B
Detroit Lions
The Lions kept it disciplined and banked a B.
by ScholarlyViking ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 12 picks
· 4 steals
· 6 reaches
Call it a hunch or call it a gamble, but the Lions spent the 168th overall pick on Patrick Payton, a name most had 76 spots down the list. A sturdy weekend that grades out a B.
Landing Brazzell II that late papers over a lot of smaller sins. A whole weekend of picks and quarterback is somehow still a want.
Add it up and it is a good, unfussy class.
Pick-by-Pick
In the Round 1 slot they get a mismatch in the passing game, and a steal at that. A real need, handled.
Circle this one: Chris Brazzell II at the 50th pick is a fall that decides a draft. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Value with a capital V on Jake Golday in pick No. 74, a genuine coup. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Jacob Rodriguez is a better player than No. 91 suggests; smart patience, rewarded. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
A straight-up fair deal on Jude Bowry at pick 118, value and slot in agreement. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Value said wait; Ar'maj Reed-Adams in slot 128 says they were not listening. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Ephesians Prysock. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
A wild overpay on Patrick Payton in pick 168, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Jeff Caldwell at the Round 5 slot is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. The roster fit checks out.
Thaddeus Dixon in slot 205 is early enough to raise a brow, if not a full objection. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Xavier Nwankpa in Round 6, Pick 32 is the kind of reach that only looks good if he outplays it. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
George Gumbs Jr. in the 222nd overall pick is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.