ESPN’s Peter Schrager has built up a reputation of being one of the most tuned-in analysts in a sea of NFL reporters. Some believe his mock draft carries the most weight when it comes to accuracy. That claim only mildly holds up to true, as The Huddle Report ranks him 33rd out of about 200 analysts when it comes to mock draft accuracy over the past five years.
Regardless, Schrager dropped his final 2026 NFL mock draft, and it’s a doozy for Detroit Lions fans. Schrager tapped into Lions general manager
Brad Holmes’ aggressive tendencies and made a costly trade up to ensure they got their offensive tackle of choice. Before I get into the player, here’s the trade:
Lions get:
- Pick 13
Rams get:
- Pick 17
- Pick 118 (fourth round)
- 2027 second-round pick
I’m already out on the move. That’s an extremely costly move up for just four spots, when only two offensive tackles (Francis Mauigoa, Spencer Fano) were off the board. I’ve already expressed why I’ve been irked by Holmes’ tendency to dig into future picks, but that’s only becoming a worse and worse idea as Detroit’s finances get tighter and tighter. That future second-round pick could be a decent starter for four years at a minimum salary.
I get the idea behind a trade up this specific year. As some recent rumors suggest, the Lions may have a target on their back given their obvious need at tackle. Teams are reportedly calling to trade ahead of Detroit, and if the Lions want the offensive tackle of their choice, they may need to get aggressive. But if Holmes truly believes that the team should not draft for immediate need, then this is too desperate and costly of a move to grab a tackle.
As for the player, Schrager went with Alabama left tackle Kadyn Proctor. Daniel Jeremiah has started what appears to be a very public rumor that the Lions are infatuated with Proctor, even going as far to say that the 350-pound lineman “will not get by the Detroit Lions.” And while I have my doubts about that rumor, it is the hot name to Detroit right now.
Don’t get me wrong, Proctor is a tempting prospect. He’s massive, moves quite well for his size, and he would be an absolute road grader in the Lions offense that would help bring the run game back to the level of efficiency that helped them earn the No. 1 seed in the NFC in 2024.
But he doesn’t come without his warts. There are concerning lapses in his pass protection and some have raised concerns about his culture fit in Detroit.
The question at the heart of this is whether his talent is that far above the other tackles that were available in this mock. To make this trade up for Proctor look even worse, look at where the other remaining tackles were eventually taken. Clemson’s Blake Miller was the next to be selected at 19—after Detroit’s original pick. Georgia’s Monroe Freeling went 21st, Arizona State’s Max Iheanachor went 23rd, and Utah’s Caleb Lomu went 27th.
Is Proctor so far and above these other players to warrant spending an extra fourth and a future second-round pick to secure him? I find that very hard to justify, and I would be very disappointed if this is how things played out on draft night.
The good news? Schrager has not done particularly well when predicting what the Lions will do. Our own Erik Schlitt brings the comfort blanket:
