Connect with us

Detroit, MI

Lions fans very confident Detroit among ‘winners’ of the 2024 draft

Published

on

Lions fans very confident Detroit among ‘winners’ of the 2024 draft


In year three of the general manager Brad Holmes and coach Dan Campbell’s regime, the Detroit Lions proved they had built themselves into a true Super Bowl contender. Entering year four, confidence remains high, as the team continues to add depth to the roster and address team weaknesses.

Their rapid ascension is largely credited with Holmes and Campbell’s aggressiveness, both on the playing field and in the draft. Holmes has attacked each draft with his own unique flair and it’s resulted in tremendous success. Not only has Holmes retained 28 of his 29 draft picks—including the 2024 class—but he has also drafted five Pro Bowlers and three All Pros.

In 2024, the consensus boards and analysts determined the Lions to have selected the most valuable draft class, writers placed them amongst their top 10 grades lists, and draft guru Dane Brugler of The Athletic tabbed the Lions as his third favorite draft class.

So when it came time to ask Lions fans if Detroit were considered “winners” or “losers’ of the 2024 NFL Draft (something every SB Nation site asked their fan base), the results were unsurprising:

Advertisement

You can’t please everybody, but when 96% of the fan base thinks you belong amongst the draft “winners,” the Lions should be happy with their results.

Advertisement

Let’s take a look at a few explanations from some of Pride of Detroit’s readers from the comment section of the original article. Note: some responses are lightly edited for ease of reading.

  • LionsFaninCarolina: “Winners before, during, and after the draft. LFG.”
  • UlyssesNorris80: “If someone were to tell me before the draft that the Lions would come away with both Terrion Arnold AND Ennis Rakestraw Jr. I certainly would not have believed it. So yeah, I would say definite winners.”
  • Singledigit: “At this point? It’s hard to see how anyone could predict Mr. Holmes did not have a good draft. Even if one disagreed with his picks. Mr. Holmes has continually shown expertise in finding good-to-star NFL talent.”

Check out DraftKings Sportsbook, the official sportsbook partner of SB Nation.



Source link

Detroit, MI

PWHL players bond with women’s hockey pioneers at Detroit clinic | NHL.com

Published

on

PWHL players bond with women’s hockey pioneers at Detroit clinic | NHL.com


Both generations on the ice Friday are intent on growing the game for today’s kids. Hartje and the Polar Bears believe an important step for women’s hockey in Michigan would be starting a Division I college team.

“I think if the PWHL establishes a team in Detroit, it will put a lot of pressure on the colleges to make sure there’s a D-I team in the state,” Hartje said. “Michigan has the second-highest number of players in the league, and it would have been a dream for us to be able to stay in the state to play.”

It’s been a problem for decades. Pierson had to turn down the offer from Boston University, because her family couldn’t afford to send her to New England for college. Hartje ended up at Yale University, and Megan Keller, who scored the gold medal winning goal for the U.S. in the 2026 Winter Olympics and plays for the PWHL’s Boston Fleet, went from suburban Detroit to Boston College.

Meanwhile, 2026 U.S. men’s Olympic team members and Michigan natives Dylan Larkin of the Red Wings and Zach Werenski of the Columbus Blue Jackets were able to stay in the state to play with the USA Hockey National Team Development Program, then based in Ann Arbor, before moving on to the University of Michigan in the same town.

Advertisement

“Megan’s brother played at Michigan State, and I’m sure she also would have stayed here to play for a Michigan school,” Skarupa said. “It’s imperative that Michigan gets a college program.”

Skarupa is serious about growing the game. She is working with Keller and the NHL Foundation U.S. to identify recipients for its $100,000 Empowerment Grant Program for Girls Hockey.

“Every time I go back to a city, there are new teams, new girls and new faces,” she said. “It’s a testament to growth all over the world, but it is tremendous inside the U.S.”



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Detroit, MI

Retired Detroit sergeant faces new sexual assault charge involving 14-year-old victim from 2002

Published

on

Retired Detroit sergeant faces new sexual assault charge involving 14-year-old victim from 2002



An additional case, this one involving a victim who was then 14 years old, has been added to the sexual assault investigation against a former Detroit Police Department sergeant. 

Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy announced the latest charges on Friday against Benjamin Martin Wagner, 68, who now lives in Greenville, N.C. He had retired from the Detroit Police Department in 2017. 

The victim in the additional charges was 14 years old when the assault happened in October 2002 in Detroit, Worthy said. The prosecutor alleges that Wagner approached the victim, pointed a handgun at her, ordered her away from the location and then sexually assaulted her. 

Advertisement

In this case, he faces charges of kidnapping, two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct and two counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct. An arraignment hearing took place Friday in the 36th District Court in Detroit. A probable cause conference is scheduled for April 7.

The woman is now 37 years old. 

“She has lived with what happened to her for 23 years and has now bravely decided that she wants to be a part of holding him accountable,” Worthy said. 

Wagner participated in a court hearing Thursday and was remanded to jail, one week after he was charged with 15 counts of kidnapping and rape in five separate sexual assault cases. All of those incidents happened between 1999 and 2003 in the northwest side of Detroit, with the victims being young women between the ages of 15 and 23. 

The court dates for the earlier list of charges are April 7 for a probable cause hearing and April 14 for a preliminary exam. 

Advertisement

Wagner joined the Detroit Police Department in 1989 as a police officer and was eventually promoted to sergeant. He retired in 2017 and moved to North Carolina. 



Source link

Continue Reading

Detroit, MI

Metro Detroit weather forecast, March 26, 2026 — 11 p.m. Update

Published

on

Metro Detroit weather forecast, March 26, 2026  — 11 p.m. Update


If you need help with the Public File, call (313) 222-0566

At WDIV, we are committed to informing and delighting our audience. In our commitment to covering our communities with innovation and excellence, we incorporate Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies to enhance our news gathering, reporting, and presentation processes. Read our article to see how we are using Artificial Intelligence.



Source link

Continue Reading

Trending