Detroit, MI
NFL Draft grades: Lions get clean fit, debatable value in Tyleik Williams
In years past, Brad Holmes has shown a willingness to move up and down in the first round. Big swings like 32 to 12 for Jameson Williams in 2022, or a willingness to move back and wait for his prospect to fall to him like Jahmyr Gibbs in 2023. But in 2025, Holmes let the board come to him with the Lions’ first-round pick.
The Detroit Lions selected Ohio State defensive tackle Tyleik Williams at pick No. 28, making him the fifth interior defender off the board and the 10th defensive linemen to be drafted in the first round. Earlier this week, ESPN’s Dan Graziano predicted there could be a run on defensive linemen on Thursday night, and while it didn’t happen all that early as Graziano forecasted, it still played out that way before the Lions’ pick.
Still, that didn’t deter Holmes, someone who’s been unafraid of bucking need for value, from taking Williams. Much like a year ago, the Lions were afforded the opportunity to let the draft shake itself out. And much like a year ago, there seemed spots where Detroit could make a move to go up and get a guy with a first-round grade on their board.
In the end, Holmes went with Williams, a massive piece for the middle of the Lions defensive line at 6-foot-3 and 330 pounds. Williams lined up mostly as a three-technique for the Buckeyes defense despite his unusual size for the position. Run defense is at the forefront of his player profile, something Brian Baldinger highlighted shortly after the Lions made him the pick.
It’s easy to see the long-term fit next to Alim McNeill: both capable of moonlighting in the middle of the defense at nose tackle, but also having unusual size plus footwork and agility to make plays in the backfield as a three-tech. In the short term, the Lions have a guy who could very well be ready to step in and be productive immediately while McNeill rehabs from his ACL injury.
Williams recorded an 88.6 run defense grade in 2024 according to Pro Football Focus, the eighth-best mark among 539 qualifying interior defenders in FBS. While he has all the physical tools—athleticism, size, and strength—to play the run as effectively as he does, many analysts (and Holmes) highlight the football intelligence Williams’ possesses. Dane Brugler of The Athletic highlighted that Williams “… has outstanding awareness to identify pre-snap clues and anticipate play design … he is one of the best run-defending linemen in the draft class because of his recognition skills and disciplined execution at deconstructing blocks.” For those reasons, as Holmes remarked on Thursday night to the media, he’s a natural fit for the Detroit Lions.
What’s not as evident in Williams’ game is his pass-rush plan. Despite playing more than 320+ pass-rushing snaps in each of his last two seasons at Ohio State, Williams never registered more than 22 pressures in either season. He tallied just 11.5 sacks in his four-year collegiate career with his freshman season being the most productive (5.0). In spite of fans pining for Detroit to add an edge defender, the Lions opted to go with Williams at pick No. 28. Detroit passed on higher-ranked edge rushers like Jihaad Campbell, who went just three picks later to Philadelphia, and with names like Mike Green and Donovan Ezeiruaku also still available, the Lions clearly prioritized interior disruption over edge help.
Could Holmes have afforded to be more patient with the board and wait on Williams, or a similarly-tiered player? The Los Angeles Rams were able to move back 20 spots and into the second round for a future first-round pick from the Atlanta Falcons. The Houston Texans added a third-round pick this year (99) and next year to move back from 25 to 34. It takes two to make a deal happen, and maybe it just wasn’t there for Detroit in the end.
Detroit upgraded their defensive line in the immediate and created a blueprint for the future of their interior. Williams is exactly the kind of player the Lions covet when it comes to his football smarts and ability to defend the run, and it’s easy to see his path to contributing. He is as much an identity pick as you’ll find in the first round. But it’s also fair to question if Holmes got the most value out of the 28th overall pick by selecting a prospect that checked in at No. 41 among the Top 300 of Arif Hasan’s Consensus Big Board.
Williams is a clear identity and scheme fit, and there’s no doubt he’ll help Detroit’s run defense right away. Questions about his upside as a pass rusher and draft value keep this pick from earning top marks, but the commitment to solidifying the interior of the defensive line make this a pick that’s hard to scrutinize too much.
My grade: B
Poll
How would you grade the selection of Tyleik Williams?
Detroit, MI
Detroit Red Wings blank Montreal Canadiens behind John Gibson
Detroit Red Wings on huge divisional game ahead: ‘Have to perform’
Detroit Red Wings Andrew Copp, Patrick Kane and Todd McLellan, Jan. 9, 2025, in Detroit.
MONTREAL — The atmosphere at Bell Centre never disappoints, especially when two Original Six rivals meet on a Saturday night.
The Detroit Red Wings tuned out the “Go Habs, Go,” chants and turned in a fine road performance, avenging an opening night loss and evening the season series. The Wings came away from their only visit of the season to the home of the Montreal Canadiens with a 4-0 victory on Saturday, Jan. 10, in the second of three meetings.
Alex DeBrincat added a goal to his night when he was left wide-open to rip Patrick Kane’s pass into Montreal’s net 34 seconds into the third period. Andrew Copp added an empty-net goal with 1:07 to play.
The Habs, who schooled the Wings, 5-1, back in the season opener in October, were denied on 27 shots by John Gibson as he earned his third shutout since Dec. 8.
Red Wings playoff position
The two points earned lifted the Wings (27-15-4) into first place in the Atlantic Division, a point up on the Tampa Bay Lightning (who have played three fewer games). Next up, the Wings host Metropolitan Division leader Carolina on Monday (7 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network Detroit), with the Hurricanes visiting on the night the Wings will retire Sergei Fedorov’s No. 91.
Rough stuff in Montreal
The Wings incurred some bumps along the way, especially Mason Appleton, who took one stick near the eye area and another – by teammate Elmer Söderblom – to the lips. At one point in the third period, Gibson had to check his helmet for damage after getting dinged by a puck.
But what a win.
The Wings came out with good pace, and there was a good deal of back-and-forth early on. The Habs shot wide on Gibson until more than five minutes in, when Ivan Demidov set up Oliver Kapanen just outside the crease. Kapanen’s shot slid into the paint, but Gibson was able to glove it before it crossed the goal line.
The Wings went on a power play seven minutes in, and the unit of Moritz Seider, Dylan Larkin, James van Riemsdyk, Lucas Raymond and DeBrincat had such control of the puck they were out the entire two minutes – but the Canadiens did a good job getting in lanes to block shots.
Another man advantage materialized around the midpoint when Brendan Gallagher high-sticked Appleton in the face, but again the Habs prevented the Wings from generating shots on net.
Putting it in the net
Ninety-one seconds into the second period, the Wings were back on a power play. Larkin forced a save from Jacob Fowler on a doorstep shot, but the game was back at even strength when they made it 1-0.
Jacob Bernard-Docker had the puck at his own goal line when he sent a pass to van Riemsdyk (who arrived at Bell Centre dressed as Batman, for his 4-year-old son) along the boards. By the time he got to the red line, van Riemsdyk had two defenders on him, so he dumped the puck deep. But instead of going around the net, as Fowler thought it would as he skated behind his net to play it, the puck bounced off the end boards and out front, where Raymond turned it into his third straight five-on-five goal in the last three games.
The Wings built on their momentum just past the midpoint of the game when they converted during their fourth power play. Seider had the point up top and found DeBrincat along the left boards. DeBrincat made a short pass to Larkin, who took advantage of van Riemsdyk getting in Fowler’s line of vision to one-time a shot that gave the Wings a 2-0 lead.
Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com.
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Detroit, MI
Detroit Lions score 4 players with AP All-Pro nods, including 2 first-timers
ALLEN PARK — Jack Campbell and Penei Sewell were named to the AP All-Pro first-team for the Detroit Lions.
It’s the third consecutive first-team nod for Sewell, 25, who was also named Pro Football Focus’ protector of the year earlier this week. PFF graded Sewell as the top offensive lineman, and not just tackle, in the NFL this season. He allowed only two sacks and 19 pressures across 601 pass-blocking snaps as the top-ranked pass-blocking offensive lineman.
For all the focus on the offensive line and what needs to happen this offseason, Sewell’s presence gives them a cornerstone, blue-chip piece to build around.
Campbell earned his first Pro Bowl and All-Pro nod this season, putting the bows on a true breakout campaign for the former first-round pick. The 25-year-old joins Chris Spielman and Joe Schmidt as the only Lions linebackers ever to make the All-Pro first-team.
The linebacker finished the season by playing all 17 games for the third straight season, posting career highs in tackles (176), sacks (five), forced fumbles (three), fumble recoveries (two) and tackles for loss (nine). Campbell did all this while taking over the green dot for the first time, and playing more snaps than any other teammate — offense, defense or special teams.
The third-year linebacker finished the season as PFF’s second-best overall linebacker, trailing only Fred Warner of the San Francisco 49ers. Campbell’s 176 tackles were the second-most in the league in 2025.
“He’s extremely valuable,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said of his linebacker last month. “He’s taken more reps than anybody on this team. He plays on kickoff for us, and he’s an asset on kickoff and then everything you see on defense. He doesn’t come off the field; he’s our bell-cow, green-dot. And he does –, and the guy is smart, and he’s instinctive, and he is snap-to-whistle all-out, all the time, in practice too. And he doesn’t take plays off, he doesn’t take days off, he goes after the football, he’s a ball guy.
“So, he’s invaluable.”
Amon-Ra St. Brown, who had made the first team in consecutive years, was named to the AP’s second team this time around. St. Brown finished the season fifth in receptions (117), fifth in yards (1,401), tied for second in touchdowns (11) and seventh in yards after the catch (570).
The star wideout became the first player in league history to have at least 90 catches through a player’s first five seasons. St. Brown has at least 100 catches and 1,000 yards in four straight seasons, and has caught double-digit touchdowns in the last three.
Aidan Hutchinson joined in on the fun this year, too. Hutchinson earns his first AP All-Pro team nod, landing a second-team spot this season. Not too shabby for someone returning from a season-ending leg injury, and his return served as quite the response.
Hutchinson, who got his big extension this year, played every game and set a new career-best mark with 14.5 sacks and 35 quarterback hits. He also scored his second Pro Bowl appearance this year, as well. Since PFF started tracking pressures, there have been six players to reach the 100-pressure mark. Hutchinson is the only one on that list to have done it twice.
The pass rusher led the NFL in pressures created, finishing the campaign with a clear 100. The next closest player was Jacksonville’s Josh Hines-Allen, who had 95.
“The number of things that he’s able to do for us in the run and the pass game,” Dan Campbell said of Hutchinson earlier in the season. “Man, it takes up — he pulls a lot of slack, man. You talk about pulling your weight, he pulls his weight and then some. He requires a lot of resources offensively, which helps everybody else out. Guys like him, he’s in that rare world of man, you don’t get the easy way out. He’s got to beat the nudges, he’s got to beat the back chip, then the tackle’s on him. Or he’s got to beat the nudge, sometimes the back, the tackle, and the slide’s coming to him with the guard also.
“So, sometimes you may have to beat three, sometimes four. But if that’s the case, somebody else is winning. They’ve got to win. So, what he does is not easy, and I go back to this. He is a complete football player; he does it all. And he’s disruptive, he’s violent, he’s high motor, he’s crafty, he’s explosive, he’s tough, he’s competitive. And he does it all. He does it all.”
For a full look at the AP’s All-Pro voting results, click here. Of note, longtime former Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford earned the first All-Pro first-team nod of his career this year. Stafford remains in the MVP hunt, and this honor usually leads to that.
Detroit, MI
Vigil, protest held for Renee Nicole Good at Detroit’s Clark park
Vigil held in Detroit for woman fatally shot by ICE agent in Minnesota
People gather at Detroit’s Clark Park on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026 to host a vigil for Renee Good, who was fatally shot by an ICE agent in Minneapolis.
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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