Detroit News

LAS VEGAS (AP) — When some of the first-round picks at Thursday night’s NFL draft are on stage with Commissioner Roger Goodell, they won’t be alone. Just look for the guy painting portraits — with both hands, no less — of the players. Rob Prior, an acclaimed experiential artist from Los Angeles, will be customizing

Detroit King coach Tyrone Spencer will be watching the NFL Draft on Thursday night from his living room, looking on with pride to find out where his former player, Cincinnati Bearcats cornerback Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner, will be picked. Gardner is arguably the top cornerback in this year’s draft, along with LSU’s Derek Stingley Jr. “I’ve

Allen Park — Finally months of speculation can come to a merciful end. The NFL will conduct the first round of its annual draft Thursday night and we’ve got one final projection on how it could all shake out. Obviously, our focus is on the Detroit Lions, who enter the night with the Nos. 2 and No.

By Jerry Green |  Special to The Detroit News Detroit — They opened the doors and let us into the headquarters back then. We scampered in, littles squirrels, ready for action. The other guys — my friends from memorable nights on the road — didn’t have to be as ready as I was. The NFL Draft was normal 1960-70s

Allen Park — In an expected move, the Detroit Lions exercised the fifth-year option on tight end T.J. Hockenson’s rookie contract on Tuesday. The move that will keep him in the fold through the 2023 season as the team continues to navigate a long-term extension. General manager Brad Holmes had acknowledged the plan to exercise the option

In a few days, when the NFL Draft kicks off in Las Vegas, Aidan Hutchinson’s life will change. The former Michigan edge rusher, the program’s single-season sack record holder, a consensus All-American last season and a Heisman Trophy runner-up, is projected to be a top-five pick, and many have him as the No. 1 overall

Lions general manager Brad Holmes has had more time to prepare for this year’s NFL Draft, and that’s a good thing. Because while there’s far less certainty from top to bottom in the 2022 class, there’s no shortage of draft capital in Detroit. The Lions own five of the top 100 picks — only the

The NFL Draft is almost here. By Thursday night, you’ll know who the Detroit Lions are taking with the No. 2 pick. But before that, get up to date on everything you need to know about the draft with our comprehensive draft coverage guide. When is the 2022 NFL Draft The 2022 NFL Draft will run for

Allen Park — When Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell delivered his now-famous description of the team identity he wanted to cultivate, which included the vivid description of biting off opponents’ kneecaps, it was met with snickering and cynicism on the national stage. Campbell later explained he didn’t care about the wider reaction. That off-the-cuff segment of his introductory

Over the next several days, leading up to the 2022 NFL Draft, we’re taking a position-by-position look at the Detroit Lions’ roster and evaluating how the team might address each unit. Today: Quarterbacks. ► Current roster: Jared Goff, Tim Boyle, David Blough, Steven Montez ► Short-term need: Three out of 10 ► Long-term need: Seven

NFC EAST Dallas Cowboys (12-6) ► LAST SEASON: The Cowboys won the NFC East before a wild-card loss at home to San Francisco, an outcome that clearly rankled owner Jerry Jones. The disappointment wasn’t enough for him to replace coach Mike McCarthy after two years. An offense that was among the best in the NFL before

AFC EAST Buffalo Bills (12-7) ► LAST SEASON: A mere 13 seconds separated the Bills from reaching the AFC championship game for a second straight year. Instead, Buffalo allowed the Chiefs to gain 44 yards on two plays to set up Harrison Butker’s tying 49-yard field goal as time expired. Buffalo lost the coin toss and

Over the next several days, leading up to the 2022 NFL Draft, we’re taking a position-by-position look at the Detroit Lions’ roster and evaluating how the team might address each unit. Today: Edge rusher. ► Current roster: Romeo Okwara, Charles Harris, Julian Okwara, Austin Bryant, Jessie Lemonier, Rashod Berry ► Short-term need: Eight out of

Nowhere does the NFL Draft elicit feelings of regret quite like it does in Detroit, thanks to the Lions’ checkered history of what-ifs and outright busts. And while diehard fans have renewed hope in a new front-office regime, the last two decades offer a painful reminder of the opportunity costs involved in this business. So

Over the next several days, leading up to the 2022 NFL Draft, we’re taking a position-by-position look at the Detroit Lions’ roster and evaluating how the team might address each unit. Today: Wide receivers. ► Current roster: Amon-Ra St. Brown, DJ Chark, Josh Reynolds, Quintez Cephus, Kalif Raymond, Tom Kennedy, Trinity Benson, Javon McKinley ►

Allen Park — Trends breed expectation and with the No. 2 pick in the NFL draft, teams typically spend the asset on a quarterback, offensive tackle or defensive lineman. But if you’ve listened closely to Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell and general manager Brad Holmes, they’ve made it clear they won’t be prisoners to traditional thinking. And

Allen Park — Brad Holmes is keeping things close to the vest, as he should. He’s not dropping hints, or even blowing smoke, as NFL general managers often do when the NFL Draft is approaching. But here’s some unsolicited advice from the cheap seats for Lions when it comes to the No. 2 overall pick: When you’ve

Allen Park — Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes met with the media on Thursday, one week ahead of the first round of the NFL Draft, to discuss the upcoming event. Here were the highlights: ► At the league meetings last month, Holmes noted he had some preliminary discussions about trading out of the No. 2

Allen Park — Last season was agony for Frank Ragnow. The typically durable offensive lineman was sidelined much of the campaign with a severe toe injury that required surgery. Ragnow didn’t start running again until the day after the season ended. Within a month after that he was “back to being Frank.” “You just start to question,

Allen Park — Like with most things, actions speak louder than words in the NFL. So for all the public support the Detroit Lions have bestowed upon quarterback Jared Goff since acquiring him in a trade last offseason, we won’t truly know how committed the franchise is to him this season and beyond until after the