The Detroit Lions have the 17th overall pick, and with the 2026 NFL Draft under a month away, general manager Brad Holmes is likely narrowing his options at that position. Obviously, his primary goal is to evaluate talent and find the right fits for the team. However, maneuvering around the draft is also very important to maximize the value of each selection and ensure you’ve got the best chance to acquire the best talent.
In the first round, the Lions face an interesting dilemma. On one hand, Detroit’s
immediate needs have been really narrowed to offensive tackle and defensive end. If that’s the case, you could certainly make the argument that if a top talent is still on the board around the 10-15 range, Detroit could just trade up, take care of one of those needs, and feel good about where the team is. On the other hand, this team only has two top-100 picks. If they feel comfortable with still getting a high-tier player 5-10 picks lower than their current spot, acquiring more picks to help build out this team’s depth and possibly add another starter for the future.
So today’s Question of the Day is:
Should the Lions trade up, trade down, or stay put at 17 overall?
My answer: My preferences, in order, are stay at 17, trade down, and trade up.
Right now, my perception of this draft class is that there should be a pretty good player available at 17, particularly at offensive tackle, which I view as the team’s most pressing need. That could obviously change depending on how the board falls. However, I like the idea of staying patient, sticking with your board, and getting a second-tier player on a team that will need to continue to replenish their roster with young, talented players.
If the board doesn’t fall their way, trading down would be a great consolation prize. Much like their approach to free agency, filling the roster with a bunch of cheap players is a great way to afford the expensive core of the team. The more picks you get, the more opportunities you have to add cheap talent. Given Holmes’ recent tendencies of trading up, a big trade down could help offset some of those aggressive tendencies that have left them with fewer draft resources.
As for trading up, don’t get me wrong, I understand the appeal. Detroit says they don’t want to mess around with fixing their offensive line, and they could get a top-tier tackle in this class with an aggressive trade up. That would pretty much wrap up fixing the offensive line for the now and the future. But I think this tackle class is five or six players deep when it comes to starting-level talent, and sacrificing opportunities to fill out other fringe needs (edge, linebacker, safety, nose tackle) doesn’t feel like the best use of resources to me.
What are your thoughts on moving Detroit’s first-round pick? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.
