I spent the day at the 2024 NFL draft: What I discovered

Hi, my name is Amy and I am a secret Detroit Lions fan. Until now, that is.

Sure feels good to say that. And Thursday, it sure felt good to be surrounded by 275,000 of my new friends at the 2024 NFL draft in downtown Detroit.

I am a web editor at the Free Press. The job title doesn't really sum up everything I do, but typically I'm the one you'll normally find sharing stories, photos and videos on Instagram, including making cards of our cool content. I spent the day at the draft after work with one very closest friends, Donald Wine II, but ending up shooting some video of the amazing outfits I saw worn by football fans. And there were a ton.

Donald, who was born in Michigan, graduated from Detroit Country Day School in 2000 and is one of the most loyal Detroit sports fans I know. A graduate of Duke University, he's now a lawyer in Washington D.C., but he comes back to Detroit for games any chance he gets.

Having spent the day at the draft, I have some tips/suggestions for anyone visiting today.

Getting through security

When we first headed to the NFL Draft Experience Entry 2 at Griswold and Jefferson, a huge crush of people was entering at the same time. There wasn't really a line, just a mass of people moving, and security was choosing who to pass through the metal detectors seemingly arbitrarily, but the pace was nice and steady.

By the time we reached the front, we were ushered into separate lines divided by metal barriers to go through another round of metal detectors. We had our phones out, with our NFL One Pass apps open (the only way to get into the cordoned-off draft area) open and QR code entry code on screen, but no one asked to see or scan our apps.

I wore a clear bag, one that I carry to soccer matches, but no one went through it or asked me to open it.

The fan experience

The NFL Draft Experience is no joke. So much to see and do. From the oversized helmets to the uniforms, there are many photo opportunities to be had. Some of the cooler things to see — Super Bowl rings and the Vince Lombardi trophy — have long lines to see so pack your patience.

Everyone seemed excited to be there. Fans from opposing teams were commenting on each other's cool outfits. We saw lots of regional teams represented — Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Cincinnati — and divisional rivals — Green Bay, Minnesota and Chicago.

Bathrooms, or lack thereof

There aren't enough bathrooms. Simple as that. I found it ironic that there were a long row of portable toilets outside the zone along Griswold on the way to enter the fan experience, inaccessible once you're inside the main draft area. A lot of good that will do.

And if you leave the draft area to use the restroom, you may risk not getting back in. The NFL had pushed a notice through OnePass that the draft was at maximum capacity around 6:30 p.m. — and there's no exception for folks who just stepped out for a call of nature or food.

Beverages abound, especially adult beverages

Within, however, drinks are free flowing. Everywhere you turn, there are so many options to purchase drinks, especially adult beverages. But drinks will cost you. Two peach Vodka seltzers (no jokes, please) cost me $40.70 with tip. And you can't bring in outside beverages, so don't try — staff will make you toss them out.

This way to the merch stand, please

Buying merchandise is not a problem. There are a ton of trucks around to sell you some pretty cool Detroit 2024 NFL draft gear or team merchandise.

The official NFL shop is inside the building at Woodward and Michigan. If you see the line for Eminem's Mom's Spaghetti, you are close. Look for signs for the store entrance on Michigan. The exit is on Woodward. And if you buy a baseball hat (they have all NFL teams available in several options), you can get one of four cool patches added. I am fond of the Detroit record one, FWIW. Very cool nod to Motown.

How do I get out of here?

When we were standing near the exit of the NFL store on Woodward, out-of-town folks kept asking me how to exit the zone. With my Lions gear on, they assumed I knew. Nope.

Even Lions fans kept wandering by, looking for a way out. Mystified, because if you parked north of Campus Martius, if would seem natural that if you needed to exit, this would be the place. But no, fans looking to leave were met with a barrier.

Someone told me they'd entered at that spot earlier, but I couldn’t confirm that.

Larger signs for the exits would have been extremely helpful. Even those with maps seemed extremely confused.

Food options do not abound

There are not enough food options within the zone. Sure, there's Mom's Spaghetti (still need to get there) and Little Caesars Pizza food trucks, but not nearly enough for the amount of people.

We got hungry around 5 p.m. Thursday and stepped out of the zone to get some food. Big mistake.

We went to Athens Souvlaki in the Penobscot Building at 645 Griswold St. Their normally extensive menu was limited to a few options, but we still had amazing Greek salads and gyros (big portions).

But as we sat to eat, the One Pass notifications told us there were delays at the entrance to the NFL experience. So we started thinking of a Plan B, but closed our tab and headed back to get in line.

But back in line at Entry 2, we got another notification that the NFL experience was closed and wouldn't reopen that night. We were skeptical, because we'd heard that before, so we stood in line for another 30 to 40 minutes with other fans — hundreds at this entry kept chanting "Let us in" — who also seemed confused over the process before abandoning the line. It wasn't until we headed away from the line that we heard in a public address overhead that the entries were, in fact, closed and wouldn't reopen until Friday. Poor communication, I say.

I witnessed folks sneaking into exits to get back in. We heard reports another entry was breached, but I am trying to confirm that rumor.

Other options to watch

Since we couldn't get back into the NFL draft experience, we walked up to Capitol Park, where there were huge TV screens and a DJ, and watched from that fan zone.

There were tons of seating options, but by the time we arrived, it was standing room only.

It was crowded, but turned out to be a lot of fun. The energy was just as incredible as the NFL Draft Experience.

Plus, lots of food and drink options, cool pop-up shops and an adequate number of bathrooms.

A good Plan B if our original plans fall through again, as Donald and I head downtown for Day 2.

But I will probably be wearing Minnesota Vikings gear for my husband, former Free Press Executive Editor Robert Huschka, since he'll be hopefully be joining us this time. And wearing it for J.J. McCarthy, too!

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Contact Amy Huschka: ahuschka@freepress.com or follow her on Twitter (@aetmanshuschka).

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: In downtown Detroit at the 2024 NFL draft experience: What I learned