NFL Draft in Detroit: What to know as city prepares for event

DETROIT (FOX 2) - One month out from the NFL Draft in Detroit, the city dropped details Tuesday morning for fans to know before they go.

The Draft, running from April 25 to 27, took place at Cadillac Square — formerly known as the Monroe Midway as downtown begins to transform into the NFL Draft Theater. 

The NFL Draft Theater was built in front of Campus Martius Park, and will be the central hub where teams pick the future football stars live and in-person.

Phase One closures, which will begin on Friday, March 29th and last until May 7, will be largely contained to the perimeter of the NFL Draft Theater footprint, including:

• Randolph Street between Macomb Street and Fort Street
• Monroe Street between North Woodward Avenue and Randolph Street
• Farmer Street between Randolph and Bates (Garage access only)
• Bates Street (no through traffic)
• Farmer from Randolph to Bates

Details of later phases of closures, including E. Jefferson for the construction of the NFL Draft Experience at Hart Plaza, will be announced after the Phase One closure starts.

Updates of the closures can be found on the NFL One Pass app as well as visitdetroit.com and detroitmi.gov. 

Upcoming phases of the build-out will include the area around Hart Plaza, which will host the NFL Draft Experience presented by Rocket Mortgage, free to the public.

Related: 2024 NFL Draft in Detroit: NFL releases this year's hats

The Draft will be free and open to fans in the downtown area surrounding Campus Martius Park and Hart Plaza bringing the national and global spotlight to Detroit, including 90 hours of broadcast coverage reaching more than 50 million viewers on NFL Network, ABC, ESPN, ESPN Deportes and streamed on NFL+. 

The city also provided transportation updates to assist fans traveling downtown for the Draft, including vehicle parking information and details for options like DDOT, RTA, SMART, Uber or Lyft, and other modes of fan transportation.

The Draft will use other areas of the city over the three-day event, including Corktown and Corner Ballpark which will host youth-focused activities like NFL FLAG skills and drills and football clinics. Greektown, Eastern Market, Columbia Street in the District Detroit area are planning for football-themed activities to welcome fans.

Lions President Rod Wood said the event will be a big boost for the city, and he expects 300,000 to 400,000 people to visit the city during the draft.

"It'll look great on TV, it'll be a great shot in the arm for downtown, and I think an opportunity to redefine what Detroit is to the whole country," Wood said. "It's a three-day television commercial for the city."

Along with the construction of the NFL Draft Theater, NFL team banners are being added on downtown light poles and electrical transformer boxes painted with the jerseys of Detroit sports legends from each of its pro sports teams.

Free ancillary viewing and entertainment areas will be available for fans to enjoy the experience, were announced. The Downtown Detroit Partnership (DDP) will present ‘Draft Day in the D’ viewing parties in Grand Circus Park, Beacon Park, Capitol Park, and Paradise Valley Beatrice Buck Park, while Bedrock will be activating Woodward Avenue from State St. to Park Avenue, as well as Parker’s Alley and The BELT.

NFL Draft Experience hours of operation

Thursday, April 25: 12:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.

Friday, April 26: 12:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.

Saturday, April 27: 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

NFL Draft programming

Thursday, April 25: 8 p.m. - 11 p.m.

Friday, April 26: 7 p.m. - 11 p.m.

Saturday, April 27: 12 p.m. -7 p.m.