With news of Taylor Decker's request to be released, the Detroit Lions are back to square one with trying to prepare for life without him, Frank Ragnow, and Graham Glasgow on their offensive line. The only mainstay is Penei Sewell, who may be asked to switch his position for the 2026 season.
Sewell, who has experience at both left and right tackle, could swing over to the left side of the line to take over the more important tackle position: the blind side. That leaves a hole at right tackle, though, which is something Detroit could address in free agency in addition to in the draft.
They have some decent options on both fronts, depending on how much they're willing to spend in free agency for a reliable starter. If they can land a starter there, they can afford to take someone who's a bit more of a project at right tackle.
Lions 4-round mock draft addresses hole at right tackle
Round 1, Pick 17: OT Monroe Freeling, Georgia
Freeling has crawled up many big boards over the course of pre-draft evaluations and the combine, and he'd be a great pick for the Lions at 17th overall as their next project at right tackle. Freeling is a towering 6'7", with one of his only weaknesses being that he is literally in need of some strength training.
That's certainly something that the Lions' coaching staff and Hank Fraley could help him with.
Freeling's got experience playing both right and left tackle, which could also make him a viable option to replace Sewell with on the left side if he develops well enough on that end. Overall, he'd be a worthy investment in a class that's a bit top heavy for starting-caliber tackles.
Round 2, Pick 50: EDGE Malachi Lawrence, UCF
Lawrence had a standout performance at this year's combine, so it might be a reach to say he'd even be available at 50th overall. But, he was in this mock draft, so we couldn't pass on the chance to snag him and Ioane back to back. Lawrence finished his career at UCF with seven sacks, two forced fumbles, and two passes defended.
He would provide great size to the Lions' defensive line at 6'4", and he'd be one of the most athletic defenders that Detroit has to deploy - he scored atop all edge prospects in this year's combine in his athleticism score. He'd be a steal at this spot.
Detroit could also go guard here if they focus their money in free agency on landing edge depth. Some options include Emmanuel Pregnon or Keylan Rutledge.
READ MORE: NFL insider believes Lions could be in play for 1 significant free agency splash
Round 4, Pick 118: C Sam Hecht, Kansas State
The Lions can't fully ignore their need for a center despite their seeming willingness to test the waters with Tate Ratledge at that position. Hecht is one of the best centers in this draft, but that isn't saying a lot about the talent of the positional group, unfortunately. Still, he's ranked consistently in the top-5 of several expert's big boards, and would be worth the investment here in the fourth round.
Hecht finished up his career at Kansas State with a PFF grade of 80 overall, good for 6th amongst 80 eligible college centers. He allowed no sacks and gave up zero penalties through 759 snaps, giving up just eight pressures, as well. As with Freeling, it seems like he needs to just size up a bit in order to succeed in the NFL.
Round 4, Pick 128 (via HOU): S Jalon Kilgore, South Carolina
Detroit needs to find a way to add some depth to their safety room given injuries to both Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch last season. With there being some uncertainty about the availability of Joseph moving forward due to his knee issues, it makes sense for the Lions to swing on a safety in the fourth round now that they have an extra pick here.
Kilgore is projected by NFL.com's Lance Zierlein to be an eventual plus starter, already making him sound like a bit of a steal here.
He was one of the more impressive defensive backs in this year's combine, showing off his speed (4.4 second 40-yard dash) coupled with his size at 6'1", 210 pounds. He'd be an excellent run stopper to insert into Kelvin Sheppard's defense, and a nice option to defend the pass in short yard situations.