Detroit, MI

Detroit Lions rookie review: Where are things trending heading into Year 2?

Published

11 months ago

February 12, 2025

Detroit Lions rookie review: Where are things trending heading into Year 2?

ALLEN PARK — The Detroit Lions didn’t receive as much depth or playing time from their most recent rookie draft class compared to previous years.

But that’s what happens when a franchise continues to improve and win more games — the window for playing time and spots continues to shrink. Let’s get into a full review of the first season from the most recent draft class and where they are trending ahead of Year 2.

Round 1, Pick 24: CB Terrion Arnold

Terrion Arnold finished third on the defense in terms of snaps played and received a true trial-by-fire rookie season. When he was healthy and available, Arnold was a full-time starter from start to finish, and that’s no easy task.

There were more than a few bumps along the way, with a ton of penalties littering the first half of the season and his aggressive nature biting him a couple of times. But the Lions love Arnold’s aggressiveness and how he plays the position. The first-rounder also cut down on his penalties, showing an improved comfort regarding technique and how the NFL game is officiated.

Eight of Arnold’s 10 penalties came during his first four games, with only two flags thrown his way the rest of the season. The Lions want him to be aggressive and in the face of receivers, so if he can keep that trending in that direction, there is a ton of room for growth.

“But I think all those snaps that he played are going to serve him well going forward,” Lions general manager Brad Holmes said after the season ended. “And then you just saw, the waters were a little choppy early, and then you saw the waters kind of calm down, kind of midpoint to later in the season.

“So, very high expectations for him going forward. Again, we all know how he’s wired. He’s wired the right way. He’s long. He’s athletic. He’s got instincts. He’s tough. He’ll tackle, and so all those reps are just going to improve his confidence even more.”

Round 2, Pick 61: CB Ennis Rakestraw

Ennis Rakestraw couldn’t shake the injury bug. He said he was in line for a starting opportunity in Week 2 at nickelback, but then suffered a pre-game injury and never got that close again. Rakestraw worked through ankle injuries in training camp, and then persisting hamstring injuries hampered his first year.

He was limited to only 46 defensive snaps and another 95 on special teams, finishing the year on injured reserve. Depending on what happens with Carlton Davis III in free agency, Rakestraw could be staring down a meaty opportunity when the Lions hit the field again, though.

“One thing, I like my back against the wall and people not having faith in me, people don’t believe in my abilities, it’s just going to give me the fire to do what I always needed to do,” Rakestraw said during locker room cleanout day. “Nothing never came to me easy. Everything always came hard.

“It’s just brought me back to my roots of everybody doubting me, not believing in what the kid from West Dallas can do. I’m just appreciative that they gave me my fire back, and I’ll use it in the offseason. I’ll be better, I promise.”

Round 4, Pick 126: OL Giovanni Manu

Giovanni Manu was a healthy scratch all season. No surprise there, the behemoth out of the University of British Columbia was always viewed as a developmental project. The Lions are set at offensive tackle with Penei Sewell and Taylor Decker. But Dan Skipper is a free agent, and if he lands a deal elsewhere after another solid year, that could open a door for Manu.

“I give credit to the whole coaching staff,” Manu said. “They were just on me, developing me and all that … On the field, Hank (Fraley) was always demanding of me to be physical because of my frame. That showed. That showed halfway through the season, I was able to start moving guys, it was great. It’s just the first steps. It’s going to get better from here.”

Round 4, Pick 132: RB Sione Vaki

Sione Vaki was the second-most utilized draftee this season as a special teamer. The safety-turned-running back appeared in 16 games. Vaki caught a fake punt pass for a first down, was solid and dependable in kick coverage, and added six carries for 14 yards and three catches for 37 yards.

Vaki is so new to running back and showed an impressive ability in the passing game during his first training camp. There is only room to grow, and his natural ability on special teams will extend his leash as he learns the new position.

Round 6, Pick 189: DL Mekhi Wingo

Mekhi Wingo suffered a late-season torn ACL after appearing in 11 games. Wingo was playing a key rotational role and could have come in handy down the stretch with injuries continuing to mount. The Lions love Wingo’s versatility to kick inside or play defensive end, and he was getting more looks as the year progressed.

His injury timeline is one to watch for in the offseason program and training camp. That’s a tough break for someone who looked to be in line for more.

Round 6, Pick 210: OG Christian Mahogany

Christian Mahogany has a ton of positive momentum heading into his first full offseason. He started late in the season on the road against the Chicago Bears and then filled in for Kevin Zeitler in the team’s divisional-round defeat.

Mahogany flashed as a physical mauler in the middle of Detroit’s offensive line. And it wasn’t easy to get to this point, with the sixth-round rookie missing all of training camp and the preseason with mononucleosis. But he came back, worked on his craft in practice, then impressed when his number was called.

He also got a taste of left guard and right guard, filling in once apiece for Graham Glasgow and Zeitler. The latter is a pending free agent, and Glasgow didn’t finish the year on the best note, so Mahogany is one to watch for 2025.

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Detroit, MI

Vigil, protest held for Renee Nicole Good at Detroit’s Clark park

Published

18 minutes ago

January 9, 2026

Press Room

Vigil, protest held for Renee Nicole Good at Detroit’s Clark park

The name Renee Nicole Good bounced off the buildings of southwest Detroit as hundreds marched on the evening of Friday, Jan. 9, following Good’s fatal shooting by an immigration agent in Minneapolis earlier in the week.

A candlelight vigil was held at 6 p.m. at the city’s Clark Park in memory of Good, before attendees took off marching down Vernor Highway.

As of 7:30 p.m., the mass crowd had reached Cavalry Street, about half a mile away from the park, and turned, yelling “What do we want? Justice ” and calling for ICE’s ousting from communities.

Good, 37, was in her car when she was shot in the head on Wednesday, Jan.7, by a federal immigration officer in south Minneapolis. She leaves behind three children, ages 6, 12 and 15.

The shooting was recorded by witnesses and heightened political and community tensions over federal immigration enforcement as part of President Donald Trump’s nationwide immigration operations. The Trump administration has since said the shooting was done in self-defense, USA TODAY reports.

Protests have occurred in cities across the U.S. since Good’s death, including gatherings in Michigan, and additional demonstrations are scheduled throughout the weekend.

This is a developing story.

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Detroit, MI

Debating Mike McDaniel’s fit for Detroit Lions OC job

Published

12 hours ago

January 9, 2026

Press Room

Debating Mike McDaniel’s fit for Detroit Lions OC job

But we also can’t ignore the drastic fall-off from the Dolphins’ offense. Partially because of injuries to Tua Tagovailoa and Tyreek Hill over the past two seasons, the Dolphins have finished 22nd and 25th in scoring offense in 2024 and 2025, respectively. Injuries can be used as an excuse, but the greatest coordinators find a way through the adversity.

Beyond that, there are questions about his philosophical and schematic fit. While the Lions have built their offenses on grit and physicality, McDaniel seems to favor speed and finesse. But maybe that’s exactly what the Lions need. Detroit has two speedy players in Jameson Williams and Jahmyr Gibbs, who could probably be utilized more creatively, and it’s hard to imagine anyone better than McDaniel to do so.

McDaniel also has a very long coaching history with a lot of different coaching influences and schemes—including his closest coaching guru: Kyle Shanahan. The 49ers head coach has a scheme that is both more congruent with what the Lions do and much more adaptable.

On this EMERGENCY PODCAST, our crew debates the fit of McDaniel in Detroit, along with our thoughts on the Lions’ other known candidate: Commanders quarterbacks coach David Blough.

Before that, Erik Schlitt, Ryan Mathews, and I discuss our biggest takeaways from Lions general manager Brad Holmes’ end-of-season press conference, including the future of David Montgomery, whether Holmes really took accountability for his mistakes, and our confidence in him moving forward.

You can catch our discussion in the embedded podcast below or on any podcasting platform you’d prefer. Just search “Pride of Detroit.”

You can also catch video of the show over on our YouTube pages. Here are the links:

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Detroit, MI

Tarik Skubal, Tigers can’t agree on 2026 salary. Here’s what happens

Published

1 day ago

January 8, 2026

Press Room

Tarik Skubal, Tigers can’t agree on 2026 salary. Here’s what happens

The Detroit Tigers and left-hander Tarik Skubal did not agree to terms on a one-year contract for the 2026 season before the 8 p.m. deadline Thursday, Jan. 8, to exchange salary figures in the arbitration process.

Skubal filed at $32 million; the Tigers filed at $19 million.

It’s a difference of $13 million.

An arbitration panel will review the case during a hearing scheduled for late January or early to mid-February. The arbitrators must determine whether Skubal is worth more or less than the $25.5 million midpoint. If he’s worth more, they will select his $32 million proposal; if less, they will select the Tigers’ $19 million proposal. The panel isn’t allowed to choose a salary in between $19 million and $32 million.

The Tigers operate as a file-and-trial club in salary arbitration under president of baseball operations Scott Harris, meaning there won’t be further negotiations with Skubal regarding a one-year contract. A multi-year contract could still be negotiated, but it’s highly unlikely.

Skubal – represented by agent Scott Boras – reaches free agency after the 2026 season. The 29-year-old is positioned to become the first pitcher in MLB history to receive a $400 million contract.

If the two sides were to reach an agreement before a hearing, it would likely be a one-year contract with a player option, thus maintaining Skubal’s path to free agency in the 2026-27 offseason.

The reigning back-to-back American League Cy Young winner was projected by MLB Trade Rumors to receive $17.8 million in his third and final year of salary arbitration. He previously earned $2.65 million in 2024, then $10.15 million in 2025.

Why couldn’t the Tigers and Skubal agree on a salary for 2026?

The arbitration case for Skubal is unusually complex, thanks to a rarely used provision highlighted by ESPN’s Jeff Passan. Because Skubal has more than five years of MLB service time, he isn’t limited to comparing himself only to past arbitration-eligible players. Instead, he can compare himself to any player in baseball.

Those unique rights allow Skubal – who has five years, 114 days of service time – to point to MLB’s highest-paid pitchers (such as Max Scherzer’s $43.3 million per year from 2022-24 or Zack Wheeler’s $42 million per year from 2025-27), arguing that his elite performance warrants a salary in that range – not in the $17.8 million range, as projected by MLB Trade Rumors.

That’s what pushed the Tigers and Skubal to an arbitration hearing.

[ MUST LISTEN: Make “Days of Roar” your go-to Tigers podcast, available anywhere you listen to podcasts (Apple, Spotify) ]

The current record for the largest one-year arbitration contract belongs to outfielder Juan Soto, who agreed to $31 million with the New York Yankees for the 2024 season.

If Skubal wins the arbitration hearing, he will surpass Soto and claim the new record with his proposed $32 million salary. If Skubal loses, then he will earn the $19 million salary proposed by the Tigers.

There are two other arbitration records on the line.

The highest-paid arbitration-eligible pitcher belongs to right-hander David Price, who earned $19.75 million with the Tigers in 2015 – his fourth year in the arbitration process as a Super Two qualifier. The largest raise for an arbitration-eligible pitcher belongs to right-hander Jacob deGrom, who surged from $7.4 million to $17 million – an increase of $9.6 million – with the New York Mets in 2019.

Those records for pitchers will belong to Skubal – but only if his proposed $32 million salary is selected by the arbitration panel. He will fall just short of the records if the panel selects the Tigers’ proposed $19 million.

Skubal is the best pitcher in baseball.

More notably, he is on a Hall of Fame trajectory.

In 2025, Skubal registered a 2.21 ERA with 33 walks (4.4% walk rate) and 241 strikeouts (32.2% strikeout rate) across 195⅓ innings in 31 starts. He made the All-Star Game for the second time in his six-year MLB career.

Skubal became the first back-to-back AL Cy Young winner since right-hander Pedro Martínez in 1999-2000, leading the AL with a 2.39 ERA in 2024 and a 2.21 ERA in 2025.

The Tigers haven’t been to an arbitration hearing since right-hander Michael Fulmer in 2019.

Fulmer lost the case, receiving the Tigers’ proposed $2.8 million salary rather than his requested $3.4 million. Before that hearing, the Tigers hadn’t participated in an arbitration hearing since 2001 – and the Tigers haven’t lost a case since 2000.

Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.

Listen to our weekly Tigers show “Days of Roar” every Monday afternoon during the season and Tuesday afternoon during the offseason on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts.

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