C+
Detroit Lions
A weekend that raised as many questions as it answered. The Lions get a C+.
by Reheheheheh ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 5 steals
· 3 reaches
Nobody had Gabriel Rubio this high, and it is not close. The Lions reached 172 spots to get him at slot 213.
Perkins Jr. at that cost is the sort of edge that compounds over a roster. They punted on edge rusher, and it is the miss that keeps the grade honest.
They left with cornerback solved and the rest of the wish list mostly ticked off.
So much rides on Anthony Hill Jr. that the real verdict is a season or two away.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick No. 17 they get a three-down second-level presence, though the board says they badly overpaid. A real need, handled.
Value said wait; Malachi Fields in the 50th pick says they were not listening. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
A cornerback of that caliber at the Round 4 slot is the definition of value, full stop. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
They let Keylan Rutledge come to them and pounced at pick 128. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Somehow Harold Perkins Jr. was still sitting there in No. 157, and they pounced on premier linebacker value. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Aaron Anderson at Round 5, Pick 41 is a sensible buy, a touch better than market for the wide receiver. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Kobe Baynes slipping to the Round 6 slot is the kind of luck good rooms make for themselves. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Gabriel Rubio in the 213th overall pick is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. A minor itch, scratched.
The board had Chase Roberts higher than the 222nd pick, and the wide receiver fell to them anyway. It patches a soft spot without any drama.