Smooth debut as NFL draft venues open doors
The annual college football job fair kicked off Thursday in Detroit, with all 32 NFL teams represented and more than 300,000 volunteer personnel directors expected downtown just in case the franchises needed advice on which strapping young men to add to their rosters.
The three-day NFL draft, alighting in the Lions' den for the first time, is the culmination of a process that begins just about the same time the giddy expectations and broken dreams are swept off the sidewalk at the last draft.
We've seen two years of preparation locally — New sidewalks! New murals! The Dodge Fountain at Hart Plaza is even working again! — and months of mock drafts everywhere, with sports writers, talk radio hosts and people who actually make a living being draft pundits projecting which players will be selected in what order.
Everyone could, of course, just wait until the draft, and then we would know for certain. But where's the fun in that?
Enough people wanted to experience things in person that by 7:30 p.m., access had been closed off. If you think you'd be testy about that after driving in from Troy, imagine how you'd feel if you'd come from Troy, New York.
Reiner Calderero, of Warren, and Chris Guaio, of Sterling Heights, arrived fortuitously early. They could conceivably have worn their Lions-themed Mexican wrestling masks and other stem-to-stern Lions gear to watch the draft at home, but Hart Plaza was a far better option.
"This doesn't happen often, especially in the city of Detroit. We haven't had a big event since the Super Bowl like 18 years ago," said Guiao, 41. "We just love all the fans coming in from everywhere."
They’ve been Lions fans since before the team was good, they said, which, OK, could mean any time further back than last season. But they welcome latecomers, and embraced visitors who might be surprised to see more glitter than grit in the many parts of the area playing ball with the draft.
"The people coming in here from all around the world coming in here, they're seeing peaceful people. Happy people, welcoming people. That's what we do in Detroit,” said Caldereo, 47.
Amen, said Guiao, through his mask.
"It's that cliche: Midwestern hospitality,” he said. “Everyone's nice. We just want to show everyone that this city is a legitimate city to come visit, come be at, enjoy, have the energy.”
Sure, some parking fees hovered between eyebrow-raising and outrageous. Across from the dueling Coneys on Lafayette, the Financial District Garage’s welcome to the draft was a daily hike from $25 to $60, and some spaces elsewhere cost $100.
Abigail Blumberg — who works, appropriately, at the restaurant called Parc — said she usually pays $12. On Thursday, she couldn't have edged one wheel into a space for that.
"That's absolutely crazy," she said, but fortunately, Parc paid to park her.
At the low end, parking atop Huntington Place was only $20. It's hard to resist quick bucks, but there are long-term considerations, too.
The NFL draft represents the intersection of America's two favorite sports, pro football and college football. For the next few days, all hash marks lead to Detroit.
The Free Press sent a platoon of reporters and photographers to take a look at the goings-on — a special team, to stick with football terminology. Here's some of what they found:
Bumps in the road
Not surprisingly, more people were wearing Lions gear than that of any other team — though representation from other cities was wide.
Also not surprisingly, it was a bit of a mess to get around.
A heavy security presence dotted the perimeter of the fenced-off area surrounding Hart Plaza and the larger draft area as fans began lining up down Griswold Street early to enter the main gate for the NFL Draft Experience.
Cars heading down Fort Street toward Woodward encountered metal gates, forcing them to turn around and find a different route. During the draft’s takeover, downtown workers have had to alter their commutes and found their usual parking spots blocked off.
Even the QLINE was affected. The last southbound stop was in front of Little Caesars Arena, leaving commuters like Chelsey Rayford, 56, with a bit of a stroll to work.
Though the closure was announced before the draft, she was not the only rider who didn’t get the memo and was going to be late to work.
“It’s a very big inconvenience,” she said. “I think that they should have thought about the working people that actually work downtown. If they didn’t do anything but give us a shuttle, that would have been great.”
At least she won’t have to worry about the disruption next year — unless she gets transferred to Green Bay, Wisconsin, where the jubilation and annoyances will fall to Packers fans.
A dastardly dash
One of the more popular attractions at Hart Plaza’s NFL Draft Experience was the chance to wait half an hour to run for less than 10 seconds.
Though a football game offers few opportunities to sprint unimpeded for 40 yards, prospects are timed at that distance, with the fastest among clocked at a tick more than 4 seconds.
More: Bringing your kids to the NFL draft in Detroit? Here are a few places to take them.
Fans covered the same distance, finishing beneath a scoreboard that displayed their times. James Zagunis, 7, finished in about 8 seconds, just behind his friend Theo Gallmeyer, 9.
Though he won, Theo complained good-naturedly and correctly that James not only started early, he threw a hip check.
Sorry, kid … If the ref doesn’t see it, it didn’t happen.
Coach Campbell, animated as always
Also at the NFL Draft Experience, an animatronic Dan Campbell dispensed advice and fortunes.
Essentially the sort of fortune teller game you'll find at an old-fashioned arcade, the mechanical head coach waved his hands over a crystal ball and offered wisdom on the order of, "Welcome to Detroit, draft patron. Have a great time. No seriously, welcome. OK, you can go now."
The machine dispensed a small blue Grit and Glory Fortunes Card to every patron, with further counsel from the coach that included, "The future waits for no one. But if it's looking for us it won't have to look far because we'll be on its front porch kicking the door down."
The mechanical Campbell was enclosed in a glass case and was displayed only from the waist up, so there was no chance for any disappointed customers to bite its kneecap off.
Big crowds and a big name — Billy, not Barry
As the sunny day wore on, robust crowds grew ... What? Robuster?
Around 5:15 p.m., the NFL essentially gave a two-minute warning for Entry 2, the gate on Griswold Street, saying it was "exceptionally congested and causing delays." Not long after, it was sealed, leaving Entry 1 (Jefferson and Randolph) or Entry 3 (Cadillac Square) as options.
About 6:30 p.m., the draft area hit maximum capacity, according to the NFL One Pass app. Try Grand Circus Park, it suggested, or find some other party.
People Mover cars were consistently packed, and nearly three hours before the actual draft was scheduled to commence, the wait was 60 minutes along Woodward Avenue to get an autograph from former Detroit Lion Billy Sims — the great running back who wore No. 20 before an even greater running back did.
Romney Funderburg, 25, of Romulus, said it was his dad who filled him in on the legacy of the number.
“When I first got a No. 20 jersey," Funderburg said, "he asked me, ‘Do you know who wore 20?’ And I’m like, 'Yeah, Barry Sanders.' He’s like, ‘But do you know who wore 20 before Barry Sanders?’ "
Now suitably informed, Funderburg came away with an autographed photo of Sims — which he plans to give to his father.
As for Sanders, he arrived around 7 p.m. — wearing his No. 20 jacket.
If you're planning to go ...
A few tips to close with, as downtown regroups to welcome more throngs today and Saturday:
Clear handbags are welcome, as are small, nonclear bags no larger than 4½ by 6½ inches.
Drinks are not welcome, if you try to bring them in from outside. But there's a hydration station with water for refilling bottles inside the draft footprint at Michigan Avenue and Campus Martius.
Late in the day, it was difficult to exit the NFL Draft Experience, and difficult to stay if you were hungry: Patrons were grumbling about a lack of food.
If you're not averse to portable toilets, you will be relieved to know that there are plenty on hand.
Everything starts over today at noon. It's probably too late to be part of the job fair, especially if you haven't recently played college football. But if you can blaze 4 seconds flat in that 40-yard-dash area, someone will likely notice.
Contributors: Dave Boucher, JC Reindl, Clara Hendrickson, Anjanette Delgado, Randy Essex, Christina Hall, Brendel Hightower, James Hill, Darcie Moran and Jalen Williams.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: NFL draft: After 2 years of prep, city raises curtain on big event
