Happy Draft Eve! Only one more day to go until the 2026 NFL Draft. I can’t remember the last draft that felt so important for the Detroit Lions.
How The Detroit Lions Can Ace The 2026 NFL Draft
After missing the playoffs in 2025, the team’s upward trajectory came to a screeching halt. Was it just a fluke? A simple combination of a tough schedule and other teams getting better? This draft class will play a large role in how successful 2026 is for the Lions. Most people believe Detroit’s draft strategy is set in stone (draft a tackle and edge rusher with its first two picks). But will Brad Holmes agree? Perceived needs aside, there are many different ways the Lions can make this a successful draft. Here is how the Detroit Lions can ace the 2026 NFL Draft:
1. Trade Down In First, Pick Up A Third
In a deep draft such as this one, not having a third-round pick is a huge disadvantage. The Lions could have had two, but traded them last year to move up for WR Isaac TeSlaa. Hopefully, Detroit can fix this problem by finding a willing dance partner who wants to move up in the first round.
It’s certainly possible. I have mocked the Steelers moving up to pick 17 for Vega Ioane. Cleveland could look to move up for a WR. There is also a non-zero chance that some team loves QB Ty Simpson enough to make a move to get him. There should be enough first-round tackles that the Lions can move down a few spots and still grab one (more on that in a bit).
Picking up a third-round pick allows Detroit to draft another starting-caliber player who will be on a rookie contract for the next four years. With all the recent extensions the Lions have given out (and soon more to follow), being able to draft a cheap starter will do wonders for Detroit’s ability to retain its own stars when their contracts expire.
There are loads of impactful players the Lions can choose from in the third round. Hearing one name called in particular would be music to my ears (thinking of you, Kyle Louis).
2. Draft A Stud Tackle
This one pretty much is set in stone. There’s just no way this draft can be a success (at least for 2026) if the Lions don’t draft a stud tackle. Luckily for Detroit, this class of tackle is both deep and talented. If the Lions are serious about moving Penei Sewell to left tackle, as they should, the options for Detroit are plentiful.
Francis Mauigoa is probably a pipe dream. Fortunately, the first round has several tackles that would be terrific picks. The Lions may have to get lucky if they want Monroe Freeling or Spencer Fano, both of whom are long shots to make it to pick 17. Even so, Detroit could be left with its pick of Kadyn Proctor, Blake Miller (the top pick in my most recent Lions mock), Caleb Lomu, or Max Iheanachor. Unless there is an early run on tackles, the Lions should even be able to make that trade down and still get their guy.
If Detroit doesn’t go for a tackle in Round One, Caleb Tiernan and Gennings Dunker (who could stick at RT if Sewell moves) are solid options at pick 50. Florida’s Austin Barber (though he would need more time before starting) would provide great value in the fourth round, where the Lions own two picks.
Having a draft where you can find a potential starting tackle throughout the first four rounds is a Godsend for the Lions. They must take advantage.
3. Draft An EDGE Who Is A True Sack Artist
Everyone knows the Lions need to find an edge rusher to pair with superstar Aidan Hutchinson. However, the Lions must select the right type of edge rusher. They need someone who, above all else, can get to the quarterback.
Yes, the Lions had that guy in Al-Quadin Muhammad and let him walk away for a very reasonable one-year, $6 million deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Why? Because Muhammad was a liability against the run. Even after achieving 11 sacks in 2025, the Lions didn’t seem very interested in bringing him back.
So, why should they draft someone who can do the one thing Detroit didn’t seem to value very much in Muhammad? Age. It’s that simple. Already 31 years old, it is unlikely Muhammad would suddenly become a plus run-stopper. But a 22-year-old? There is plenty of time for that player to develop into a solid run defender. The ability to sack the quarterback is a special talent, and Detroit needs to target someone who already has it.
Many 2026 EDGE Prospects Excel At Both
Fortunately, this draft offers several players who can do both. Akheem Mesidor, coming off a 12.5 -sack season in Miami, is terrific against the run. Same for his former teammate, Reuben Bain. Should Bain slip in the draft due to recent revelations, the Lions could get a top-10 talent at a position of need.
Derrick Moore, fresh off his own 10-sack season, is my second-round target for the Lions. Zion Young, from Missouri, is also a solid choice at pick-50. Both Moore and Young are expert pass rushers with the traits to develop into good run stoppers. After adding free-agent D.J. Wonnum, who is an excellent run defender, the Lions can afford to take an edge rusher who excels in passing situations.
Late-round options like Harold Perkins Jr. and Trey Moore are also excellent choices. Both come into the NFL with excellent pass-rushing pedigrees.
Keep in mind that edge rushers like Jadaveon Clowney, Cam Jordan, and Joey Bosa are all still available as free agents. If Brad Holmes feels like a player at a different position is a better fit/value in the first two rounds, he won’t have to reach for one and get a pass-rushing specialist later in the draft.
4. Use Their Fourth-Round Picks To Bolster Secondary
The Lions have two selections in the fourth round, picks 118 and 128. That puts Detroit in a position of strength right in the middle of the draft. Brad Holmes has an opportunity to flex his muscles and bolster Detroit’s secondary.
Much uncertainty surrounds the Lions’ star safety duo of Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph. Both are dealing with serious injuries. Depending on their availability in 2026, or being the same players they were before the injuries, is risky.
Which is why the Lions should package pick 118 with a later pick to move up for a safety towards the end of round three. Odds are, at least one of Zakee Wheatley, Jalen Kilgore, or Bud Clark will fall into the 90s. If that happens, Brad Holmes should make an aggressive move to draft him. All three have the talent to earn a starting position, if needed, or would provide excellent depth if Branch and Joseph are healthy enough to be on the field.
The Lions should then use pick 128 to add a young cornerback to their roster. With Terrion Arnold’s legal problems still ongoing and D.J. Reed coming off a disappointing, injury-plagued first season in Detroit, the Lions need to add to the position.
Players like Charles Demmings from Stephen F. Austin and Washington’s Tacario Davis would be fantastic, high-upside choices. Both could become key members of Detroit’s defense and add to its core of young, ultra-athletic defenders.
5. Add A Talented Interior Offensive Lineman
Right guard Tate Ratledge, entering his sophomore campaign, looks to have a bright future in Detroit. Left guard, however, remains shaky. Incumbent Christian Mahogany has not done enough to prove he can be a long-term starter. 2025 fifth-round pick Miles Frazier has potential, but had his rookie year derailed by a knee injury.
If Detroit decides to pass on an edge rusher in round two (assuming a tackle is taken in the first), Georgia Tech’s Keylan Rutledge would be a wonderful choice at pick 50 and immediately be an upgrade over Mahogany. Iowa’s Gennings Dunker, whom I mentioned as a potential pick for right tackle, could easily kick inside to guard. Dunker is another solid option at pick 50.
If the Lions wait until the later rounds, they could find gems in Georgia’s Micah Morris or former Arkansas Razorback Fernando Carmona. Both could come in and compete with Mahogany and Frazier for snaps, though both will need to develop further before earning major roles. The last couple of seasons have proven that you can never have too many talented offensive linemen, as the Lions’ depth has been repeatedly tested.
It’s improbable that the Lions will be able to check off all five of my steps in only one draft. However, it should be possible to accomplish at least three or four. If that happens, the Detroit Lions will ace the 2026 NFL Draft.
