The NFL Draft in Detroit: Everything You Need to Know

We're weeks away from the NFL Draft in Detroit, Michigan, and the excitement is building. Construction on the NFL Draft stage in downtown Detroit is starting this week, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan announced during a press conference on Tuesday (March 26). The construction will mean some road closures in the downtown area.

The draft stage and draft theater will be set at the former Monroe Street Midway near Cadillac Square. Construction will start Friday. Duggan says that stage will take three to four weeks to build and a few weeks to take down, too. The road closures for the stage consruction will last from Friday (March 29) through May. "Starting Friday, you won't be able to drive north on Randolph near the county building, Monroe, Farmer Bates, this whole section, the roads will be closed off," Duggan said.

Randolph St. between Macomb St. and Fort St.
Monroe St. between Woodward and Randolph
Farmer between Randolph and Bates (Garage access only)
Bates St. (No through traffic)
Farmer from Randolph to Bates

Also, at a later date, Jefferson Ave. will also shut down for the NFL Experience. That is set for Hart Plaza. The draft area is set for Cadillac Square, Campus Martius, down Woodward Ave. and Hart Plaza. The draft stage will be near Cadillac Square, and the NFL Draft Experience will take place at Hart Plaza. Finally, load-in and theater structure build will start at the end of March. Construction on additional areas of the draft will start on April 8 and April 15. Finally, the NFL reports that Woodward will close April 22.

The NFL Draft will be free, which is great news for football fans. Gates will open at 12 p.m. Thursday and Friday for the first three rounds and Saturday starting at 9 a.m. for the fourth through seventh rounds. Find details below. In addition to the main events, there will be other major events surrounding the draft. Several areas of downtown Detroit will be used for additional events, such as Capitol Park, Grand Circus Park, Beacon Park and more.

Thursday, April 25 (Round 1)

Gates Open: 12 p.m.
Draft Experience: 12 p.m.
Draft Pre-show: TBD
Draft Theater: 8 p.m.
Draft close: 11 p.m.

Friday, April 25 (Rounds 2-3)

Gates Open: 12 p.m.
Draft Experience: 12 p.m.
Draft Pre-show: TBD
Draft Theater: 7 p.m.
Draft close: 11 p.m.

Saturday, April 27 (Rounds 4-7)

Gates Open: 9 a.m.
Draft Experience: 9 a.m.
Draft Pre-show: TBD
Draft Theater: 12 p.m.
Draft close: 7 p.m.

I know it's probably early to talk about the Super Bowl for next season, but really, is it? I actually don't think it's ever too early to start speculating and wishing for your team to make it all the way next year. This year was so very close for my team, the Detroit Lions. But, no cigar. So, maybe next year will be our year. But, aside from the Lions, there are other teams that are on target to be major contenders next season. Some of them didn't even make the playoffs this year. So, what are some early Super Bowl contenders for next season?

Before we get into those contenders, let's look at why next season is already shaping up to be so exciting. For me, the main reason is because a whopping seven teams have new head coaches. That's really going to change the makeup of those teams. The Atlanta Falcons have brought on Raheem Morris. The Carolina Panthers have Dave Canales. The Las Vegas Raiders have knabbed Antonio Pierce. The Los Angeles Chargers have Jim Harbaugh. The New England Patriots have promoted Jerod Mayo. The Seattle Seahawks have brought on Mike Macdonald. The Tennessee Titans have hired Brian Callahan. Finally, The Washington Commanders have hired Dan Quinn.

Of those new coaches, the most interesting to me is Harbaugh for the Chargers. For Harbaugh, this is his final shot at the Vince Lombardi trophy. He just won a national championship with the Michigan Wolverines, and now, he wants a Super Bowl victory. He has a chance with the Chargers' stellar quarterback Justin Herbert. But, it will take time, in my opinion. I mean, it could take time with any of these teams with new coaches. That said, the Houston Texans had a rookie coach this year in DeMeco Ryans, and they almost went all the way, so all things are possible.

Let's get into seven early Super Bowl contenders for next season with my commentary.

One thing I like about this list is that I'm not necessarily even picking teams that made it to the playoffs this year. I'm picking teams that I think could be strong enough next season. The Seattle Seahawks are one of those teams. Their new coach, Mike Macdonald, is the former defensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens. Enough said. This guy is golden. Seattle's defense is going to improve drastically with him at the helm, and they could go all the way very soon.

The Buffalo Bills missed the playoffs by a hair. They played so well against the Kansas City Chiefs, but it just wasn't enough. Josh Allen is a Super Bowl-caliber quarterback, but he hasn't taken them there. Will next year be the year? Maybe.

The Houston Texans will be the team to beat very soon. They pulled off an incredible season with a rookie coach and quarterback. They're just getting started. The team got first place in AFC South this season but lost in the divisional round to the Baltimore Ravens.

Speaking of the Baltimore Ravens, I'm still shocked that they fell to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship game. I think pretty much everyone was at least a little surprised. But, Lamar Jackson is back next year, and he's not going to let it slip away again. Next year could be their year.

It was a massive decline for the Philadelphia Eagles towards the end of last season. Everything fell apart at the seams. But, the Eagles have legacy, and they have Jalen Hurts. As long as he's healthy, the Eagles will be back next year ready to fight.

Yikes. Can the Green Bay Packers really be this good already? They almost upset the San Francisco 49ers in the playoffs this year. Jordan Love is the real deal. Watch out for this young team next year.

Okay, yes, I'm a Detroit Lions fan, born and raised. But, I think there's reason to believe that the Detroit Lions can and will be back next year. They've had a taste of victory, and they liked it. Plus, golden guy Ben Johnson is coming back to Detroit, and he wants to take the Lions all the way. Jared Goff is playing fantastic football, too. The Lions could really make it to their first Super Bowl next season. What do you think? Let me know here.