Dec 29, 2019; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur reacts on the sidelines during the first quarter against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-Imagn Images | Tim Fuller-Imagn Images
The 2025 NFL Draft is only two days away. The event will be held in the shadow of Lambeau Field, and Packers fans are not only excited to see who their team selects, but also for the party on Lombardi Avenue when those picks are announced.
Packers GM Brian Gutekunst has a solid track record of evaluating, drafting, and developing prospects, and the fanbase is heading into Thursday with high expectations once again. With a total of eight picks (three in the top 100), the Packers will look to add more depth in a variety of positions.
Not everyone, however, is sharing the enthusiasm for the Draft. In fact, Lions president Rod Wood just took a petty shot at the Packers on the eve of the event.
#Lions pres Rod Wood at the @deteconomicclub on Detroit’s attendance record at NFL Draft: “I don’t think they’ll ever top it. There's no way Green Bay will come close. They'll finish second — or they'll finish third like they did last year.”
— Will Burchfield (@burchie_kid) April 21, 2025
Lions President Takes Embarrassing Shot at the Packers Ahead of NFL Draft
Lions insider Will Burchfield reported Wood’s unnecessary remarks in his speech at the Detroit Economic Club. The team president said that Green Bay will never come close to breaking the attendance record at the NFL Draft, and added that they will finish second or third “like they did last year.”
Detroit broke the attendance record for the draft last year as over 700,000 people flooded Detroit for the multi-day event. 275,000 fans were in attendance in Detroit on Day 1, with another 275,000 on Day 2, breaking the record set in Nashville in 2019.
Perhaps Green Bay will not break that record. Considering the population in Green Bay and the surrounding area, it would indeed be difficult to hit those numbers.
While Wood’s words can be interpreted as harmless banter between two rivals, it’s also embarrassing coming from an organization that is easily the least successful among NFC North teams. Detroit can have all the attendance records, but Packers fans would surely prefer their four Super Bowl championships.
