B
Detroit Lions
The Lions cashed the board's mistake on Prysock: B.
by Kenny proctor ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 3 steals
· 1 reaches
When a board-topper like Ephesians Prysock slides to Round 7, Pick 6, you do not overthink it, and the Lions did not.
If Kamara pans out, nobody remembers the price. If not, this is the pick they hear about. The linebacker hole is the one line item this class does not answer.
Good work on the whole, with linebacker the one box left unchecked.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 17th overall pick they get a lockdown presence outside. Exactly the need they had to hit.
No drama and no debate, Caleb Tiernan went about where he belonged in Round 2, Pick 18. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Brian Parker II is a better player than the 118th pick suggests; smart patience, rewarded. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Mikail Kamara well ahead of where he belonged. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Good price on Jaeden Roberts in pick No. 157, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
A tidy bit of business in the Round 5 slot, where Kevin Coleman Jr. graded well above the range. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
A tidy little value on VJ Payne in pick 205, a step better than break-even. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Landon Robinson at slot 213 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
Ephesians Prysock at the Round 7 slot is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.