B
Detroit Lions
Wheatley should have been long gone. The Lions pounced, and earned a B.
by Meat69420 ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 4 steals
· 2 reaches
You build a draft on nights like this. Zakee Wheatley had no business being available in pick No. 128, and the Lions did the only sane thing and turned in the card.
The Allen pick is the one the value grade keeps tripping over. On the needs board they went 9 of 9, with cornerback the one that mattered most. Building through the lines is a philosophy, and they stuck to it.
Solid rather than spectacular, and there is nothing wrong with that.
Pick-by-Pick
In No. 17 they get a long-term starter on the line. Exactly the need they had to hit.
They paid sticker price for Gabe Jacas in Round 2, Pick 18, and that is fine. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Kaytron Allen at pick No. 118 is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Zakee Wheatley in pick 128 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Somehow Hezekiah Masses was still sitting there in slot 157, and they pounced on premier cornerback value. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
A tidy bit of business in the 181st overall pick, where Kevin Coleman Jr. graded well above the range. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
No edge and no loss on Dallen Bentley in the Round 6 slot; it is a wash and a sensible one. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
A quiet steal in the 213th pick: Cole Payton for less than the market said. A need, and now a little less of one.
They went early on Jimmy Rolder in Round 7, Pick 6, and the value did not follow. The roster fit checks out.