Al-Quadin Muhammad has been the closest thing to an Aidan Hutchinson co-star that the Detroit Lions have had in recent memory. An 11 sack season is nothing to sneer at, with Muhammad ending up as one of the Lions' best free agent signings from the 2025 season.
That also means it's very likely that Muhammad walks in free agency in 2026. The pass rusher just posted the best season of his career and stood out on a line that featured a 14.5 sack defender, and according to Spotrac, he's about to be rewarded for his efforts.
A 2-year, $16.4 million deal is what's projected for the 30 year old lineman, and that might be too rich for the Lions' blood considering how hard-capped they already are headed into 2026.
The draft is the perfect opportunity for Detroit to, then, replace Muhammad if they can't strike a deal with him. And, according to CBS Sports writer Josh Edwards, the Lions do just that with their 17th overall pick, taking Texas Tech defender David Bailey.
"To Detroit's credit, it has utilized essentially every means of talent acquisition to address the spot opposite Aidan Hutchinson. None of those solutions have panned out long term. The Lions take another swing by drafting one of college football's most productive pass rushers in 2025. David Bailey had 14.5 sacks and three forced fumbles last season for the Red Raiders."
Lions use 1st rounder to address pass rush woes in latest mock draft
Bailey is one of the undersold defenders set to be available in this year's draft, with him getting mocked anywhere between 2nd overall to 17th in this CBS Sports mock draft. Bailey is described as a game-wrecker perfect to utilize in 3rd down situations per NFL Draft Buzz, and as a defender that can finish the job on quarterback pressures instead of falling short of a sack.
Watching tape of Bailey, you can't help but be impressed by his speed when bending corners on linemen, and his nose for the ball.
He's excellent at making quarterbacks think twice about just throwing anything up with him in their face, because he's obviously ready to tip a pass or slap a pass down. His size might be the only thing working against him, but the Lions have plenty of that if they keep Roy Lopez on board and see some significant progress from Tyleik Williams this offseason.
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Bailey offers the exact sort of disruption the Lions need to inject into their defense, with or without Muhammad still in the fold. Detroit struggled to finish plays, which allowed for an exploitation of their depleted secondary almost religiously.
They need sack artists added to their rotation, and they can't simply hope to find that once again on the free agent market or via trade for older, injury-prone defenders.
Bailey could be a huge steal for the Lions if they're unable to get Muhammad locked in for another season, and if they decide to revamp more of their defensive line beyond just adding to their pass rush.