B-
Detroit Lions
More right than wrong for the Lions, and a B- to prove it.
by Kenny proctor ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 1 steals
· 4 reaches
Some picks age like wine; Quintayvious Hutchins at the 157th overall pick will need to, sitting 50 spots clear of his grade. No fireworks, but a solid B-.
Whatever else happened, they won the night they took Cameron. The linebacker spot stays a question, and it was the one they most needed an answer at.
They left with cornerback solved and the rest of the wish list mostly ticked off.
Not a headline-grabber, but a perfectly good weekend's work.
Pick-by-Pick
In the Round 1 slot they get a ballhawk on the outside. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
A straight-up fair deal on Malachi Lawrence at pick No. 50, value and slot in agreement. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Isaiah World at Round 4, Pick 18 is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Max Llewellyn in slot 128, miles early. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Quintayvious Hutchins well ahead of where he belonged. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
A reasonable price with a little left over, Ar'maj Reed-Adams in the 181st overall pick. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
David Gusta at slot 205 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
Josh Cameron in pick 213 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Isaiah Nwokobia in the Round 7 slot is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.