long lines for activities like a football passing contest and a pop-up gallery from the Pro Football Hall of Fame. There also were numerous vendor displays, including opportunities for fans to snag free samples of Gatorade's new energy drink, Fast Twitch.
Traveling down to Detroit from a city outside Lansing, Elizabeth and Bill Wilson wanted to make sure their 2-year-old twins, donning blue Lions gear, could share the rare experience of being at the NFL draft in Detroit.
Drake Baotman, 10, of Algonac, Mich. participates in the vertical jump test during the NFL Draft Experience in Downtown Detroit on Saturday, April 27, 2024.
Bill, a longtime Detroit Lions fan, said he hasn't missed a game in 22 years.
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"It's probably never going to return to Detroit, I don't think, and it's something they can talk about when they're older, even though they're not going to remember it. But I mean, I went seeing the Celtics and the Pistons when I was 3 years old at the Silverdome. So I can say I've seen Larry Bird, even though I don't remember it. So it's a memory for us that we got to take on here," Bill Wilson said.
Elizabeth added that the family watches games together and wanted the kids to be present for a one-time experience.
"It's an experience you won't always get to have. They may be little, but it's worth it for them to experience and to experience it with them," Elizabeth Wilson said.
Carl Hall, 36, of Detroit, came with his nearly 2-year-old son, Gus. Because Hall had to work on Thursday and Friday, and bedtime in their household starts around 8 p.m., Saturday was their one and only shot at experiencing the draft.
Carson Rugh, 11, of Plymouth, throws the football in the Play:60 Kick/Toss at the NFL Draft Experience in downtown Detroit on Saturday, April 27, 2024.
"We tried to see (Lions player) Amon-Ra St. Brown , but the line was full," he said. "Now we're just going to wander around."
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Tim Harms, 46, of Grand Haven, was also there with his son and his son's friend, both 11. They visited the draft late Friday afternoon and decided to return Saturday.
"We were hoping for smaller lines, but it's about the same," he said.
'In Brad, I trust'
Dedicated Lions fans continued to show up on the third day, thrilled to soak in every moment in real time.
Dorothy Hall, 60, of Detroit, has watched every draft in the years since Dan Campbell and Brad Holmes took over, as head coach and general manager, respectively. She doesn't sweat their selections though, she said, following the first Lions pick in the fourth round.
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"In Brad, I trust," Hall said. She added that she used to get a hard time for that kind of take.
People "needed therapy," she said, with smiles and laughter. Not after last season though.
She was thrilled to be at the draft for the pick Thursday, she said. She went home early the last two nights, but kept up and watched every bit of the draft after leaving.
Sharing football nostalgia
Roderick Boswell, 58, of Detroit, was at the Corner Ballpark on Saturday with his family watching some of the kids in attendance running football drills.
It brought back memories of his time as both a football and a track and field athlete at the city's Southwestern High School, where he said he ran a 4.54 in the 40-yard dash.
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Boswell, who tore his Achilles tendon while attending college at Wayne State University, shared some advice for the young athletes striving to be future athletes and get to the next level.
"One thing I tell these young kids is, 'you've got to stay hungry,' " Boswell said. "' You've got to be starving to want it.' "
Contact Eric Guzman: eguzman@freepress.com. Contact Darcie Moran: dmoran@freepress.com. Contact JC Reindl: jcreindl@freepress.com . Contact Dana Afana: dafana@freepress.com. Contact Clara Hendrickson: chendrickson@freepress.com. Contact Paul Egan: pegan@freepress.com. Contact Eric Lawrence: elawrence@freepress.com. Contact Lily Altavena: laltavena@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit ends NFL draft weekend by breaking attendance record
