The Detroit Lions put the finishing touches on their 2026 NFL draft, and the immediate reactions are starting to roll in from the court of public opinion on the job they were able to do.
Detroit spent all but two of their selections on defensl, something which was needed following the collapse last season. Offensively, the Lions beefed up at tackle and added a wide receiver that can star on special teams. All of the picks should be considered solid relative to what Detroit needed most.
Already, the grades are rolling in following the weekend of work, and it's clear that analysts believe in what the Lions were able to do. ESPN's Mel Kiper liked Detroit's draft enough to give it a B grade. He appreciated the Blake Miller pick and the day three moves even if he had a few questions about Derrick Moore.
"Will a second-round pick in Derrick Moore get the job done? I might have gone with Zion Young, who went one pick later, but I think there's upside for an eventual all-Michigan edge combo of Hutchinson and Moore (who had 10 sacks last season)."
"Jimmy Rolder (another Michigan player) and Keith Abney II were solid additions on defense, too. Rolder is versatile and has some burst as a blitzer. But where he really stands out is his ability to diagnose. He's a smart football player. Abney is undersized at 5-foot-10 and 187 pounds, but he gets his hands on the ball. Abney had 20 pass breakups and five picks over the past two years. He should be a good backup."
While a B is a solid mark from Kiper, it pales in comparison to the grade the Lions received from NFL.com analyst Chad Reuter. In his grade piece, Reuter gave the Lions an A- mark. While he liked the selection of Miller and Moore, he also loved what the Lions were able to do on day three.
"Detroit needed a linebacker and Rolder's aggressive style will endear him to Lions fans. The Lions traded David Montgomery to the Texans for OL Juice Scruggs, a fourth-round pick this year and a 2027 sixth-rounder. They used the fourth to move up for Moore and replaced Montgomery with Isiah Pacheco in free agency."
"Law is a receiver in a running back's body and should get a look as a returner during training camp. Gill-Howard is undersized but stood out on Texas Tech’s star-studded defense before an ankle injury ended his season."
Two analysts, two spectacular grades for the way the Lions approached the draft this season. Only time will tell whether the players live up to this standard, but it's clear on paper, this group was a winner in terms of play and need.
Brad Holmes was very pleased with the way Lions' draft played out
Finding a team official that would agree or disagree with arbitrary grades in the days following the draft would be difficult considering most don't put consideration into those bits of analysis. Still, it was clear Holmes was a fan of what he was able to accomplish for his roster over three days.
As he explained to the media, the best part about this draft was the fact that all of Detroit's players were high on the team's draft board as well as seamless fits for the organization based on their mindset.
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"We were able to get some guys that we had ranked way higher that fell for whatever reason. I'm not really worried about that. We're not worried about that. We're just thrilled that we have them. So, that's kind of how (the draft) exceeded my expectations. All of them, every single last one of them, they are complete (and) true fits. These guys are Lions. I know technically they are, yes, but they fit everything that we're about. We got some good football players."
Finding good players is one thing, but identifying players that fit the mindset of the entire franchise is another. This draft class appears to be complete from that standpoint, which is fantastic news for the Lions in 2026. It also
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