Duggan unveils Detroit NFL draft plans: Road closures, mobile app, stage construction

Mayor Mike Duggan on Tuesday enthusiastically kicked off the 30-day countdown until the NFL draft, leading a news conference at the future center of the event in downtown Detroit.

Hundreds of thousands of visitors are expected to attend the NFL draft April 25-27, an event whose formal footprint will stretch from Campus Martius south to Hart Plaza, although pockets of festivities will happen across downtown — including a block party in Greektown and tailgating in Eastern Market. The event will be free to the public.

In an announcement to hype up Detroiters, Duggan and other civic officials provided an update on what to expect, including a series of road closures set to happen as early as this week and a reminder for all NFL draft visitors to download the OnePass mobile app, which will allow entry into the official event area and offer detailed information on all planned activities.

"Things will be taking place throughout the city of Detroit, and everyone will be able to enjoy it," said Eric Larson, CEO of the Downtown Detroit Partnership.

The event's main stage will be built over the next three to four weeks near the Monroe Street Midway, which is next to Campus Martius.

"The draft is arriving, and where you are standing or sitting right now is the stage that in 30 days, we’re gonna get a chance to see where (Michigan Wolverine stars) J.J. McCarthy and Blake Corum, and all of our favorite college football players are going to be figuring out where they'll be pursuing their NFL careers," Duggan said.

Starting Friday, several roads will close around Campus Martius, including the northern part of Randolph Street, Monroe, Farmer and Bates streets, Duggan said.

'Tens of millions of TV viewers will see the beauty of Detroit'

Visit Detroit President Claude Molinari predicted the event would be the largest and "most inclusive sporting event in the state of Michigan."

"We will welcome hundreds of thousands of visitors which will help generate hundreds of millions of dollars in economic impact. Additionally, tens of millions of TV viewers will see the beauty of Detroit, which will help inspire more visitors, more investment and more opportunities for people of Michigan to thrive," he said.

Alexis Wiley, Moment Strategies founder and Duggan's former chief of staff, emphasized that the event is free. But visitors need to download the OnePass app to register and enter the event. Anyone without a smartphone can still attend, as there will be "ambassadors" on-site offering assistance.

"Getting into the footprint, all of that is 100% free," Wiley said. "You do not have to buy a ticket to come and participate and be involved."

Duggan's brother Dan Duggan is acting as volunteer co-chair of the draft experience committee.

'All police vacations and leave are canceled' for the draft

"He has been to every NFL draft. He is an encyclopedia of what every city did wrong for the last 10 years, and I’m gonna blame him if we don’t get it right," Mike Duggan said of his brother.

Construction is set to begin this week and continue through next month.

Visitors can expect higher-than-normal levels of security, with local, state and federal partners. Duggan said the city is ready after having hosted large numbers of visitors for past big events, such as last summer's Taylor Swift concert, the Detroit Grand Prix and the Ford fireworks. The entire Police Department is expected to work the three-day event.

"Those couple of days, all police vacations and leave are canceled. All officers are assigned. Same thing is going to be true for these three days. You can't take vacation days. You're gonna have our entire department here. After what we dealt with in the crowds last summer, I think you're gonna see them ready," Duggan said.

The draft is also expected to display the "DCLEATED" exhibit of 20 sculptures of painted football cleats, which will be auctioned off for charity.

Free Press staff writer JC Reindl contributed to this report.

Dana Afana is the Detroit city hall reporter for the Free Press. Contact: dafana@freepress.com. Follow her: @DanaAfana.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Duggan's Detroit NFL draft plans: Road closures, mobile app, more