It's NFL draft week, and the Detroit Lions are on the clock as they try to get back to contender status after missing the playoffs last season.

Why it matters: Detroit's most obvious needs — offensive line and pass rush — align with this year's draft class, which analysts say is deep in both areas.

Driving the news: The draft starts at 8pm tomorrow in Pittsburgh (ESPN, ABC, NFL Network).

State of play: The Lions have nine picks, starting with the No. 17 pick in the first round. They also have one pick in each of the second and seventh rounds and two picks in each of the fourth, fifth and sixth rounds.

Catch up quick: Detroit still has elite talent at quarterback (Jared Goff), running back (Jahmyr Gibbs), wide receiver (Amon-Ra St. Brown), tight end (Sam LaPorta) and edge rusher (Aidan Hutchinson).

• The front office has plugged some holes this offseason, signing right tackle Larry Borom, center Cade Mays and defensive end D.J. Wonnum in free agency.

What they're saying: General manager Brad Holmes said the team will stick with its best-player-available approach, prioritizing long-term upside over immediate needs.

• "There is only one draft, and the roster's going to change every single year," Holmes said.

What we're watching: Whether Detroit stays put at No. 17 or trades down to add picks.

The intrigue: The draft could influence whether All-Pro right tackle Penei Sewell moves to left tackle next season, head coach Dan Campbell has said.

👀 First-round targets:

Monroe Freeling, offensive tackle, Georgia: A raw but athletic tackle with upside who started 18 games at Georgia.

Kadyn Proctor, offensive tackle, Alabama: A mountain of a man (6-foot-7, 352 pounds) who recorded a vertical jump of 32.5 inches at the draft combine. That's the highest vertical for a prospect who weighs at least 350 pounds in more than 20 years.

Jermod McCoy, cornerback, Tennessee: A potential first-year starter despite missing last season with a torn ACL.

Welcome back to our regular city policy roundup.

🚧 Building woes: Council member Scott Benson is calling for immediate action to fix up the vacant former Stevens T. Mason Elementary School, which neighbors say is dangerous.

• "Residents report that the building is open and unsecured, illegal dumping is occurring on the property, and trash has accumulated throughout the site," Benson wrote in a recent memo.
• Benson told Axios in a statement he is in talks with city officials to resolve the issue.

Flashback: The Art Deco-style Mason school at 19635 Mitchell St. was constructed in the 1930s and closed in 2013, per the city's 2020 study that assessed vacant schools' viability for future reuse.

• The city found that the building, in "excellent condition," would take $12.3 million to redevelop. But there are no publicly known plans to do so.

Zoom out: It's rare to see successful redevelopment of cost-prohibitive vacant Detroit schools. But some have included the Jefferson Hub, Durfee Innovation Society and the planned Higginbotham Art Residences.

🏎️ What a drag: Residents complained about drag racing in their neighborhoods at City Council yesterday — in response, several council members asked if the city is pursuing any avenues for safe, legal drag racing.

• The Detroit Police Department (DPD) explored that idea a couple of years ago, deputy police chief Franklin Hayes told them, but it didn't pan out and there's no interest in it going forward.

Yes, but: Council members also requested an enforcement update, and Hayes detailed DPD's ramped-up campaign against illegal drag racing and related street gatherings.

• The efforts include spotter vehicles, searching social media for meetup locations, identifying problem cars using helicopters and ticketing both drivers and spectators.
• Hayes says residents can call 911 to report drag racing parties.

🦦 The Detroit Zoo's North American river otters, Kalee and Gus, have three new pups the public should be able to view this summer. (WDIV)

🚢 Good Samaritans rescued four people from a boat that flipped on the Detroit River near the Gordie Howe International Bridge. (Free Press)

🛻 GM indefinitely suspended its next generation, full-size electric truck as EV sales slump. Instead, it's focusing on traditional gas engines and hybrids. (Crain's)

CVS is opening two new pharmacy-focused stores on Grand River Avenue, about 7 miles apart, as it rolls out a smaller-format model in Metro Detroit.

Why it matters: The format is meant to expand access to pharmacy care, particularly in underserved communities or areas with fewer nearby pharmacies.

Driving the news: The new locations — at 12555 Grand River Ave. in Detroit and 25276 Grand River Ave. in Redford Township — focus on prescriptions and basic health services, with some over-the-counter products.

The big picture: CVS and other pharmacy chains have been downsizing their footprints in recent years, closing hundreds of stores nationwide as they adapt to shifting consumer habits and industry pressures.

Zoom in: CVS has closed nine Michigan stores since January 2025 — including locations in Detroit, Redford, Farmington Hills and Eastpointe — even as it plans to open more than 60 new locations across the U.S., including nearly 20 pharmacy-only stores, spokesperson Amy Thibault tells Axios Detroit.

What's next: The Redford location is hosting a community sidewalk party with product giveaways from 11am-1pm on April 30.

New polling shows an uptick in religious fervor among young men, even as overall U.S. levels remain near historic lows.

Driving the news: A recent Gallup poll found that 42% of young men between the ages of 18-to-29 now say religion is "very important" in their lives, up from 28% a few years ago.

Zoom in: Metro Detroit has several churches engaging Gen Z, including multi-location Woodside Bible Church's prominent young adult ministry called The Collective.

• Local Catholic leaders who work with youth say they're facing unprecedented loneliness, and that they're looking for real connection, not for a parish that's trying to be trendy, per a Detroit Catholic podcast.

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