Detroit Lions fans can officially begin to lock in. With the conclusion of the NFL Scouting Combine, the team is now about to focus their entire attention towards the trade market and free agency, which has a negotiation window officially opening up on March 9.
Before we get into free agency, the Lions' still-precarious cap situation as of the Monday following the combine, and that trade rumor regarding David Montgomery, we should get into one more mock draft.
After the combine, the hierarchy for both edge rushers and premier tackles began to form. While both classes are "deep" this year, the Lions are going to likely go with whichever the best available player is from either positional group at 17 overall. It feels more and more likely that a top-3 tackle, not an edge rusher, will fall to them at this spot.
Post-Combine 3-round Lions mock draft has team snagging top tackle
Round 1, Pick 17: OT Kadyn Proctor
The Lions do not need to worry about landing a starting tackle in this year's draft. Taylor Decker is returning after many, many months of recovery from his shoulder injury, and they've also got depth at the position already with Giovanni Manu (presumably) still around in 2026.
Adding Proctor to the mix allows him a year to develop behind and alongside one of the most experienced left tackles in the NFL, and adds some healthy competition to the room for Manu to either sink or swim. Proctor, as it stands, had one of the best showings amongst lineman in the combine, ranking 4th overall amongst tackles with a total score of 81.
Proctor also adds some competition sneakily to the guard room for Christian Mahogany given his size and strength. If he can't cut it as a tackle, guard feels like a neat spot for him to train at for Detroit.
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Round 2, Pick 50: S Dillon Thieneman
This is a special DB class, and Thieneman is one of the best safeties in this year's draft. With so many questions around the health of both Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch, Detroit takes the Oregon Duck product in the 2nd round of this mock draft to add some firepower back to their room. Between those injuries and free agency, the Lions' defensive depth is very threatened ahead of the 2026 season.
Thieneman, per NFL.com draft expert Lance Zierlein, is projected to eventually be a plus starter. That helps the Lions if they, for whatever reason, are unable to pay Branch when he's due for a new deal. He tested first amongst safeties in athleticism in the combine, and 4th overall. That's quite a feat for a group featuring Caleb Downs.