DETROIT (WXYZ) — Detroit leaders gathered on Monday to detail the success of the NFL Draft in the city last week.
According to the city, the various transportation options available saw good ridership.
The Detroit People Mover reportedly moved more than 69,000 people over the three days of the NFL Draft. The QLINE is reporting more than 68,000 for that same period with 18,000 utilizing fan shuttles.
DAX reportedly had 996 riders during the draft time-frame.
VIDEO: Watch Mayor Duggan's full speech on the NFL Draft below:
Mayor Mike Duggan said the city is a “10-year overnight success.”
He gave credit to the people who live in the city, and how welcoming people were.
“We made an impression that I think is going to last a long time. Detroiters should be proud of the way we welcomed America,” said Mayor Duggan.
VIDEO: Visit Detroit President Claude Molinari highlights success of draft
“No other city can compete with our ability to put on major sporting events,” said Visit Detroit President Claude Molinari, who spoke at the press conference.
Detroit Police Chief James White also spoke on Monday about the safety strategy.
“Officers did an amazing job keeping this city safe,” said Chief White.
VIDEO: Detroit Police Chief James White talks about the safety during the NFL Draft
He thanked all of the law enforcement partners who came together to help with the Draft.
Downtown Detroit Partnership's Eric Larson said he couldn't believe how successful the NFL Draft was.
From the start of the NFL Draft, Detroit showed the world it was going to be different. The city set the first-day attendance record with 275,000, and that continued through Saturday afternoon.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer came out on Saturday afternoon to announce the Detroit Lions pick, but first, she told the crowd that more than 700,000 people have attended the draft, breaking the previous record set by Nashville in 2019.
"We shattered attendance records, but most importantly we showed the vibrancy of Detroit on the world stage," said Larson on Monday.
VIDEO: Watch Eric Larson's full speech below:
Rocket Companies' Bill Emerson praised the city on the success: "Detroit showed up."
He said the event execution exceeded his expectations.
VIDEO: Watch Bill Emerson's full speech below:
Detroit chefs and business owners spoke about the draft from their perspective. Watch their take in the video player below:
