B
Detroit Lions
A solid, sensible weekend for the Lions: B.
by ScholarlyViking ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 15 picks
· 1 steals
· 11 reaches
There was a run on nobody at that position, and the Lions started one anyway for Khordae Sydnor, 236 picks ahead of schedule.
The Capehart pick is fine in a vacuum, less so with linebacker, quarterback and other spots still on the board. That linebacker hole did not close this weekend, and it was the biggest one on the wall. Landing Caldwell that late papers over a lot of smaller sins.
In sum, a sturdy weekend with one asterisk, the linebacker spot they never got to.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 18th pick they get an anchor for the offensive line at fair value. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Drew Shelton well ahead of where he belonged. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Darrell Jackson Jr. at the 91st overall pick is a conviction pick that outran the value. A minor need, but a need all the same.
No drama and no debate, Genesis Smith went about where he belonged in No. 106. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Good price on Tacario Davis in Round 4, Pick 18, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
A curious use of slot 128. Linebacker, quarterback and other spots needed the pick; an interior defensive lineman in DeMonte Capehart did not.
Nadame Tucker at the Round 5 slot is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
They paid up for Ar'maj Reed-Adams at pick 157 when waiting would have done the job. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Ephesians Prysock in No. 163 is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
They reached into another round for Vincent Anthony Jr., and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Patrick Payton at the 181st overall pick is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
They read the board right and Jeff Caldwell was the payoff at the 205th pick. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Khordae Sydnor this early at slot 213. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
A wild overpay on Deven Eastern in Round 7, Pick 4, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. Nice player, but the depth chart did not need him here.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Dasan McCullough in Round 7, Pick 6, miles early. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.