SPORTS

Lions host ‘hardcore fans’ at draft day event

Josh Katzenstein
The Detroit News
The Lions held the No. 16 pick entering the first round of the NFL draft.

Allen Park — All the attention Thursday night was on the NFL draft, but the Lions gave some fans a chance to get a deep look inside the team’s facility.

For the first time ever, the Lions hosted a first-round draft party at their headquarters in Allen Park. The team expected about 500 season-ticket holders and premium ticket members to attend the event on the indoor practice field. The event included autographs with a few current players, the chance to kick field goals, and tours of the locker room and new weight room.

Lions president Rod Wood and general manager Bob Quinn greeted the fans shortly before the first round started with Quinn thanking the “hardcore fans” for coming to the event.

“This is where we like to build the team, and this weekend, starting with tonight here in a couple hours, our goal as an organization is to make the Detroit Lions a better football team,” Quinn said. “And that starts with our first-round pick, that goes all the way down to our seventh-round pick and as well as any rookie free agents we might sign.”

The Lions also had a video board that displayed 32 draft prospects, presumably the top players. A few surprising players in the bunch were safety Karl Joseph and offensive linemen Joshua Garnett and Germain Ifedi.

jkatzenstein@detroitnews.com

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