2026 Live Draft Thread As It Happens

[MichiganCardinal]

Lots of first round talent still available at Best Need Available (BNA):

- Colton Hood, CB, Tennessee
- Jermod McCoy, CB, Tennessee
- Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, DB, Toledo
- Zion Young, EDGE, Missouri
- CJ Allen, LB, Georgia

would all be home run picks. If they aren't satisfied with Mahogany, they could even go back-to-back OL with one of:

- Jake Slaughter, C, Florida
- Chase Bisontis, OT/OG, Texas A&M
- Gennings Dunker, OT/OG, Iowa
- Emmanuel Pregnon, OG, Oregon
- Connor Lew, C, Auburn

And then there are plenty of solid 2nd round picks there too, enough to justify moving back if those top five are already gone.

- Brandon Cisse, CB, South Carolina
- Avieon Terrell, CB, Clemson
- Treydan Stukes, DB, Arizona
- Jalon Kilgore, DB, South Carolina
- Gabe Jacas, EDGE, Illinois
- TJ Parker, EDGE, Clemson
- Dani Dennis-Sutton, EDGE, Penn State
- Keyron Crawford, EDGE, Auburn
- Jacob Rodriguez, LB, Texas Tech
- Anthony Hill Jr., LB, Texas
- Kyle Louis, LB, Pitt

I'd be surprised if Holmes only picks once tonight. Whether that's moving down from #50 and picking up a mid-3rd or sending both #118 and #128 to move back into the 90s, I think he finds a way to pick up a later pick tonight. Some guys that make sense but probably not with our second pick and probably later than #50 might include:

- Keith Abney, CB, Arizona State
- Malik Muhammad, CB, Texas
- Domani Jackson, CB, Alabama
- Will Lee III, CB, Texas A&M
- Kamari Ramsey, DB, USC
- LT Overton, DT/DE, Alabama
- Joshua Josephs, EDGE, Tennessee
- Anthony Lucas, EDGE, USC
- Jalen Farmer, OG, Kentucky
- Billy Schrauth, OG, Notre Dame
- Anez Cooper, OG, Miami
- Drew Shelton, OL, Penn State
- Isaiah World, OT, Oregon
- Deonte Lawson, LB, Alabama
- Nick Singleton, RB, Penn State
- Mike Washington, RB, Arkansas
- Sam Roush, TE, Stanford
- Oscar Delp, TE, Georgia

[lordstanley]

3 hours ago, Motown Bombers said:

 

4th ranked defense?

[Jason_R]

I feel like safety is a greater need than edge. This defense has always been at its best with a killer like Kerby patrolling center field to pick off rushed throws. 

[Mr.TaterSalad]

36 minutes ago, MichiganCardinal said:

Lots of first round talent still available at Best Need Available (BNA):

- Colton Hood, CB, Tennessee
- Jermod McCoy, CB, Tennessee
- Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, DB, Toledo
- Zion Young, EDGE, Missouri
- CJ Allen, LB, Georgia

would all be home run picks. If they aren't satisfied with Mahogany, they could even go back-to-back OL with one of:

- Jake Slaughter, C, Florida
- Chase Bisontis, OT/OG, Texas A&M
- Gennings Dunker, OT/OG, Iowa
- Emmanuel Pregnon, OG, Oregon
- Connor Lew, C, Auburn

And then there are plenty of solid 2nd round picks there too, enough to justify moving back if those top five are already gone.

- Brandon Cisse, CB, South Carolina
- Avieon Terrell, CB, Clemson
- Treydan Stukes, DB, Arizona
- Jalon Kilgore, DB, South Carolina
- Gabe Jacas, EDGE, Illinois
- TJ Parker, EDGE, Clemson
- Dani Dennis-Sutton, EDGE, Penn State
- Keyron Crawford, EDGE, Auburn
- Jacob Rodriguez, LB, Texas Tech
- Anthony Hill Jr., LB, Texas
- Kyle Louis, LB, Pitt

I'd be surprised if Holmes only picks once tonight. Whether that's moving down from #50 and picking up a mid-3rd or sending both #118 and #128 to move back into the 90s, I think he finds a way to pick up a later pick tonight. Some guys that make sense but probably not with our second pick and probably later than #50 might include:

- Keith Abney, CB, Arizona State
- Malik Muhammad, CB, Texas
- Domani Jackson, CB, Alabama
- Will Lee III, CB, Texas A&M
- Kamari Ramsey, DB, USC
- LT Overton, DT/DE, Alabama
- Joshua Josephs, EDGE, Tennessee
- Anthony Lucas, EDGE, USC
- Jalen Farmer, OG, Kentucky
- Billy Schrauth, OG, Notre Dame
- Anez Cooper, OG, Miami
- Drew Shelton, OL, Penn State
- Isaiah World, OT, Oregon
- Deonte Lawson, LB, Alabama
- Nick Singleton, RB, Penn State
- Mike Washington, RB, Arkansas
- Sam Roush, TE, Stanford
- Oscar Delp, TE, Georgia

I think a guy like Jacob Rodriguez the LB from Texas Tech is a textbook Dan Campbell player. He's a high motor, good character guy, who seems to love the game of football and have a strong work ethic. As well, he could slide in and be our WLB to replace Anzalone. Gabe Jacas also fits those traits but plays at another position of need as a DE/Edge. Jacas also gives them what they covet in an edge-setting lineman, who can stay in on all three downs and play against the run.

I'd personally be fine enough with either Jacas or Rodriguez. I'd prefer Jacas as he offers more ability to get at the QB and disrupt passing plays. He had 11 sacks, 41 total pressures, and 22 hurries. I'm really intrigued by his pass rush abilities. I doubt he makes it to the Lions pick at #50, but would run the draft card right up to Goodell and make the pick.

[Mr.TaterSalad]

 

[GalagaGuy]

If you listen to 97.1, you know that Kang has been on fire the past couple years with guessing who the Lions are going to pick.  He called the Miller pick last night and last year he called the Ratledge and TeSlaa picks.  He has the Lions taking DT Christen Miller from Georgia tonight.   

[sagnam]

3 minutes ago, Mr.TaterSalad said:

 

Celebrating like he won a free bottle koozy at a small town car show.

[DTroppens]

I don't spend time learning about players for the draft, but the Lions selecting an OT with the first round has my approval.

[MichiganCardinal]

16 minutes ago, Jason_R said:

I feel like safety is a greater need than edge. This defense has always been at its best with a killer like Kerby patrolling center field to pick off rushed throws. 

I think you can be creative with the direction (adding a nickel, safety, or corner), but I'd be surprised if they go into week one with the defensive backfield they currently have. Feels like you're depending a lot on Kerby, who's a question mark, Branch, who probably won't be back until at least October, and even Rakestraw, who's struggled to see an NFL field.

[Mr.TaterSalad]

14 minutes ago, GalagaGuy said:

If you listen to 97.1, you know that Kang has been on fire the past couple years with guessing who the Lions are going to pick.  He called the Miller pick last night and last year he called the Ratledge and TeSlaa picks.  He has the Lions taking DT Christen Miller from Georgia tonight.   

Kang also called the Tyleik Williams pick from last year as well.

Edited 7 hours ago by Mr.TaterSalad

[Stanley70]

4 minutes ago, GalagaGuy said:

If you listen to 97.1, you know that Kang has been on fire the past couple years with guessing who the Lions are going to pick.  He called the Miller pick last night and last year he called the Ratledge and TeSlaa picks.  He has the Lions taking DT Christen Miller from Georgia tonight.   

That sounds like Brad. I would rather they add some speed to the LB and edge group. I like Jacob Rodriguez as well. Miller's scouting report is that he is a 325 pound one tech, just like Tyleik. 

[MichiganCardinal]

4 minutes ago, GalagaGuy said:

If you listen to 97.1, you know that Kang has been on fire the past couple years with guessing who the Lions are going to pick.  He called the Miller pick last night and last year he called the Ratledge and TeSlaa picks.  He has the Lions taking DT Christen Miller from Georgia tonight.   

I thought about including him on that list I made, but even though he's athletic, he's closer to a 1-tech than a 3-tech, and it's hard to see him getting significant playing time behind Tyleik and Alim. Intuitively, it feels like even the Lions can have too much of a good thing if you've got Levi and Miller riding the pine while a no name gets their ass handed to them by a tight end across from a double team on Hutch.

[RedRamage]

1 hour ago, lordstanley said:

4th ranked defense?

In theory... yes. You have established stars in Hutch, McNeill, Campbell, Branch, and Joseph. You have first round talent in Arnold and Williams. That's 7 out of 11 spots that could all be pro-bowl level pieces.

In practice... probably not.

• McNeill was not great last year, though that hopefully is just him getting back up to speed after the injury.
• Branch will likely miss most (if not all) of '26. If he does come back before the end of the season he'll likely not be up to his old self, at least not right away (see: McNeill, 2025)
• Joseph may or may not play much of '26, and may or may not be up to his previous caliber when he does play.
• Arnold seemed to be improving, but obviously that got derailed by the injuries, so who knows what '26 will look like for him.
• Williams rookie season was an INC in my opinion. There were some good signs, but he didn't play enough or show enough yet to warrant 1st round pick status. Huge emphasis on the 'yet' part. There's still plenty of time for him to show his skills and "earn" the 1st round pick.

All of this is a long winded way of saying: In a best case senario with star players returning healthy and young players continuing to develop as one might expect, then yes a 4th best grade is spot on... maybe even too low.

But in a worst case senario where injured players don't return in '26 and/or young guys don't continue to develop, we're probably looking at more like a 16th (or worse) grade.

[Jason_R]

Yes, lots of wild cards on defense. I think McNeil will be healthy again and I think Williams will step into the Reader role and fill it well. But Anzalone was a real dude back there and they’re going to need someone who can cover TEs. With the health issues at safety, and the uncertainty about Arnold, the back end needs help. 

[RedRamage]

3 hours ago, gehringer_2 said:

If you look at what Holmes does in FA, he tries to patch at least enough so his needs don't totally dictate his draft. He tries to keep open the option for taking a player that is really high on his board if he falls to them even if it's not his *number one* need, because he tries not to have a desperate *number one* need by the time FA signings are done. That doesn't mean he's not going to draft for need, just that if there is a BPA head and shoulders above a higher need position, he wants to give himself the option of taking a great talent. That's what signing Borom was - it gave him the option of not taking an OT if it meant passing a player way higher on his board than the best remaining OT. In this case, he didn't need/want to use the option.

I would agree with this 100%. Excellent way to looking at it.

[MichiganCardinal]

Related to McNeill, they also played him out of position a lot when AQM wasn't on the field (and Davenport was injured). He's not designed to be setting the edge. Hopefully they'll have the personnel and health this year to put him back where he belongs at the 3-tech.

[RedRamage]

1 hour ago, GalagaGuy said:

If you listen to 97.1, you know that Kang has been on fire the past couple years with guessing who the Lions are going to pick.  He called the Miller pick last night and last year he called the Ratledge and TeSlaa picks.  He has the Lions taking DT Christen Miller from Georgia tonight.   

From a positional stand point I'd be disappointed by that. But as of right now I'm still firmly in the camp of: "In Brad we Trust." 

[Mr.TaterSalad]

 

Brad's reactions are always tremendous. He clearly has full confidence and conviction in every pick he makes.

[Tenacious D]

Just watched Blake Miller’s introductory press conference.  Hard not to like the guy—he put on a MasterClass with his responses. Very impressive.

[romad1]

2 hours ago, Mr.TaterSalad said:

 

Brad's reactions are always tremendous. He clearly has full confidence and conviction in every pick he makes.

I fricken love Sheila being this involved.  She gives a crap. I know WCF cared too but without getting too political, don't ever let your beloved franchise, or any other organization, be run by an alcoholic. 

Edited 4 hours ago by romad1

[Hongbit]

Would love to see either Gabe Jacas, Zion Young, Keionte Scott, or D’Angelo Pounds at 50.  

[Sports_Freak]

4 hours ago, Jason_R said:

I feel like safety is a greater need than edge. This defense has always been at its best with a killer like Kerby patrolling center field to pick off rushed throws. 

Agreed. Its nearly impossible to get consistent pressure on quarterbacks but good coverage can give the DL those couple extra seconds to get at the QB.

[Tenacious D]

1 hour ago, romad1 said:

I fricken love Sheila being this involved.  She gives a crap. I know WCF cared too but without getting too political, don't ever let your beloved franchise, or any other organization, be run by an alcoholic. 

 It was well known that WCF was the weak link in the family and was given the Lions so he couldn’t screw up the car company.

[Motown Bombers]

 

[Motown Bombers]

Of course the Raiders have Matt Millen announce the pick.