All Lions

Ridiculously Low Number of Prospects Accepted Detroit Invitation

J.J. McCarthy did not even accept invitation to attend draft in Detroit!

John Maakaron

Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy
Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK
In this story:

The annual NFL Draft that is being held in Detroit this year is only two weeks away.

On Thursday, it was announced only 13 draft prospects had accepted invitations to attend.

The scheduled attendees include Terrion Arnold, Jayden Daniels, Marvin Harrison Jr., JC Latham, Laiatu Latu, Drake Maye, Quinyon Mitchell, Malik Nabers, Rome Odunze, Darius Robinson, Brian Thomas Jr., Dallas Turner and Caleb Williams.

Typically, draft prospects that are projected to be selected in the first round are extended invitations.

Notably, Michigan Wolverines quarterback J.J. McCarthy was not on the list of those planning to attend.

Many have speculated that players waiting in the green room for long periods of time, with cameras constantly checking in, has forced many to simply decline to face potential embarrassment.

One NFL fan posted online, "This feels like a lot less players than usual are attending. Maybe seeing guys like Willis and Levis getting left in the green room is scaring people off."

Others predictably made jokes that nobody would ever want to travel to Detroit.

Last year, 17 attendees were invited for the 2023 Draft in Kansas City.

Draft sign panned online

The new D-E-T-R-O-I-T sign that has debuted on I-94 has drawn a significant amount of criticism online.

A local rapper has even recorded a video panning the sign, which has been described as low quality and disappointing by those expecting much more extravagence from designers.

Detroit officials took to social media to address some of the negative reaction to the new sign.

"The Detroit Sign is a testament to Detroit’s growth over the last 10 years. No, it hasn’t been perfect but it’s been a decade of resilience, tough conversations and togetherness. We are growing. This is only the beginning. We are evolving and we are reaching new peaks together as One Detroit."

Published |Modified
John Maakaron
JOHN MAAKARON

John Maakaron has covered Detroit Sports since 2013. Brings a vast array of experience covering the Detroit Tigers, Detroit Lions, Michigan Wolverines, Michigan State Spartans, Detroit Mercy Titans, and Oakland University Golden Grizzlies. John brings a wealth of sports broadcast experience. In 2013, John had the vision to establish the Detroit Sports Podcast Network. Has recorded over 3000 podcasts analyzing Detroit Sports. In 2019, Sports Illustrated Media Group, a historical sports media outlet, partnered with Detroit Sports Podcast to provide daily Lions content for their growing and expanding digital media outlet. Our Lions content can also be read in the newspaper at The Oakland  Passionate about Detroit Sports and it is reflected in his coverage of the local teams!

Home/News