With the 2026 NFL Draft weekend upon us, teams will introduce their latest rookie class to the league in hopes of having them become part of the next Super Bowl puzzle. The draft also means finalizing past trades that included future draft picks. That includes a deal made in November 2024, which sent Za’Darius Smith from the Cleveland Browns to the Detroit Lions.
Original Terms of the Za’Darius Smith trade
- Lions receive: Za’Darius Smith, 2026 seventh-round pick
- Browns receive: 2025 fifth-round pick, 2026 sixth-round pick
What did the Lions do with the pick from the Za’Darius Smith trade?
The Lions selected Tennessee DT Tyre West at 222 overall.
How was Za’Darius Smith’s performance for the Lions?
Smith performed well for the Lions down the stretch of the 2024 season, making
seven starts and eight appearances and recording four sacks. He signed with the Philadelphia Eagles for the 2025 campaign but only played in five games and announced his retirement in October during the season.
What did the Browns do with the picks from the Za’Darius Smith trade?
The Browns traded the sixth-round pick acquired in the Smith deal to the Cincinnati Bengals in the trade that moved quarterback Joe Flacco to the AFC North rival.
The fifth-round pick they acquired in the deal was also traded to the Philadelphia Eagles in the trade that swapped backup quarterbacks Dorian Thompson-Robinson and Kenny Pickett.
That pick was then dealt to the Kansas City Chiefs and the Pittsburgh Steelers in two separate trades. The pick was ultimately used on Iowa defensive tackle Yahya Black, who recorded 28 tackles in his rookie season.
