West Palm Beach, Fla. — The NFL Draft is coming to Detroit. After pushing to land the event the past several years, the city has been awarded hosting rights for the 2024 event.
The area around Campus Martius Park and Hart Plaza will serve as the event site for the draft.
“The draft has become a prominent offseason event across the country, and we are excited to work with the Lions and their partners to bring the 2024 NFL Draft to the Motor City,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement. “With the help of Visit Detroit, the Detroit Sports Commission, and the city of Detroit, the Lions passionate fan base and all visitors will be treated to an incredible three-day experience.”
As part of the event, the NFL Draft Experience — the league’s interactive football theme park — will provide participatory games, interactive exhibits, musical performances, and autograph sessions for fans, who will also be able take pictures with the Vince Lombardi Trophy. It will be free and open all three days of the event.
“Today is momentous for our city,” Dave Beachnau, executive director of the Detroit Sports Commission, said in a statement. “Hosting the NFL Draft in Detroit promises to be a celebration of our community’s spirit. It will deliver high value for our residents, businesses, and the great fans who make Detroit the best sports city in America.”
Held in New York City from 1965-2014, the league opted to make the draft a traveling event after outgrowing Radio City Music Hall. After a two-year stint in Chicago, the draft has since been held in Philadelphia (2017), Dallas (2018), Nashville (2019) and Cleveland (2021).
This year’s draft will originate from Las Vegas, which was supposed to host in 2020 before the COVID-19 pandemic forced it to be held virtually. Kansas City is slated to host in 2023.
Lions team president Rod Wood originally noted Detroit was bidding for a future NFL draft in 2017, citing the city’s centralized location, the quality of the airport and multiple downtown hosting venues, including the Fox Theatre, as primary selling points.
Last year, Wood noted Detroit was making a strong push for the 2024 event.
“We’re hoping to be a serious contender for the 2024 draft, and we’re still in the mix for that,” Wood said. “Hopefully we can bring that to Detroit, and by then everything is fully reopened and we can have hundreds of thousands of people downtown, enjoying the draft in Detroit. Look forward to continuing to try and win that kind of thing for the city and for the team, as well.”
Earlier this offseason, the field of contenders for 2024 was narrowed down to Detroit, Green Bay and Washington D.C., with Detroit emerging as the league’s choice.
This is a developing story. Check back later for more coverage.
jdrogers@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @Justin_Rogers