B-
Detroit Lions
The Lions fleeced the room on the phones and earned a B-.
by Zye ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 10 picks
· 1 steals
· 5 reaches
Some picks age like wine; Aidan Hubbard at the Round 7 slot will need to, sitting 102 spots clear of his grade. A dependable weekend that grades out a B-.
Every deal seemed to tilt their way, which is not luck. They punted on safety, and it is the miss that keeps the grade honest.
The Caldwell steal is the beam this whole class leans on.
Bottom line, more hits than misses and a roster nudged the right way.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick No. 5 they get a blindside protector at fair value. The biggest hole, addressed.
They paid up for Derrick Moore at the 52nd overall pick when waiting would have done the job. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
No edge and no loss on Julian Neal in slot 118; it is a wash and a sensible one. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
A premium they did not need to pay, Kaleb Proctor a notch or two before his time. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
A straight-up fair deal on Jack Endries at the Round 4 slot, value and slot in agreement. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Taylen Green this early at No. 157. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
A slide stopped in No. 205, with Jeff Caldwell worth more than the price. A need, and now a little less of one.
Kaelon Black in pick 213 is fair value, right on his grade. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
The board had cheaper options than Lander Barton at the 222nd overall pick, and it noticed. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Aidan Hubbard well ahead of where he belonged. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.