Performance in the NFL Draft is not always defined by the players a team picks. Sometimes it’s defined by the player they passed up on.
Not to bring up a painful example, but Eric Ebron turned out to be an okay player for the Detroit Lions. But when the next three players drafted after Ebron were Taylor Lewan, Odell Beckham Jr., and Aaron Donald, it makes an okay pick look terrible.
So on the next Detroit Lions 2026 Draft roundtable discussion, we don’t talk about the picks the Lions made—we talk about the picks they
didn’t make—the picks we wish they would have made. It’s our opportunity to play general manager, and it doesn’t always turn out well. Last year’s choices included Derrick Harmon (27 tackles, 3.0 sacks), Elic Ayomanor (515 catches, 4 TDs), Josaiah Stewart (22 tackles, 3.0 sacks), J.T. Tuimoloau (0 starts, 17 tackles, no sacks), and Fadil Diggs (0 tackles, 5 games played).
But Lions general manager Brad Holmes is far from infallible, either.
Previous 2026 draft roundtables:
- Pick most excited to see in training camp
- Favorite Lions 2026 draft pick
- Least favorite Lions 2026 draft pick
Here are our picks for:
2026 NFL Draft roundtable: Pick we wish the Lions would’ve made
Al Karsten: Stayed put at 50, taken an available EDGE or taken Max Llewellyn in the 7th
This is splitting hairs more than anything.
I’m comfortable with the Lions identifying Derrick Moore as their best Day 2 defensive end available and trusting Brad Holmes to go up and get him. But I would’ve been intrigued by a scenario where they stayed put at No. 50, preserved additional early Day 3 draft capital, and selected whichever edge—Moore, Gabe Jacas, or Zion Young—was still available and highest on their board.
If I had to pinpoint one alternative, while I am curious to dive more into Tyre West and his ability as a five-technique and potential interior player, I would’ve leaned even further into pass rush juice and targeted Iowa edge Max Llewellyn. He could’ve filled more of a designated pass-rush role—something closer to the Al-Quadin Muhammad usage—while competing with Ahmed Hassanein for a roster spot.
Erik Schlitt: Trade up for NB Keionte Scott in the fourth round
Nickelback Keionte Scott was selected by the Buccaneers with pick No. 116, and just two slots later, the Lions picked linebacker Jimmy Rolder at pick No. 118 in the fourth round. This was very much an instance where I hoped general manager Brad Holmes would get aggressive and trade up to grab Scott, a player I believed would have been great value at pick No. 50 overall.
John Whiticar: LB Jacob Rodriguez
This is perhaps a pick that I wish they could‘ve made, not should’ve made. I already covered why I wanted Rodriguez in Detroit, but to see him go off the board one pick (43) before Detroit was tough to watch (although from the sounds of things, Detroit coveted Derrick Moore more anyway). Rodriguez was one of the few cover linebackers available in the draft and one of the few natural answers to Alex Anzalone’s departure. Instead, the Lions ended up with Jimmy Rolder, a linebacker that could step into the WILL linebacker spot, but his coverage skills are below-average, even for a prospect. Rodriguez would not have tied Detroit to three-linebacker sets either, given that Derrick Barnes’ future in Detroit is cloudy. Maybe a trade-up for pick 42 was never in the cards, but I can dream.
Brandon Knapp: TE Hayden Large
I really wanted a tight end in this class, especially if the team doesn’t seem Sam LaPorta around. While Large wouldn’t have been a starting caliber player, he could’ve been a great TE4 to start the year and move up to TE3 next season with the chance to fight for a backup job. His story was also nice, and being paired up with Isaac TeSlaa again would be a great story.
Ryan Mathews: NB Keionte Scott
Detroit had plenty of chances to grab Keionte Scott, but ultimately chose to go a different route. Scott could have been the pick at No. 50 and nobody would have batted an eye. All they had to do was trade up a couple of spots in the fourth round from No. 118 to grab Scott when he was still on the board at No. 115. Abney isn’t a bad consolation prize in the fifth, but Scott was one of my favorite fits for Detroit given their uncertain future at safety.
Jeremy Reisman: LB Kyle Louis over LB Jimmy Rolder
While I get the special teams value and upside of Rolder at the linebacker position, I thought Louis—who went 20 picks after Rolder—was a better fit to potentially take on a defensive role earlier in his career. While Louis is considered pretty seriously undersized (6-foot, 224), he’s got serious coverage ability, plays with both urgency and instincts, and has all the football character Detroit loves (captain, film junkie, etc.).
