Since the end of the regular season, we’ve been tracking which players national NFL Draft analysts have been mock drafting to the Detroit Lions on a weekly basis. It’s a fun exercise to see what national analysts think, and it’s a good way to introduce our audience to some of the top prospects that may be available for the Lions with the 17th overall pick.
But let’s turn that on its head a little. ESPN has their own mock draft simulator, as many sites do. But they also have a website that provides
analytics on how users are selecting in their mock drafts. You can view the stats for literally all 257 selections in the draft, and see which players are most often paired with each pick.
But let’s focus on the Detroit Lions for now. Here’s a list of the top-10 players most commonly mocked to the Lions using ESPN’s simulator.
1. Alabama OT Kadyn Proctor — 29% of selections
Unsurprisingly, Proctor tops the list given the high amount of rumors and buzz surrounding the pick. The 6-foot-7, 352-pound offensive tackle has been a polarizing option all offseason, but it’s easy to like what he’d bring to the Lions’ run game.
2. Georgia OT Monroe Freeling — 21% of selections
Freeling gets dinged for only starting about 1.5 seasons for the Bulldogs, but his measurables and marked improvement have him rising up many draft boards. For what it’s worth, 12% of mock draft users have Freeling going 13th to the Rams. It’s worth noting in our final mock draft roundup, Freeling was the most common pairing with Detroit, followed closely by Proctor.
3. Penn State G Vega Ioane — 14% of selections
Some argue the best offensive line prospect in this year’s class, Ioane may not play a premium position—and isn’t at the Lions’ biggest of needs—but he would come in an immediately upgrade Detroit’s left guard position. Ioane, though, is most commonly mocked to the Ravens (36%).
4. Miami EDGE Akheem Mesidor — 13% of selections
A highly-productive pass rusher in college (35.5 sacks over six seasons, 12.5 last year), some have questions about his age (25) and benefiting from teammate Rueben Bain. But he would immediately be the best option opposite Aidan Hutchinson. It’s worth noting Mesidor was selected 33% of the time for Pick 15 (Buccaneers).
5. Utah OT Spencer Fano — 4.1% of selections
There’s a pretty big drop-off here, but Fano would be a nice pickup for Detroit. While many view it as unlikely he’ll fall this far, Fano doesn’t have a bigger than a 4.8% selection percentage with any team above Detroit—although he’s only available 10% of ESPN’s simulated mocks.
6. Utah OT Caleb Lomu — 4.0% of selections
Fano’s teammate—and Utah left tackle—is selected nearly as many times, and is projected to be far more commonly available. He’s still on the board at 17 overall 99% of simulations, making this a more realistic pick, but possibly a selection that could be made later in the draft.
7. Clemson EDGE T.J. Parker — 3.5% of selections
Erik Schlitt was able to nab Parker in the second round of our Community Mock Draft, so this would be a bit of an overdraft. However, Schlitt makes a compelling case for his fit here.
8. Auburn EDGE Keldric Faulk — 2.7% of selections
It’s a bit surprising to see Faulk so far down this list, as he’s an excellent schematic fit for Detroit and plays a big position of need. However, ESPN users clearly think he should go later in the draft, as 11% of mockers placed him to the Chargers (Pick 22), 14% to the Eagles (23), 16% to the Bears (25), and 19% to the Bills (26).
9. Oregon TE Kenyon Sadiq — 2.2% of the selections
This would certainly be an outside-the-box pick, but with no current Lions tight ends signed beyond 2026, it’s not an impossibility. If Lions general manager Brad Holmes truly believed in pure best player available, Sadiq could be the pick, as only 59% of mocks had him available at 17.
10. Clemson CB Avieon Terrell — 1.4% of the selections
A bit early for Terrell, who projects to be a nickel cornerback with some outside versatility. But his competitive spirit and willingness in the run game will certainly have Detroit’s eye.
Not in the top-10:
- Clemson OT Blake Miller (13th, 1.0% of selections) — One of our favorite fits in Detroit, ESPN mockers have him going way later in the darft.
- Arizona State OT Max Iheanachor (17th, 0.3%) — Another fit with the Lions that mockers have going way, way later. Iheanachor (4.2%) is the fourth-most common pairing with the Lions for Pick 50, behind Illinois EDGE Gabe Jacas (42%), Texas Tech LB Jacob Rodriguez (16%), and Iowa OL Gennings Dunker (11%).
