Red carpet rolled out to kick off 2024 NFL Draft in Detroit
(CBS DETROIT) – The countdown is on for the 2024 NFL Draft, and the spotlight is on the Motor City.
"This is a huge moment, these guys get decked out in suits, and they're going to walk the carpet," said Justen Medina, NFL Events manager.
The event will kick off at the iconic Fox Theatre on Thursday, where 13 NFL prospects will walk the red carpet with their families.
"To see how excited they are and how proud the parents are is awesome to see," Medina said.
READ: Detroiters welcome visitors to the city for 2024 NFL Draft
From there, prospects will head to the NFL Draft theater, where their lives could change forever.
"We fully anticipate fans from other teams…Chicago, Pittsburgh, all over the country to descend upon Detroit for this three-day celebration of football," said Steve Farago, NFL director of event operations.
Farago says planning on where the 2-million-square-foot draft theater would go started in 2023.
"Knowing that Campus Martius and the Monroe Midway area was a focal point of other large city-scale events, we felt like this was a perfect place to have the draft theatre. Detroit just has a strong passion, a strong culture in football, music, food and art that's really going to come to life over the three days both in entertainment in the site as it gets built," Farago said.
The theater is expected to hold 1,500 people per day, has nearly 50 million LED videoboards, and took approximately four weeks to build the structure itself.
College athletes will wait in the green room in hopes their name is called. Meanwhile, diehard fans from all 32 NFL teams will be front and center at the three-day event.
"It not only brings a sense of hope and optimism to not only the prospects that want to hear their name called over the course of three days, but also to their friends and family, the clubs, and of course the fans that are eager to turn the page into a new season," Farago said.
From art and architecture to entertainment, the Motor City is at the centerpiece of the draft.
"The inspiration behind the look and feel is the energy of the people of Detroit. Those draft picks and the excitement that they're going to be feeling and the art and architecture of this city which is so unique," said Daphne Wood, NFL director of events. "It's such a privilege to be in Detroit and to bring the people here for draft and to spotlight this part of the community."
Musical performances from The Detroit Youth Choir, other local artists, Big Sean and Bazzi are expected during the event.
The NFL draft will take place from Thursday, April 25, until Saturday, April 27.