2026 NFL Draft Thread

[MichiganCardinal]

22 minutes ago, Mr.TaterSalad said:

No thanks on Keldric Faulk at this point. I was on the fence about him, but am off the bandwagon I think. A DE/Edge with 10 sacks over 3 seasons of play does not excite me. Last season he only had 2 sacks and 30 total QB pressures. The guy ranked 470th in the NCAA in total sacks and 160th in QB pressures per PFF. His best season at Auburn he had 7 sacks total and that was last year.

I get that you can't directly compare him to some of the guys I am about to mention because he probably faced a fair amount of double teams and Auburn simply wasn't a good team. Compared to a guy like David Bailey at Texas Tech who had 15 sacks and 73 total QB pressures. Rueben Bain Jr. at Miami had 10 sacks and 67 pressures. Cashius Howell at Texas A&M had 10 sacks and 41 pressures. Now, we won't be in position to draft David Bailey, but I think Bain and Howell are at least semi-realistic and I'd take either over Faulk.

Keldric Faulk seems like a Josh Paschal-type player to me only a bit taller. A guy who sets the edge, plays against the run, but is only average when it comes to being a pass rusher. I'm not spending a first round pick on an DE/edge that gets minimal pressure on the QB and is there to simply set the edge. I want my first round DE/edge player to be able to get at the QB and generate consistent pressure. I saw an NFL.com comparison of Faulk to Carlos Dunlap, which I don't get. Dunlap seems much more explosive off the line and at the point of attack. Dunlap also had 10 and 13 sacks over two seasons at Florida. Faulk had only one decent year at Auburn with 7 sacks.

I think those are legitimate concerns about Faulk. To the extent you want a sure-fire pass rusher across from Hutch, he's probably not your guy. Though, to be fair, Faulk's utilization at Auburn makes for a bit of a chicken-and-egg problem. They played a 3-4 defensive front, and Faulk was lined up in a 2-gap, asked to effectively act as a space-eating DT, rather than a more traditional edge. It's understandable why they did it, because it's a role he excelled in. If you line him up outside the tackle, does he generate better stats? Probably. But how much better? Is he a Calais Campbell/Arik Armstead type or just a more flashy Josh Paschal?

More to the point though, I think he's exactly what the Lions love out of that DE/EDGE position, for better or worse. They aspire to have the best run defense in the league, and I do think a front of Hutchinson-Williams-McNeill-Faulk gives them that by 2027, if not sooner. They are okay with having a just-okay pass rush if it means teams are forced to pass because they just can't get anywhere on the ground. Whether that's a sound strategy is probably a discussion for another day, but it's how the team was built and it's where we are today.

[Stanley70]

My problem with drafting Faulk is you can find run stuffing 280 lbs edges later in the draft and at affordable prices in free agency. The gap between Faulk and whatever edge will be there at 50 is less than the talent gap at other positions, specifically OT or CB. 

[1984Echoes]

More pass-rushing chops but STILL having some ability to set the edge (more rounded but not as good edge-setting as Faulk) looks like Zion Young/ TJ Parker (end of 1st, top-of-2nd... maybe with a trade down but I see no way of either getting to 50), Dani-Dennis Sutton, Malachi Lawrence, Gabe Jacas (one of these guys are more likely to be around 50-ish...); and a few others. Howell doesn't fit as a one-dimensional pass-rusher-only, at least not as a 1st rounder... So I don't think he fits the Lions. Malachi Lawrence is a better speed-rusher and a 2nd rounder/ better fit ... IMO.

They are ALL going to have their flaws.

Later round pass-rushers to look at: Max Llewyllen, Patrick Payton, Romello Height, Derrick Moore, Trey Moore (Holmes will find one of these guys in the 4th-5th-6th round... so if you want a situational pass-rusher, HERE is where I would want to grab one of these guys... IMO).

I am on board trying to maneuver to get Mauigoa or Freeling in the 1st... Or have Fano/Lomu fall to #17... But I also think there are a couple worthy OT's in a 1st round trade down (Fano/ Lomu/ Blake Miller/ Iheanachor... whoever fits into the 20's area) the mid-2nd round range even up to #50... like MAYBE Miller or Iheanachor and/or Caleb Tiernan...

So I think there are multiple options, for both positions... in the 1st two rounds.

But...

Who does Holmes/ DC LOVE?!?!?!

(I think ALL of those guys will get some DC/ Holmes love but... who do they love the MOST?!!!)

THAT is the most important question...!

IMO.

[Mr.TaterSalad]

1 hour ago, MichiganCardinal said:

I think those are legitimate concerns about Faulk. To the extent you want a sure-fire pass rusher across from Hutch, he's probably not your guy. Though, to be fair, Faulk's utilization at Auburn makes for a bit of a chicken-and-egg problem. They played a 3-4 defensive front, and Faulk was lined up in a 2-gap, asked to effectively act as a space-eating DT, rather than a more traditional edge. It's understandable why they did it, because it's a role he excelled in. If you line him up outside the tackle, does he generate better stats? Probably. But how much better? Is he a Calais Campbell/Arik Armstead type or just a more flashy Josh Paschal?

More to the point though, I think he's exactly what the Lions love out of that DE/EDGE position, for better or worse. They aspire to have the best run defense in the league, and I do think a front of Hutchinson-Williams-McNeill-Faulk gives them that by 2027, if not sooner. They are okay with having a just-okay pass rush if it means teams are forced to pass because they just can't get anywhere on the ground. Whether that's a sound strategy is probably a discussion for another day, but it's how the team was built and it's where we are today.

I get it, even if I don't love it. They want 3 down defensive lineman who can set the edge and play stout run defense. They want guys with rotational value who can slide inside and out. I would venture to guess that Faulk is probably more the type of defensive lineman/edge player they like versus a Cashius Howell or Rueben Bain Jr.

[MichiganCardinal]

7 minutes ago, Mr.TaterSalad said:

I get it, even if I don't love it. They want 3 down defensive lineman who can set the edge and play stout run defense. They want guys with rotational value who can slide inside and out. I would venture to guess that Faulk is probably more the type of defensive lineman/edge player they like versus a Cashius Howell or Rueben Bain Jr.

Faulk is a unique prospect. It's rare to have a defensive end who is so good at setting the edge and overpowering linemen at the point of attack, while not having the flashy stats to show for it in the pass game.

If Bain fell, they could take him. He's got a lot of qualities they like. High motor, physical, good character. He's good against the run, but not like Faulk. He would probably take longer to adapt to the Lions system than Faulk. Howell would surprise me. He's an athletic freak, but a natural edge whose weakness is in the run game. Not really their MO at all and I don't see them trying to force him to be something he's not in the Lions system.