C
Detroit Lions
Some hits, some head-scratchers, and a C for the Lions.
by Kev05555 ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 2 steals
· 6 reaches
When the story of this class is written, it opens with Carson Hinzman at the 205th overall pick, a reach of 232 spots that the board flatly disagrees with.
The Zvada pick reads as want over need, and the roster will feel it at linebacker, quarterback and other spots. On value alone, Masses makes the weekend a net positive. That linebacker hole did not close this weekend, and it was the biggest one on the wall.
Cornerback is handled and the depth chart looks a good deal healthier for it.
Not a disaster, not a triumph, just a middling class.
Pick-by-Pick
In the Round 1 slot they get a plug-and-play piece up front at fair value. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
This one needs a full-page explanation: DJ Harvey in the 50th pick, miles early. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Of all the spots to shop, they chose specialist. Dominic Zvada in pick No. 118 leaves linebacker, quarterback and other spots for later.
A big swing on Trey Moore at pick 128, well ahead of any board in the building. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Hezekiah Masses at Round 5, Pick 17 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Jalen Stroman in slot 181 is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Carson Hinzman in slot 205 is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Eric McAlister at pick No. 213 is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. A need, and now a little less of one.
Korey Foreman at the 222nd pick is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.