Today is the third and final day of the 2024 NFL draft in Detroit.
Rounds 4-7 take place starting at noon and, while there may not be many recognizable names getting drafted, there could be hidden gems for Detroit Lions and the other 31 NFL teams to find. Either way, the NFL Draft Experience is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. today for fans who want to come downtown.
More: NFL draft 2024 live tracker: All picks from Rounds 4-7 in Detroit
Keep up with our live updates on what’s happening on Day 3 at the NFL draft.
As the skies around downtown Detroit remained partly sunny, and the temperatures warm despite a bluster, just before 6 p.m. Saturday, the draft was about to enter its final phase. Here are the details about the last round:
Every pick from Round 7 of 2024 NFL draft
- 221. Buffalo Bills (from Kansas City through Carolina and Tennessee)
- 222. Washington Commanders
- 223. Las Vegas Raiders (from New England)
- 224. Cincinnati Bengals (from Arizona through Houston)
- 225. Los Angeles Chargers
- 226. Arizona Cardinals (from N.Y. Giants)
- 227. Cleveland Browns (from Tennessee)
- 228. Baltimore Ravens (from N.Y. Jets)
- 229. Las Vegas Raiders (from Minnesota)
- 230. Minnesota Vikings (from Atlanta through Cleveland and Arizona)
- 231. New England Patriots (from Chicago)
- 232. Minnesota Vikings (from Denver through San Francisco and Houston)
- 233. Dallas Cowboys (from Las Vegas)
- 234. Indianapolis Colts
- 235. Denver Broncos
- 236. Jacksonville Jaguars
- 237. Cincinnati Bengals
- 238. Houston Texans (from New Orleans)
- 239. New Orleans Saints (from L.A. Rams through Denver)
- 240. Carolina Panthers (from Pittsburgh)
- 241. Miami Dolphins
- 242. Tennessee Titans (from Philadelphia)
- 243. Cleveland Browns
- 244. Dallas Cowboys
- 245. Green Bay Packers
- 246. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- 247. Houston Texans
- 248. Kansas City Chiefs (from Buffalo)
- 249. Houston Texans
- 250. Baltimore Ravens
- 251. San Francisco 49ers
- 252. Tennessee Titans (from Kansas City)
- 253. Los Angeles Chargers (compensatory selection)
- 254. Los Angeles Rams (compensatory selection)
- 255. Green Bay Packers (compensatory selection)
- 256. Denver Broncos (from N.Y. Jets; compensatory selection)
- 257. New York Jets (compensatory selection)
The Detroit Lions selected Boston College right guard Christian Mahogany with the No. 210 overall pick in the sixth round of Saturday’s 2024 NFL draft hosted in downtown Detroit.
Earlier in the sixth round, the Lions traded up for LSU defensive tackle Mekhi Wingo. The Lions are not slated to pick again in this draft.
Mahogany is 6 feet 3 and 314 pounds, with powerful hands as a run blocker, according to ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. He was a senior in 2023. He’s from Elmwood Park, New Jersey.
He tore his right ACL in June of 2022 and missed the entire season. He was first-team All-ACC last season, making 12 starts at right guard. He was second-team All-ACC in 2021 with 11 starts at right guard. He made 11 starts at left guard in 2020, and redshirted in 2019.
For the full story, click here.
—Dave Birkett
Another round, another trade for the Detroit Lions on Day 3 of the 2024 NFL draft.
The Lions, led by general manager Brad Holmes, traded up for the third time Saturday and selected LSU defensive tackle Mekhi Wingo in the sixth round with the No. 189 overall pick in the event hosted in downtown Detroit.
The Lions dealt to the Houston Texans a sixth-round pick (No. 205) and a seventh-rounder (No. 249). They still hold a sixth-round pick, No. 210 overall.
Wingo, from St. Louis, started his career at Missouri in 2021, then transferred to LSU. He played in eight games as a junior in 2023, with seven starts. He had 25 tackles, five tackles for loss and 4½ sacks. He had surgery for a lower-body injury late in the regular season, but returned for the Tigers’ ReliaQuest Bowl win over Wisconsin.
For the full story, click here.
—Dave Birkett
Here you go!
The Detroit People Mover is providing more than free transportation around the draft area.
Rochelle Riley, city arts and culture director and former Free Press columnist, notes in a tweet that stations also include a history lesson about the surrounding area, thanks to a partnership with the city and its historian, Jamon Jordan.
Zachariah Chandler was a former Detroit mayor and radical abolitionist who helped found the Republican Party. He also lived near where the Fort/Cass Station stands today, according to information that’s available there now.
—Eric D. Lawrence and Duante Beddingfield
Michigan football offensive lineman Trevor Keegan has been selected by the Philadelphia Eagles with the No. 172 overall pick in the fifth round of the 2024 NFL draft.
Keegan, a 6-foot-5, 310-pound left guard, became one of the key figures during the Wolverines’ remarkable run that unfolded over the last three seasons when they won 40 of 43 games, three consecutive Big Ten titles and the national championship this past January.
He remembers being down in the dumps four years ago, uncertain of what the future had in store for him. …
But things changed suddenly and swiftly.
He made 37 starts over that successful stretch, becoming a key member of a blocking front that was named college football’s best offensive line in 2021 and 2022.
… He did more than just give Michigan an emotional boost on the field. He also performed his job at an extremely high level. Last season, he didn’t concede a single sack while serving as a sturdy interior pass protector for quarterback J.J. McCarthy. Keegan’s work in the trenches helped pave the road to a national title, which he celebrated bare-chested on a frigid winter afternoon in Ann Arbor.
—Rainer Sabin
Detroit showed the world we can dance, too.
More than 100 dancers gathered Saturday afternoon for a live demonstration of the Tamia Hustle, a line dance that originated in the Motor City, set to R&B singer Tamia’s “Can’t Get Enough.”
—Duante Beddingfield
After Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced the all-time record of the NFL draft reaching 700,000 visitors, Mayor Mike Duggan said he anticipates the event will hit at least 800,000 attendees.
“We will set the standard. It’s going to probably take a number of years to beat, and we’ve done it, as you can see, with no drama,” Duggan told news reporters Saturday.
Walking on the stage with Barry Sanders Friday to announce the Lions pick was a moment Duggan said he will never forget but seeing the large crowd was also memorable.
“The first time we walked out and looked at the crowd, my jaw dropped,” Duggan said. “Oh my God, it’s an incredible thing to see those fans as far as you can see, literally. … It is hard to believe the visual impact you see. You can’t help but react to the fans.”
Duggan previously predicted at least 300,000 fans would show up to the draft, though his brother, Dan Duggan, who co-chaired the draft experience committee and has been to dozens of drafts, believed Detroit would surpass Nashville’s 600,000 visitors.
“The question was, how are we going to fit them all in this tight footprint? And how is everybody going to cooperate to make it happen,” Dan Duggan said. “I thought it was going to happen, but man, I never dreamed it was going to come off without a hitch in three days.”
The downtown Detroit event did experience some challenges at times the last two days when maximum crowd capacity was reached and some people were denied entry. Mayor Duggan said the 700,000 within the footprint are controlled by the NFL, but the activation sites outside of the footprint are under the City and Detroit Police Department’s watch.
Chief James White told the mayor he had to shut down Greektown four times on Friday because of a capacity limit, Duggan said.
“Not just this area was full, but a lot of the other areas were full. And the real hero in this draft is James White. When we started talking activation spaces, he said, ‘Whoa, whoa, whoa, Dan had an idea for a lot more than what we had’ but finally he said, ‘OK.’ The police chief is going to sign off on what we can patrol safely,” Duggan said. “We didn’t hear of any incidents in any of the outside activation spaces either.”
An accidental shooting that injured two men Friday afternoon about a quarter-mile from The Corner Ballpark was not related to the draft, police have said.
—Dana Afana
Saturday afternoon’s NFL draft event paid tribute to Max Hardy, a beloved Detroit chef and community advocate who died suddenly in March at age 40. His image was projected and his family brought onto the stage for a touching remembrance.
“He was known for not only his culinary accomplishments, but for being an absolute pillar in this community. He fed the soul of Detroit. He touched countless lives along the way. Today, we’re honoring the legacy of Chef Maxcel Hardy,” said the announcer.
—Duante Beddingfield
Lions fan Thomas Nunnally, 44, of Wixom was dancing as he walked through the crowd with his 5-year-old daughter, Shade’e, on his shoulders following the Lions’ two picks in Round 4.
He was still processing the experience of being at the draft, along with the Lions trading up for the two picks, he said after walking up to the rest of his family.
“I’m still more in shock than anything,” he said.
Everything happened so fast that Nunnally said he still needs to read up on the two players selected this round − developmental offensive tackle Giovanni Manu and safety Sione Vaki − but he trusts the moves by GM Brad Holmes.
“No matter what, I’ve got faith in him,” he said.
And the picks aside, Nunnally was delighted to be in Detroit for what he said would likely be a once-in-a-lifetime event for him. He was in town with his daughter, his son, his daughter-in-law and three grandchildren and was excited to head to the Tigers game after the draft.
It’s the best handling of an event in Detroit Nunnally said he’s ever seen, and it’s a dream for a lot of folks to have this here.
“Now the whole world can see us shine,” he said of Detroit.
—Darcie Moran
Roderick Boswell, 58 of Detroit, was at the Corner Ballpark Saturday with his family watching some of the kids in attendance running football drills.
It brought back memories of his time as both a football and a track and field athlete at Southwestern High School, where he said he ran a 4.54 in the 40-yard dash.
Boswell, who tore his Achilles tendon while attending college at Wayne State, shared some advice for the young athletes striving to be future athletes and get to the next level.
“One thing I tell these young kids is you gotta stay hungry,” Boswell said. “You gotta be starving to want it.”
The Corner Ballpark, site of the former Tiger Stadium, has been hosting draft-related, youth-focused events.
—Eric Guzman
The Detroit Lions picked up two intriguing players with international backgrounds with a pair of trade ups in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL draft.
The Lions drafted offensive tackle Giovanni Manu out of the University of British Columbia in the fourth round with the 126th pick of the draft. The Lions had to trade into the fourth round in a deal with the New York Jets to secure Manu. Six picks later, general manager Brad Holmes traded up again to grab Utah safety Sione Vaki with Pick 132 in the fourth round.
Holmes added Manu and Vaki to a draft class that already features Alabama cornerback Terrion Arnold, selected after a trade-up in the first round, and Missouri cornerback Ennis Rakestraw Jr., selected in the second round. The Lions had to wait 65 draft slots to make the pick because they did not possess a third or fourth-round pick originally because of previous trades.
Check out the rest of the story here. And for Free Press subscribers, check out instant grades on the move here and here
—Jared Ramsey
Dorothy Hall, 60, of Detroit has watched every bit of the draft in the years since Dan Campbell and Brad Holmes took over, as head coach and general manager, respectively. She doesn’t sweat their selections though, she said following the first Lions pick in the fourth round.
“In Brad, I trust,” she said.
Hall used to get a hard time for that take, she said.
People “needed therapy,” she said with smiles and laughter. Not after last season though.
She was thrilled to be at the draft for the pick Thursday, she said. She went home early the last two nights, even if she kept up and watched every bit of the draft after leaving.
—Darcie Moran
AJ Barner’s role for Michigan football was never to be flashy, it was simply to get the job done.
For his lone year in Ann Arbor, the tight end did exactly that and now he’s been rewarded with his dream opportunity. The former U-M tight end was selected No. 121 overall by the Seattle Seahawks in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
“It helped me tremendously,” Barner said of his time at U-M at last month’s NFL combine. “The style of offense that we played and the program that Michigan runs I feel is very – as similar as it’s gonna get (to the NFL).”
For the full story, click here.
—Tony Garcia
The Houston Texans went all out for their fourth-round pick announcement on Saturday at the 2024 NFL draft.
With its first pick of the day in Detroit, Houston had popular Twitch personality and streamer (and Texans fan) Sketch make the announcement of Ohio State tight end Cade Stover becoming a member of the Texans — and naturally it was legendary and lived up to expectations.
Walking out in his C.J. Stroud No. 7 Texans jersey, Sketch got things rolling with his famous TikTok line “What’s up brother?”
“How we doing? Make some noise. C’mon! This is football. C’mon!” Sketch said. “The Philadelphia Eagles have traded the 123rd pick to the Houston Texans! With the 123rd pick of the 2024 NFL draft, the Houston Texans select Cade Stover, tight end, Ohio State.”
—John Leuzzi
The Detroit Lions entered Day 3 of the NFL draft with none of the day’s first 63 picks. They left with two players in the fourth round.
Minutes after trading a 2025 third-round pick to the New York Jets for the right to select developmental offensive tackle Giovanni Manu at Pick No. 126, Lions general manager Brad Holmes swung a second deal with the Philadelphia Eagles to take Utah safety Sione Vaki at Pick No. 132.
The Lions gave up Picks 164 and 201 in Rounds 5 and 6, plus a fourth-round choice in 2025 in the deal. They also acquired Pick No. 210 in the seventh round.
Vaki had two sacks, an interception and 51 tackles last season, and scored two touchdowns rushing.
He will compete for playing time in the secondary behind projected starters Kerby Joseph and Ifeatu Melifonwu at safety.
—Dave Birkett
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer took the stage just before 1:30 p.m. on Saturday to share the next Detroit Lions pick.
Upon taking the stage, the governor faced some “boos” from the crowd, but Whitmer ecstatically praised Detroit for reaching an NFL draft attendance record.
“It has been a historic week here in the great city of Detroit. We have shown the world what the Motor City is all about,” Whitmer said. “It is my honor to announce that the 2024 NFL draft has now broken the all-time record.”
The draft reached “700,000 and counting,” Whitmer said.
Whitmer, noting that she would put her “Buffs” (her high-end sunglasses) on to read the news, later announced Giovanni Manu as the next pick for the Detroit Lions.
—Dana Afana
The Detroit Lions traded up to the fourth round to draft offensive tackle Giovanni Manu with the No. 126 overall pick Saturday in the 2024 NFL draft hosted in downtown Detroit. The Lions reportedly are giving up a 2025 third-round pick.
The Lions previously traded their own third- and fourth-round picks, and entered Day 3 of the draft with four selections. They were not scheduled to pick until No. 164 late in Round 5 on Saturday.
Manu, 6 feet 7 and 350 pounds, is considered a developmental prospect and one of the most unique talents in the draft. He ran a 4.96-second 40-yard dash and began his athletic career as a rugby player growing up in Tonga in the South Pacific Islands.
For the full story, click here.
—Dave Birkett
This Afternoon
Partly sunny, with a high near 78. Breezy, with a southwest wind 18 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 31 mph.
Tonight
A chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2am. Increasing clouds, with a low around 64. Southwest wind 14 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%.
—Matthew Dolan
On Friday, for the second night in a row, 23-year-old Mike Sainristil, sat in the middle of a long sofa that faced a pair of giant television screens and waited. Dozens of family members and friends — his parents, his siblings, his girlfriend, cousins, neighbors from back home in Everett, Massachusetts, a guy from his old Pop Warner league ― surrounded him, waiting, too, wanting to be part of his big moment.
The clock ticked, teams chose their players and Sainristil, his face partly shielded by sunglasses, looked straight ahead at the TV.
That Sainristil, a defensive back for the national championship Michigan football team and two-time team captain would be drafted into the NFL along with more than 200 other hopefuls was a certainty. The question was when he might be selected. Even though most analysts predicted he’d be chosen in the second round of the draft on Friday, he’d thought he could go during Thursday’s first round. “As a competitor, it’s the mindset, of ‘I’m better than everyone that got chosen before me,” he said later, though he added, “at the end of the day, those guys earned the right to be where they are just like myself.”
For the rest of the story, click here.
—Georgea Kovanis
The Rogers family came to the Corner Ballpark on Saturday morning to see Buffalo Bills star Damar Hamlin at an event with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer where she signed legislation requiring schools to develop more comprehensive cardiac emergency response plans.
Tom, 65, and Carla, 62, wore shirts in support of the athlete who suffered a cardiac arrest on live television back in January of 2023 during a game. Carla’s shirt read “Pray3rs for Damar” — the “3” replacing the “e” to represent Hamlin’s jersey number. Tom’s shirt read “Show love, it costs nothing” with a figure of 3 fingers in behind the font.
“I just told him I love him,” Carla said. “He’s our walking miracle.”
Tom said he’s only cried at two games in his life; the game when Hamlin went down and the game when he returned.
Check out the full story on the signing here.
— Eric Guzmán
It is Day 3 of the NFL draft in Detroit, and it’s all about the families.
Thousands of parents and children descended on downtown Detroit on Saturday morning to check out the many football-themed activities, games and special displays. They weren’t deterred by the early morning rain showers, which ended shortly before the gates opened at 9 a.m.
Hart Plaza near the riverfront was especially busy at midday, with long lines for activities like a football passing contest and a pop-up gallery from the Pro Football Hall of Fame. There also were numerous vendor displays, including for free samples of Gatorade’s newish energy drink Fast Twitch.
Among the visitors were Carl Hall, 36, of Detroit, and his nearly 2-year-old son, Gus.
Because Hall had to work on Thursday and Friday and bedtime in their household starts around 8 p.m., Saturday was the one and only shot at experiencing the draft.
“We tried to see (Lions player) Amon-Ra St. Brown, but the line was full,” he said. “Now we’re just going to wander around.”
Tim Harms, 46, of Grand Haven, was also there with his son and his son’s friend, both 11. They visited the draft late Friday afternoon and decided to return Saturday.
“We were hoping for smaller lines, but it’s about the same,” he said.
Nearby was Troy Barron, 47, of Canton, along with his wife and teenage son, who were also trying to navigate the big crowd.
“Come in early and get out early, it’s probably going to get busy today,” Barron said.
— JC Reindl
Downtown Detroit enjoyed another day of peaceful NFL draft revelry Friday, Detroit police said as they geared up to monitor large crowds for a third and final day.
There were no draft-related arrests inside or on the periphery of the fan zone spanning from Cadillac Square to Hart Plaza, police Cpl. Dan Donakowski said of the event’s second day.
The draft has drawn so many people downtown that it set an attendance record of 275,000 on the first night and reached capacity on both of its first two days.
Detroit police have significantly increased patrols in the area surrounding the draft with backup from county, state, and federal law enforcement agencies. Metal detectors are stationed at gate entrances as well as sidewalks near the event.
Two people were arrested for minor incidents outside the fan zone during the event’s first night, Donakowski said.
He also reported a shooting that wounded two men Saturday afternoon near an ancillary event for youth, but said it was accidental and not draft-related. The men were expected to survive.
— Violet Ikonomova
Traveling down to Detroit from a city near Lansing, Elizabeth and Bill Wilson wanted to make sure their 2-year-old twins, donning blue Lions gear, could share the rare experience of being at the NFL draft in Detroit.
Bill, a longtime Detroit Lions fan, said he hasn’t missed a game in 22 years.
“It’s probably never going to return to Detroit I don’t think and it’s something they can talk about when they’re older, even though they’re not going to remember it, but I mean, I went seeing the Celtics and the Pistons when I was 3 years old at the Silverdome. So I can say I’ve seen Larry Bird, even though I don’t remember it. So it’s a memory for us that we got to take on here,” Bill Wilson said.
Elizabeth added that the family watches games together and wanted the kids to be present for a one-time experience.
“It’s an experience you won’t always get to have. They may be little, but it’s worth it for them to experience and to experience it with them,” Elizabeth Wilson said.
— Dana Afana
Day one of the NFL draft brought over 275,000 attendees downtown. The turnout was an NFL record.
Day two saw over 230,000 attendees, according to counts provided by a public relations firm working with the NFL. On the first two nights, the crowd reached maximum capacity, causing staff to pause entry.
With 100,000 more visitors Saturday, Detroit could break another record for the all-time NFL draft attendance. The current record is held by Nashville when during the 2019 draft in the Tennessee city, over 600,000 fans participated in draft events over the course of three days.
— Clara Hendrickson, Paul Egan and Eric D. Lawrence
Soggy start to final day of NFL draft in Detroit
Downtown Detroit saw some rain Saturday morning on the final day of the NFL draft in the city. But the sun is expected to come out this evening as temperatures climb during the day.
At around 9:30 a.m. — 30 minutes after the NFL Draft Experience opened to visitors — a steady stream of mostly Lions fans made their way down Griswold Street. The ran had stopped by then, but the wind blew against their football jerseys.
According to the National Weather Service forecast for downtown Detroit, showers are likely before 11 a.m. and a thunderstorm is possible with a continued chance of showers and thunderstorms until 2 p.m. The day will be mostly cloudy with a high near 77 degrees. Some wind gusts are possible, potentially reaching 29 mph.
More: Your guide to 2024 NFL draft in Detroit: Registration, map, parking, things to do and more
— Clara Hendrickson
Sarah Wilson is your guide to the latest trends, viral sensations, and internet phenomena. With a finger on the pulse of digital culture, she explores what’s trending across social media and pop culture, keeping readers in the know about the latest online sensations.
