Detroit, MI

MOCK DRAFT WATCH: Defense dominates early predictions for Lions

Published

2 years ago

February 17, 2024

MOCK DRAFT WATCH: Defense dominates early predictions for Lions

Josh Edwards, CBS Sports: Kool-Aid McKinstry, CB, Alabama (No. 29)

Why: A year ago, Detroit plucked defensive back Brian Branch out of Tuscaloosa. Dan Campbell identifies another Nick Saban protégé in the first round to upgrade the secondary.

Tom Fornelli, CBS Sports: T.J. Tampa, CB, Iowa State (No. 29)

Why: This might not be the ideal fit for Detroit, but whomever the Lions take here, I’d put money on it being a defensive back. As for Tampa, he’s a tall and long corner who is better in zone coverages right now than man. He showed excellent ball skills at Iowa State thanks to his ability to dissect routes quickly.

Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz, USA Today: Ennis Rakestraw Jr., CB, Missouri (No. 29)

Why: Stifling in man coverage, Rakestraw Jr. is exactly the kind of tenacious yet savvy cornerback that Dan Campbell would appreciate. He could help provide needed stability to a secondary that has been repeatedly reshuffled in recent years and still gave up 411 passing yards per game over the last six games of the season.

Middlehurst-Schwartz’s full mock

Ben Solak, The Ringer: Nate Wiggins, CB, Clemson

Why: I’d rather see the Lions spend big money on a free agent, as early-round cornerbacks can bust like crazy, but if they do indeed make the pick, a high-upside player in Nate Wiggins makes sense. Wiggins needs to get bigger in the NFL, but he has length, ball skills, and speed.

Joel Klatt, Fox Sports: Ennis Rakestraw Jr., CB, Missouri

Why: What a great playoff run it was for the Lions, but it was clear that they needed to help their secondary. Their pass rush is pretty good, but they need to help it out with a better secondary.

Nick Baumgardner, The Athletic: Kool-Aid McKinstry, CB, Alabama (No. 29)

Why: The Lions are in dire need of CB help, although they also need to address the edge spot opposite Aidan Hutchinson. McKinstry, Arnold’s running mate at Alabama, was the higher-rated recruit due to his terrific combination of size (6-1, 195), length and athletic balance. A very patient player, McKinstry could help Detroit right away.

Baumgardner’s full mock

Vinnie Iyer, Sporting News: Ennis Rakestraw Jr., CB, Missouri (No. 29)

Why: The Lions’ big issues with downfield cornerback coverage finally burned them for good against the 49ers in the NFC championship game. Rakestraw, a rising prospect worth watching in the pre-draft process, will be attractive to Aaron Glenn because of aggressive, fearless, and physical man-to-man coverage.

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Detroit, MI

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

Published

2 hours ago

March 28, 2026

Press Room

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.

“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.”

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Detroit, MI

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

Published

15 hours ago

March 27, 2026

Press Room

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

Updated on: March 27, 2026 / 12:23 PM EDT
/ CBS Detroit

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.

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.

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.

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Detroit, MI

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

Published

1 day ago

March 27, 2026

Press Room

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

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