DETROIT — Thursday morning, the Spirit of Detroit statue donned it's crisp, new NFL Draft jersey signifying the start of all things draft in Detroit.
VIDEO: See crews put an NFL Draft jersey on the Spirit of Detroit:
Our team watched as dozens of people from the city, and visiting, made a stop to see for themselves.
"It’s gonna be a madhouse here," said Ed Solomon who works downtown. "We’re deciding if we’re going to come down or not."
Toni Murphy was visiting Detroit to see her brother and shared, "When I was flying here, everybody on the plane was talking about how there was a lot of people going to the draft, they had already bought tickets."
Claude Molinari, President & CEO of Visit Detroit & Detroit Sports Commission told us, "He looks really good that outfit, I think this is the perfect time to signal, yes. The draft is finally here."
Molinari said starting Friday hundreds of South-East Michigan trade workers will be hired to transform downtown Detroit.
"Trucks are going to be coming in and bringing in the super structure that’s going to be the NFL Draft stage and that’s going to be taking place in Cadillac Square," said Molinari.
After that he shared that starting April 8, Campus Martius and the Monroe Street area will be Ground Zero for major installations.
Around April 15, Hart Plaza will become a full blown construction zone creating a space where families will be able to come enjoy interactive games during the draft.
VIDEO: Here's what to know about the road closures ahead of the NFL Draft in Detroit:
Molinari said, "From April 15 on it will be a little tricky with traffic and we’re going to do our best to minimize the challenges."
As someone who works downtown Solomon said, "I’m a little concerned how that’s going to be, I may have to work from home some of those days."
That may be the best course of action for those who can.
Molinari said patience will be a needed virtue for anyone working downtown after April 15, the city is expecting hundreds-of-thousands of visitors for the NFL draft.
"The NFL Draft is going to provide us with a world wide platform to showcase our city and our region," said Molinari.
The NFL Draft is a free event starting on April 25.
