B-
Detroit Lions
The Lions let Lew fall and pounced. Final grade: B-.
by GranbomH ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 2 steals
· 4 reaches
Thirty-one other rooms let Connor Lew slide, and the Lions were the ones holding the card at slot 118. Highway robbery. Solid and sensible more than spectacular: a B-.
Reaching for Dennis-Sutton left real value on the table behind him. Leaving cornerback unaddressed is the roster risk they will have to answer for in the fall.
Job largely done: offensive lineman settled and 5 of 9 of the wish list covered.
Add it up and it is a good, unfussy class.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 21st pick they get a cornerstone up front at fair value. Exactly the need they had to hit.
They reached a country mile for Dani Dennis-Sutton at the Round 2 slot, and the board is aghast. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Fair-plus on Jacob Rodriguez, a quiet win that adds up over a draft. It fills a real need, too.
They robbed the room for Connor Lew here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
A reach on DeMonte Capehart in pick No. 128; the board had better options right there. A minor itch, scratched.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Max Llewellyn this early at pick 129. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
By-the-book stuff, Nate Boerkircher at No. 157 squarely in line with his ranking. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Cole Payton at slot 213 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
A wild overpay on Trey Zuhn III in No. 222, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.