With less than two weeks until the 2026 NFL Draft, analysts are fine-tuning their mock drafts after months of collecting information. In this installment of the mock draft roundup, the majority of projections—62 of the 66 we explored—are pairing the Detroit Lions with an offensive lineman in the first round.
Let’s take a look at which NFL Draft prospects are being mocked to the Lions this week.
Offensive linemen
Francis Mauigoa, RT, Miami (6-foot-5 1/2, 329) Source: Vinnie Iyer (Sporting News via trade up), Lou Scataglia
(NFL Spin Zone, via trade up)
“The Lions are moving on without Taylor Decker and need a strong left tackle candidate to put opposite the dominant right-side edge blocking of Penei Sewell. The Ravens will be OK obliging as they are less locked into a glaring need. Going for Mauigoa would be aggressive but well played by GM Brad Holmes.” — Iyer
Spencer Fano, RT, Utah (6-foot-5 1/2, 311)
Source: Erik Schlitt (POD Community Mock Draft), J.P. Acosta (CBS Sports), Tyler Dragon (USA Today), Mike Payton (AtoZ Staff), Jason Sarney (Dolphins Wire), Tim Crean (Clutch Points), Tyler Erzberger (Newsweek), Matthew Gideon (Live Score), Johnny McGonical (Penn Live), Matt Verderame (Sports Illustrated), Patrick Flowers (Bleacher Nation), Pat Fitzmaurice (Fantasy Pros), Andy (Andy NFL)
“I’m curious how many teams view Fano as a tackle versus an interior player at guard or even center, but Dan Campbell’s comments at the Annual League Meeting in Phoenix about moving Penei Sewell to left tackle perked my ears up a bit. Fano played right tackle for Utah, and if he’s more of an interior guy, he can slide to left guard. Either way, his fluid movement skills and core strength are the pillars of his game and would make him at least a quality NFL starter.” — Acosta
Vega Ioane, LG, Penn State (6-foot-4, 320)
Source: Peter Schrager (ESPN), Pete Prisco (CBS Sports), Gabriel Kahaian (Buccaneers.com)
“I’m not sure there’s a more ‘Dan Campbell’ player in this draft than Ioane. He’s 6-foot-4 and 320 pounds, and he plays with a mean streak. Ioane didn’t give up a single sack and was an All-American last season at Penn State. Nice fit on the interior for the Detroit line.” — Schrager
Blake Miller, RT, Clemson (6-foot-7, 317)
Source: Curt Popejoy (Draft Wire), C.H. Herms (FTN Fantasy), Mike Fanelli (Fantasy Pros), Joshua Feldstein (Fox 43)
“The Lions are in massive need of supplementing their offensive line. Without Taylor Decker and Graham Glasgow around anymore, and Penei Sewell looking like he’s going to head back over to left tackle in 2026, taking on a true right tackle that’s ready to fire Day 1 would be ideal.” — Herms
Monroe Freeling, LT, Georgia (6-foot-7 1/2, 315)
Source: Tim Twentyman (DetroitLions.com), Diante Lee (The Ringer), Rhett Lewis (NFL.com), Kyle Crabbs (AtoZ Sports), Nate Davis (USA Today), Nick Brinkerhoff (USA Today), Ryan Roberts (AtoZ Sports), Brian Lamb (Draft Countdown), Tarringo Basile-Vaughan (NFL Mocks), Theo Mackie (Arizona Republic), Alex Barth (985 the sports hub), Mike Pendleton (Bears Wire), Christian D’Andrea (For the Win), ALyssa Barberi (Touchdown Wire), Theo Gremminger (Fantasy Points)
“The Lions love athletic traits in players and Freeling has a 9.99 out of a possible 10.0 RAS (relative athletic score), which ranks No. 2 out of 1,519 offensive tackles dating back to 1987. He’s got great size (6-7, 315) to go along with those athletic traits with plenty of room to grow and learn from two veteran tackles after just 16 starts in college. He’d give Detroit arguably two of the most athletic bookend tackles in the league.” — Twentyman
Kadyn Proctor, LT, Alabama (6-foot-7, 352)
Source: Meko Scott and Morgan Cannon (Pride of Detroit), Matthew Freedman (Fantasy Life), Luke Easterling (Anthon Sports), Josh Edwards (CBS Sports), Garrett Podell (CBS Sports), Tyler Sullivan (CBS Sports), Jacob Carmenker (USA Today), Brian Bosarge (Draft Countdown), Cayden Steele (NJ.com), Cody Williams (Fansided), Edge Garcis (Daily Lobo), Matt Rooney (Bleacher Nation), Kyle Newman (Gang Green Nation), Nck Suss (The Tennessean), Ben Standig (Last Man Standig), James Meche (ESPN radio Lafayette), Daniel Belton (Cat Scratch Reader), Destin Adams (AtoZ Adams), Ian Harper (NFL Mocks)
“In Kadyn Proctor, the Lions find a potential franchise blindside protector to replace released longtime LT Taylor Decker. Still just 20 years old, Proctor was the No. 1 OT in the 2023 recruitment class, and then at Alabama, he started at LT for all three of his college seasons, the final of which resulted in consensus first-team All-American recognition. Proctor’s weight will always need to be managed (352 pounds at the combine), but he has the height (6-foot-7) to carry his sizable mass, and in a worst-case scenario, the Lions can bump him to G if he struggles with speed on the perimeter. Or if the Lions want to move RT Penei Sewell to LT, then they could put Proctor in Sewell’s vacated spot. Either way, Proctor will feature in the Week 1 OL.” — Freedman
Caleb Lomu, LT, Utah (6-foot-6, 313)
Source: Nick Baumgardner (The Athletic), Jacob Infante (Pro Football Network), Rob Staton (Seahawks Draft Blog), Fox Research (Fox Sports)
“The Lions likely will move Penei Sewell to left tackle next season, potentially opening the door for either veteran Larry Borom or a rookie to take over at RT. Lomu (like Fano, his linemate at Utah) is athletic enough to play on either side — and he’s young enough to benefit from a situation like this.” — Baumgardner
Max Iheanachor, RT, Utah (6-foot-6, 321)
Source: Nate Tice and Charles McDonald (Yahoo Sports), T.J. Randall (Pro Football Network)
“There’s a lot of moves the Lions can make here, but one hole they can patch up in a hurry is figuring out who is going to play tackle across from All-Pro talent Penei Sewell. Iheanachor began his football career in JUCO a few years ago, but he has legitimate first-round traits and tape, which is an impressive amount of improvement in a short time. He could help reset Detroit’s offensive line as the Lions close the door on the old faces that made up one of the elite offensive line units in the league.” — McDonald
Erik’s thoughts:
The fact that seven (!) different offensive tackles are still being connected to the Detroit Lions is an indicator of how widely varied NFL Draft boards are this cycle. While both analysts required the Lions to trade up to select Mauigoa, it is interesting that the majority of projections have landed on Fano (13), Freeling (15), and Proctor (19), while Miller (4) continues to be undermocked to the Lions.
Another interesting player to reemerge on the roundup is guard Vega Ioane. Peter Schrager, who is considered one of the better mock drafters due to his insider connections, connected him to the Lions, though it’s worth pointing out that his accuracy has wavered when it comes to Detroit. Regardless, Ioane remains an interesting choice for the Lions, as it would go a bit against the grain of what most believe the Lions would prioritize, but he could also be the best player on the board when the Lions are on the clock and would help upgrade the line overall. It’s not my preferred selection to add a guard in the first round, but I would understand the thought process and would agree with the value of the selection.
Edge rusher
Keldric Faulk, EDGE, Auburn (6-foot-6, 276)
Source: Nicholas Rome (Saturday Blitz), Kody Malstrom (Fantasy Life)
“While Aidan Hutchinson has been a force for the Lions, the team has struggled to find a solid piece opposite him long-term. While Keldric Faulk still has a long way to go in his development, he fits the profile of what the Lions are looking for. Faulk would instantly help this team against the run while he can develop as a pass rusher long term.” — Rome
Akheem Mesidor EDGE, Miami (6-foot-3, 259)
Source: Nick Wright (Fox Sports), David Furones (Sun Sentinel)
“The Lions still need an edge rusher opposite of Aidan Hutchinson.” — Wright
Erik’s thoughts:
While the amount of mock drafts pairing the Lions with an edge rusher in round one has plummeted, it’s worth noting that ESPN’s Matt Miller is reporting that he has heard that the Lions are “equally high” on filling their offensive tackle and edge rusher needs. While Miller did note that he expected both positions to be the Lions’ top two selections, it’s also worth pointing out that ESPN’s Lions beat writer, Eric Woodyard, suggested the first selection could come on the defensive line.
If the Lions indeed elect to grab a defensive lineman, Faulk and Mesidor seem to be the natural choices to pick from, though I also believe the NFL is probably a lot higher on Faulk than the draft community is. If he’s on the board at pick No. 17, I’m sure the Lions would give him serious consideration.
