C-
Detroit Lions
The Lions land in the muddy middle: C-.
by Jaybeast17 ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 2 steals
· 6 reaches
Somewhere a scout is still blinking. The Lions spent pick No. 128 on Zach Rice, a name the board had a full 240 spots lower. A weekend of give and take that grades a C-.
They banked enough surplus on Mesidor to cover a lot of smaller sins. They will regret leaving linebacker for another day if the season turns on it.
They left with cornerback solved and the rest of the wish list mostly ticked off. The back end got a real overhaul.
The verdict is a shrug for now, with the swing picks left to write the real ending.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 17th pick they get a press-man option on the boundary, though the board says they badly overpaid. Exactly the need they had to hit.
They talked themselves into Isaiah Jatta at Round 2, Pick 18, and the board did not agree. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Steal is underselling it; Zakee Wheatley at the Round 4 slot is a heist with the alarm still ringing. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Zach Rice in No. 128 is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
A wild overpay on Dasan McCullough in slot 157, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. It fits a board better than it fits this team.
Dane Key in pick No. 181 is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
A big swing on Carson Hinzman at pick No. 205, well ahead of any board in the building. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
A tidy little value on Toriano Pride Jr. in the 213th pick, a step better than break-even. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Taking Akheem Mesidor in No. 222 is close to grand larceny; an edge rusher that good had no business lasting this long. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.