While the Detroit Lions might not have had the most explosive draft night, it was the one that matched best to their needs. They not only found a pure right tackle to take over Penei Sewell's position on the offensive line, but they finally landed an edge rusher within the first three rounds of the draft.
They also found excellent cornerback depth, a competitive linebacker, a potential special teams ace, and two defensive linemen ready to provide meaningful depth if they make the 53-man roster. That's a successful draft night in our book, despite how quiet all three days were.
NFL Network's Charles Davis can read between the lines, though. The analyst, in the closing moments of the draft and the network's coverage of the event, commented on Detroit's potential for the 2026 season.
“The Detroit Lions aren’t flying it out there or announcing it to the world, but the sense I get is they want to get their edge back. They want to get their total grit back that Dan Campbell ushered in. It’s not really gone -- they want to get back to those teeth bared, claws out, and they want to get after people. I think their offseason and training camp is going to be one of the most difficult ones going...I think Detroit is going to come back like they were when Dan Campbell first hit the scene.”
Davis says the best is yet to come for Lions in 2026
All weekend long, we kept hearing general manager comment on the "grittiness" of the teams' draft picks. Blake Miller's grittiness as an iron man with Clemson. Derrick Moore's grittiness throughout his career at Michigan, despite the coaching environment there. The grittiness and under-the-radar skill of both Jimmy Rolder and Keith Abney II.
The Lions were looking for a certain kind of player in this draft: one that could hold their own help up against the "grittiness" of head coach Dan Campbell, and his expectations for his players. The Lions are obviously trying to get back to what made them such a force back in 2023, and even 2024, and what helped them win the NFC North two years in a row.
READ MORE: Grading each Lions pick from the 2026 NFL Draft
Will this method work? Well, it helps that the Lions didn't just lean on these players' toughness, and actually picked players based on both a positional need and on their talent. While "best player available" might not have been the exact model Holmes followed in this year's draft, it's not like Miller, Moore, or any of the teams' Day 3 picks aren't also coming in with very high floors.
The Lions also have the luxury of already rostering multiple All-Pro players, on both sides of the field. This isn't a team in a rebuild - it's a team looking to get back their most successful identity. So, adding some "grit" back to this roster by way of hungry rookies was the best strategy imaginable for Holmes and the Lions to utilize without breaking the bank.
2026 should be a fun one if Davis' prediction is anywhere close to coming true.
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