B-
Detroit Lions
A respectable, level-headed haul for the Lions: B-.
by vitodontito ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 3 steals
· 2 reaches
The tape said wait; the Lions did not. Eric O'Neill went at pick 213, a good 55 picks before the board was ready.
That is a safety worth more than the slot they spent on him, plainly. If this class has a fault line, it runs straight through linebacker.
Bottom line, more hits than misses and a roster nudged the right way.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 17th overall pick they get juice off the edge, a steep price for the projection. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
Good things come to war rooms that wait, and Emmanuel Pregnon at No. 50 is the proof. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Kamari Ramsey at pick No. 118 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
A straight-up fair deal on Will Lee III at Round 4, Pick 28, value and slot in agreement. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
They let Dametrious Crownover come to them and pounced at the Round 5 slot. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Good price on Aamil Wagner in pick 181, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Cameron Ball in slot 205 is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
Eric O'Neill in the 213th pick is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Jadon Canady in the Round 7 slot is exactly on the number, no argument either way. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.