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What Michigan’s stars must do to become first-rounders in 2026 NFL Draft

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What Michigan’s stars must do to become first-rounders in 2026 NFL Draft


The 2025 Michigan Wolverines football season is just a few months away, and there is hope for quite a few guys to make a name for themselves and catch the attention of the next level. Here’s what their top 2026 NFL Draft prospects need to do to secure themselves as first-rounders next year.

Edge Derrick Moore

Michigan has produced plenty of defensive linemen in the last decade, specifically on the edge. Moore could be the next one, with an ideal 6-foot-3, 256-pound frame that rivals those selected in Round 1 this year.

But in order to really take that next step, he needs to make more of a difference on the stat sheet. The average number of sacks for guys selected in the first in 2025 was 6.5, and the average number of tackles for loss was about 13. Moore only has nine sacks and 12 tackles for loss in his career thus far.

Additionally, we need to see more of a burst. Moore is a solid pass rusher, but he doesn’t pop off the screen like David Ojabo and Aidan Hutchinson did. It could certainly be in there, but NFL teams are paying more and more attention to 40-yard times in their evaluations. If he surprises and hits a 4.6 or lower, he’ll have a much better shot at being a first-rounder.

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Edge T.J. Guy

Similar to Moore, Guy has an NFL-ready frame at 6-foot-4, 250 pounds. And while 5.5 sacks in 2024 was more than expected, he’ll likely need to approach double digits to even be considered in that range. Not impossible by any means.

But we also saw Texas A&M’s Shemar Stewart go in the top-15 this spring despite only 1.5 sacks in 2024 and 4.5 total in his career. Again, if he has sneaky athleticism that maybe we don’t know about, anything can happen.

Cornerback Jyaire Hill

The name trending the most on the Michigan roster in mock drafts is Hill. At 6-foot-2 and 185 pounds, he is lankier than the average first-round corner over the past five years. Most expect him to run in the low 4.4s to high 4.3s in the 40-yard dash, which gives him the intangibles of a corner taken in this range.

But Hill is rough around the edges. He went through growing pains last year and allowed some big plays at times, but he also improved as the season went on. By the time The Game rolls around, the hope is that he is ready to take on one of college’s top wideouts in Jeremiah Smith and give him fits. That game could go a long way in his NFL evaluation.

Defensive Tackle Rayshaun Benny

If I were to fast forward a year from now, I think Benny will have the best shot at being a top-15 selection. He’s been overshadowed by Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant, but now it’s his time to shine.

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One of two things must happen — he either has to put on weight and stuff running lanes, or he’s got to show off a great 40-time. Benny is far from small at 296 pounds, but first-round guys at his position are usually heavier than 300 pounds and running in the 4.6-4.7 range. His best bet will be putting on a few pounds and still showing off his natural athleticism.

The average first-round interior defensive lineman stats over the past five drafts are 37.5 tackles, four sacks and nine tackles for loss in their final college season. While Benny has 71 career tackles, the other two metrics are right around what he has for his career.

Linebacker Jaishawn Barham

The priority for Barham is figuring out where he best fits. He’s far from a prototypical middle linebacker at 6-foot-3, 248. He’s a physical specimen who can turn into the top linebacker off the board, but he must he can clean up some of his mistakes from last year.

Where that typically lies for Barham is in coverage. He’s far from polished in covering running backs and is usually a step slow in getting into his lanes in zone. His play recognition in the pass game is usually late, allowing receivers to get open. Additionally, he can be a better tackler — he relies too much on his physicality and less on fundamentals.

That’s why he might be better suited on the edge, but time will tell how much he will play there this season. He’s a really athletic player, so it’s just a matter of finding where he fits in best and what position provides him the highest upside in the NFL.

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Michigan State Police rule out suspect in Electric Forest baby death investigation

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Michigan State Police rule out suspect in Electric Forest baby death investigation


Michigan State Police (MSP) detectives shared some more information Friday about their investigation of the infant death at this year’s Electric Forest music festival in Rothbury.

Troopers recently received a tip about a Muskegon woman who was said to have information about the incident, but after interviewing her and completing other necessary investigative steps, MSP said they ruled her out as a suspect.

A restroom vending company employee at the festival found the body of a neonate, a newborn infant who is four weeks old or younger, in a portable restroom in the festival camping area on June 28, according to troopers.

The festival is hosted at the Double JJ Resort, which was locked down to anyone entering the following day as police surrounded the scene.

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Troopers are asking for tips from the public at michigan.gov/michtip.



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Harmful algal blooms reported on 2 large West Michigan lakes

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Harmful algal blooms reported on 2 large West Michigan lakes


GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Harmful algal blooms have been reported on two notable lakes in West Michigan: Gun Lake and Muskegon Lake.

The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy says cyanobacteria was reported on Muskegon Lake July 3, but no tests have confirmed it.

The Barry-Eaton District Health Department says a harmful algal bloom was confirmed Thursday on Gun Lake. The lake remains open, but the BEDHD is encouraging visitors to use caution and avoid water that has “visible algae.”

Visitors are encouraged to avoid any contact with water that appears bright green, blue-green, brown or red or has “floating mats of scum.”

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Pets should also avoid the water. If they come into contact with the algae, pets should be rinsed off as soon as possible with clean, fresh water.

Exposure to algae can cause a rash or irritation to the skin, eyes, nose and throat. It can also cause stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headache, fever and trouble breathing.

“If you become sick, contact your healthcare provider. Seek medical care right away if you have trouble breathing, severe vomiting, or other serious symptoms,” the BEDHD said in a statement. “If your pet was exposed, rinse them well with clean water and do not let them lick their fur until they have been washed. Contact your veterinarian right away if your pet has vomiting, diarrhea, weakness, trouble walking, excessive drooling, shaking, or seizures.”

Harmful algal blooms are powered by the sudden growth of cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae. Cyanobacteria occur naturally in lakes, rivers and ponds but is often boosted by a sudden excess of nutrients, often caused by fertilizer runoff from farms or failed septic systems.

They can last for several days and sometimes even months. The water will look “scummy” or like “spilled paint or pea soup.” They are typically found in the summer and fall — usually peaking in August or September and dying off by the end of October.

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You can report a suspected harmful algal bloom to EGLE at AlgaeBloom@Michigan.gov or 1.800.662.9278.



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How two Michigan stamping plants power Stellantis turnaround plan

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How two Michigan stamping plants power Stellantis turnaround plan


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Warren — Hulking metal presses line one wall of Stellantis NV’s cavernous stamping plant here, punching out the raw shapes of Jeep doors, Dodge hoods and Ram tailgates in rapid succession.

Nearby, swinging yellow robots continue the tightly choreographed work, gluing and pressing and welding smaller components to the sheet metal that eventually will start to resemble the shape of a truck or SUV.

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Seven miles north, in Sterling Heights, Stellantis operates an even larger stamping plant — the biggest in the world, at 2.7 million square feet — that does much of the same work, churning out various shapes of steel and aluminum 24 hours a day.

Together, these lesser-known links in the manufacturing supply chain support all of Stellantis’ big North American assembly plants — from next-door Warren Truck Assembly Plant, where the Jeep Grand Wagoneer SUV is built, to facilities in Windsor and Mexico that make minivans and pickups.

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Inside Stellantis’ Huge Detroit Stamping Plants

The Detroit News recently got a rare look inside the automaker’s Sterling and Warren stamping plants, which are key to the company’s turnaround plan.

The Metro Detroit stamping plants, the automaker’s only two such facilities in the United States, have at times struggled in recent years, facing major job cuts and worker morale issues amid slowing sales and shifting production plans. But under Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa, the facilities are expected to cram in more workload — and add staff — as Stellantis begins a new five-year strategic turnaround plan, which includes a heavy focus on its most profitable North American market.

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The carmaker’s goal: grow sales by more than a third to 1.9 million annually by 2030 as it launches 23 vehicles, including 11 all-new models. The company also is directing billions of dollars of investment into its U.S. manufacturing footprint due to President Donald Trump’s tariffs.

“Stamping has never really been viewed as the sexy side of automotive manufacturing, we’re relatively invisible,” said Ed Daniels Jr., vice president of North America injection and stamping operations. “Because when you look at the commercials and advertisements, it’s always a beautiful Ram rolling off the assembly line or climbing the side of a mountain.

“But we’re the inception of that vehicle,” he said. “This is where raw materials are turned into commodities and parts.”

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The Detroit News recently got a rare look inside the two plants that combined employ about 3,000 people. The automaker wanted to show off a newly-installed blanking press at Warren Stamping and other machinery like a high-speed transfer press and a robot that spots flaws in the metal.

Hiring expected

The blanking press unspools long coils of metal and chops them up into pieces that can then be shaped into roofs, fenders and floor pans. Stellantis shipped the massive machine to Warren from its idled Belvidere Assembly Plant in Illinois last year.

After upgrades to the machine, executives said it’s able to produce as many as 120,000 metal blanks per week. It will save Stellantis money since the plant will no longer need to pay a supplier to break down the coils before the metal arrives there.

The blanker addition is a big deal for the plant and signals that the company wants to bring more work in-house and invest in the facility over the coming years, said Romaine McKinney III, president of United Auto Workers Local 869, which represents workers at the factory.

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The plant has already brought back all of its laid-off UAW workers, and McKinney said he anticipates more hiring to get underway if sales grow and new Stellantis vehicles come to market.

In another corner of the Warren facility, one of the fastest press lines in the world — known internally as the Hellcat — pushes as many as 15 pieces of metal through per minute. Dies that weigh up to 50 tons apiece squish the material into the shapes of doors and hoods before robotic arms snatch them out and place them on conveyor belts. Midway through a shift, workers can reconfigure the machine to make a different component, a process that takes just five minutes.

Robots check for quality

Curtis Booth, who manages Warren Stamping, said manual processes inside the plant have become increasingly automated, and safer, over the last couple decades, even as the automaker’s two stamping factories still utilize some presses that were installed in the 1960s.

The latest high-tech addition is the Automated Body Inspection System, or ABIS. It’s a camera system mounted on a robot that automatically checks the quality of components and flags anything in need of repair.

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Auto plants of all kinds are increasingly turning to these types of camera systems, infused with artificial intelligence, to catch flaws in sheet metal and other components before they are shipped. Booth said worker visual inspections are still used. But in some cases the human eye has too much subjectivity, and the ABIS removes the guesswork.

Greg Bauer, who manages Sterling Stamping, said his plant has added staff over the past year, and expects to continue hiring as more work is assigned to the facility. There is no space at the plant to add more presses, but officials have figured out how to increase efficiency — quickly toggling back and forth between making doors for a Chrysler Pacifica and Dodge Charger on on a single machine, for example.

“We want to bring high-volume parts into the plant, and we want to maximize the capacity of the equipment,” Daniels said.

lramseth@detroitnews.com

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