The Detroit Lions finished off the NFL draft over the weekend, and most experts can agree it was a solid weekend of filling needs and patching critical holes ahead of the 2026 season.
Detroit's biggest focus was beefing up a defense which struggled mightily with playmaking and depth down the stretch in 2025. With that fact in mind, it stands to reason that five of the team's seven selections came on that side of the ball.
Perhaps no pick they made anywhere was as good as cornerback Keith Abney II, who went with in the fifth-round on day three. Abney has a solid profile as a productive, underrated talent coming out of the draft, and it's becoming clear his days of flying under the radar could well be behind him.
Exiting the draft, Sports Illustrated analyst Daniel Flick revealed his top 16 picks from 2026. Perhaps surprisingly, Abney made the list for a familiar reason. The value the Lions found with the defensive back was too good to pass up relative to where he was selected at pick No. 157.
"The Lions needed more depth at cornerback, and Abney, who was No. 71 on my big board, would’ve been a viable selection in the third round. A two-year starter at Arizona State with above-average ball production, Abney is undersized but uber competitive with outstanding instincts. He should be a bonus to Detroit’s secondary earlier than most expected."
If Abney ends up outplaying his draft round and eventually gets into the conversation as a top cornerback in Detroit, that would be a huge benefit to the Lions. Last season, the team watched as multiple corners got injured, making depth an issue. There was also inconsistency from others on the roster like Terrion Arnold, putting stress on the whole group.
With a quality camp, Abney could work himself into the rotation, giving him a chance to be a fast success story and prove this analysis completely right.
Brad Holmes loves Abney's fit within Lions' secondary after evaluation
Should Abney have a fast start to his career, it wouldn't surprise Holmes a bit, who has had his eye on the prospect for a long time during the evaluation process. As Holmes explained, he believes the rookie defender has the chops to play a major role for the Lions quickly given his solid traits.
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"We've evaluated (Keith) Abney multiple times throughout this process dating back to last fall and every single time, I always enjoyed (it). I think he tilts. He might tilt a little bit more in the nickel at this level, but I do think he can play outside for sure. He's another instinctive guy that can find the football. He can trigger. He can tackle. He's pretty sticky. He was a simple one because we had him ranked a couple rounds higher than where he was. So, that was a no-brainer for us."
Not only was Abney's selection a no-brainer for Holmes and the Lions, but several analysts as well. He clearly had a higher pedigree than where he was eventually selected. Whether or not he uses this to his advantage remains to be seen, but it's clear Abney is only gaining hype after the draft.
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