The party had to end somehow, right?
The Detroit Lions have finally received some pretty blunt criticism of their draft class, bucking the trend we've seen percolating over the last week and some change following the draft. While most have given Detroit decently fair grades, averaging about a B or a B-, some aren't impressed by their moves to address positions of need.
The Athletic's Mike Sando recently pieced together an entire piece filled with NFL executives' honest takes on the NFC's respective draft classes. For the Lions, not much love was spread.
“'Sewell will be good wherever he plays, but I’m not sure Miller will end up being a tackle, depending what they ask of him,'” another exec said. “'I do not think they got a lot better. Derrick Moore is steady, a doubles hitter. Good player, nothing dynamic about him.”'
Lions get blunt review of 2026 NFL draft class
It wasn't all negative in Sando's piece, as one exec shared that they were impressed by Detroit's selection of Keith Abney II in the 5th round. Abney, overall, seems to have been the Lions' saving grace from this year's draft.
“'Abney has some scrappiness to him,”' the exec added. '“He is like a better Mike Hilton. Chippy, aggressive, physical. He can play in the slot. He can be competitive on the outside despite his size. You’ll have to move him around to help him, but he’s a good player who is wired the right way for them.”'
Detroit had a very boring draft after several seasons in a row of pretty head-scratching draft-day trades and selections.
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Of course, one of the biggest draft trades the Lions have made in recent memory - their trade down in the 2023 draft to take Jahmyr Gibbs and Sam LaPorta - has ended up being one of their most impactful. So, you just can't take these kinds of preseason opinions with more than a grain of salt.
That said, it's fair to wonder why Detroit was so honed in on Moore in the 2nd round when there were a few other, potentially better, pass rushers left on the board. Zion Young and Gabe Jacas, for example, were still available for the taking here. But, the Lions clearly loved Moore, and wanted to snag him before the Baltimore Ravens could.
Holmes has earned the benefit of the doubt when it comes to his Day 1 and 2 record. While criticsm is fair for their Miller and Moore picks as there were other, potentially better, players on the board during those selections, you'd have to imagine that Holmes knew who would fit best with their culture and timeline.
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