B
Detroit Lions
A masterclass at the trade table lands the Lions a B.
by Slippers ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 6 picks
· 2 steals
· 1 reaches
Whoever sat across the table from the Lions should ask for a receipt. They cleaned the room out, prying loose far more value than they gave up, and it was the quiet MVP of their weekend.
A whole weekend of picks and edge rusher is somehow still a want. If one pick saves this weekend, it is Payne. The Dunker pick is the one the value grade keeps tripping over.
The Maxx Crosby pickup adds a known quantity to a class of unknowns.
A workmanlike haul that should hold up just fine.
Pick-by-Pick
They paid a round early for Gennings Dunker in slot 34, more than the board wanted. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Davison Igbinosun is a better player than the 128th pick suggests; smart patience, rewarded. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
They did well to land Skyler Gill-Howard in pick No. 157, just ahead of his grade. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
Fair-plus on Febechi Nwaiwu, a quiet win that adds up over a draft. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Good things come to war rooms that wait, and VJ Payne at No. 213 is the proof. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
A straight-up fair deal on Jimmy Rolder at Round 7, Pick 6, value and slot in agreement. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.