With the Detroit Lions’ 2026 draft now nearly a full week in the rear-view mirror, it’s time for the Pride of Detroit staff to take inventory of what transpired. We’ve had time to read the scouting reports, listen to what Lions general manager Brad Holmes had to say about each pick, and do our own dive into the college film.
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Detroit Lions NFL Draft roundtable: Favorite pick
So over the next week, our staff will be sharing their thoughts on the Lions’ draft class in a roundtable-like discussion. To kick the series off, we’re going to talk about our favorite pick from the Lions’ NFL Draft.
And as a fun exercise, I’m going to include a link to last year’s answers to see how wrong/right we were.
2025: Best Detroit Lions draft pick discussion
What was your favorite pick from the Lions’ 2026 NFL Draft?
Ryan Mathews: Blake Miller
Miller was easily my favorite pick of the draft. Holmes didn’t have to sacrifice any future capital to bolster an offensive line that desperately needed to be improved after last season’s noticeable step back. Instead, he let the board come to him on Day 1, and when it did, Holmes drafted a player who fits in terms of both football character and play style.
Brandon Knapp: Blake Miller
Despite the rumors of the Lions liking Kadyn Proctor, he thankfully was off the board. For me, Miller was my 1B to Francis Mauigoa as my top twoo options in the first round. The OT spot was the most important position that needed to be addressed and the team taking one at 17 was music to my ears. I wanted the experience and consistency Miller brought.
John Whiticar: Blake Miller
There was some thought (fear?) that the Lions might get cute and pass on tackle in the first round. Instead, not only did the Lions get a perfect culture and scheme fit, they also did so without trading up from pick 17. Miller will technically battle Larry Borom for the right tackle spot, but it would be a major surprise if he doesn’t win it outright. For a team that just parted ways with Taylor Decker, adding Miller to the roster is just about a perfect way to replace—and potentially improve upon—the veteran. It was an easy and obvious choice, and the Lions went for it.
Erik Schlitt: Blake Miller
I haven’t been shy about my desire to see Miller in Honolulu Blue, as I believe he was a perfect combination of skill set, character, and need for the Lions at pick No. 17 in the first round. I firmly believe that the Lions have found the ideal replacement for Taylor Decker; a starting tackle who can deliver reliable production for the next 10 years.
Jeremy Reisman: Miller/Keith Abney
I discussed this earlier in Sunday’s Question of the Day. But in short: Miller was the most logical pick, and I’m glad the Lions stayed relatively patient and took him without spending extra draft capital—even if they tried. But more impressively, they may have gotten their future starting nickel in Abney all the way in the fifth round. For a team with minimal draft capital, landing a potential starter that late in a “thin” draft class should be considered a huge triumph. If the Lions are going to stay competitive long-term, it’s not just imperative they hit on the early picks, but they’ll need to find late-round steals and that’s exactly what Abney is.
DETROIT — A Detroit teen is being charged as an adult in connection with a shooting that left a 14-year-old clinging to life earlier this month, according to officials.
The shooting happened at 9:40 p.m. on May 17 near Farmer Street and Grand River in the downtown area of Detroit, according to officials.
When officers arrived at the location, officials said they found a 14-year-old suffering froma gunshot wound to the chest. He was taken to a nearby hospital where he was expected to be ok, according to officials.
Ramon Javon Perez Smith, 17, was charged as an adult with assault with intent to murder, assault with intent to do great bodily harm, felonious assault, carrying a concealed weapon, and three counts of felony firearm.
He was placed in jail with a $500,000 bond, along with a GPS tether, house arrest and an order barring contact with the victim or any witnesses.
His next court date is scheduled for Wednesday.
A 16-year-old from Detroit was also charged in connection with the shooting. He was charged with carrying a concealed weapon and was given a $4,000 bond with house arrest.
Officials said Smith got into a fight with a group of kids that included the 14-year-old. During the fight, officials said Smith pulled out a handgun and fired multiple times into the group of teens, striking the 14-year-old in the chest.
Police arrested Smith shortly afterward.
The shooting happened as Detroit Police Chief Todd Bettison told reporters that roughly 60 kids from Detroit and the metro region gathered in the city’s downtown area. He said police will also hold parents accountable for the shooting.
Woman blasts local gym for allowing burkinis
A familiar face is back in front of screens after a video posted by Mellissa Carone about burkinis picked up traffic online. The full-body swimsuit is often worn by Muslim women. Carone shared on TikTok that she was canceling her membership at the Lifetime Fitness because she saw women wearing them in the pool.
(FOX 2) – A familiar face is back in front of screens after a video posted by Mellissa Carone about burkinis picked up traffic online.
The full-body swimsuit is often worn by Muslim women.
Carone shared on TikTok that she was canceling her membership at the Lifetime Fitness because she saw women wearing them in the pool.
The backstory:
Carone rose to prominence following her testimony alongside Rudy Giuliani during a Michigan State House Oversight Committee meeting and even became the inspiration for a Saturday Night Live skit.
She also ran for office before being disqualified by the Macomb County Clerk.
Big picture view:
Posting on TikTok, Carone complained about burkinis being worn at her local gym.
“Story time regarding the Muslim problem we have here in Michigan,” Carone started her post on TikTok. “It is not freedom of religion to go into a pool with an entire burka on.”
She likened the garb to a “sanitary problem.”
FOX 2 sought an additional comment from Carone, who declined to comment.
The other side:
Other members of the Lifetime Fitness were confused by Carone’s comments.
“Muslim people wash five times a day for prayers and it’s part of their religion to be clean and sanitary,” said Khaled Farhat, a Lifetime Fitness member. “I don’t understand what she means by unsanitary.”
Another member was turned off by the Carone’s stance.
“Just mind your own business and go on your way,” the
Local perspective:
According to the Lifetime Fitness website, appropriate swimming attire includes swim shirts, bikinis, tankinis, one piece, trunk shorts or long briefs.
We reached out to the company for comment, but they were not immediately available.
The Source: A TikTok post, interviews with Lifetime Fitness members, and previous reporting was cite for this story.
Michigan State is looking to the Motor City for its next commitment.
Multiple reports on Saturday indicated that the Spartans have set up an official visit with Martin Luther King (Mich.) athlete Don Spillers III. The visit to East Lansing is set for May 29-31 and will be the first in a string of official visits for Spillers. He’s also got reported trips to Illinois (June 5-7) and Louisville (June 12-14) scheduled.
Fast Facts on Spillers
Spillers, listed at 6’2″ and 195 pounds, is a 3-star recruit ranked 848th overall in the class of 2027 on the 247Sports Composite. He’s listed as an athlete on 247Sports, but as a wide receiver on Rivals. It looked like MSU and Courtney Hawkins wanted him as a receiver for a while, but safety seems to be the spot where Michigan State wants him now. That would make his position coach James Adams.
The Spartans seem to be considered in the lead right now. MSU has two expert predictions in its favor submitted on Rivals, one of which was submitted as recently as Friday. Rivals’ RPM metric has Michigan State at the very top, holding a comfortable lead at 94.2%. Besides Illinois and Louisville, Spillers’ other notable offers include Michigan, Maryland, Missouri, Pitt, and Purdue.
More Info, Potential Fit at MSU
Next weekend will not be the first time Spillers will be on campus. He visited East Lansing while spring practices were going on and also showed up at MSU a few times during the Jonathan Smith era. The retentions of both Hawkins and Adams by new head coach Pat Fitzgerald have allowed mutual interest to remain.
If Spillers ends up committing to the Spartans as a safety, he’d be the second player at the position to join the 2027 recruiting class. The first was 3-star St. Peter’s Prep (N.J.) prospect Ty’ire Clark. He committed back on April 4 and is ranked 1,280th overall in the class.
There should be room for multiple safeties in the 2027 recruiting class. Michigan State has three players at the spot whose eligibility is expected to expire after this fall: Nikai Martinez, Aveon Grose, and Michael Richard.
A few other names are also on MSU’s recruiting board. The Spartans have three predictions in their favor for Dakota (Mich.) prospect Elijah Goins. He’s ranked 973rd overall in the class of ’27 in the Rivals Industry Rankings and has a reported official visit scheduled with Michigan State for June 19-21.
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