The NFL Draft is just days away, and analysts are publishing their final mock drafts of the 2026 offseason. As we do every week in the offseason, we’ll round up this week’s projection—we explored 72 different mock drafts from the past seven days—and organize the predictions by prospect, as well as provide some Detroit Lions-related commentary.
As has become customary once we get this close to the NFL Draft, publications try to shake things up with their mock drafts. This week, we’ve seen a lot of
AI-influenced simulations where analysts simply let the mock draft machine make the picks, we’ve seen alternate-universe situations like “what if the Raiders didn’t pick Fernando Mendoza?” mock drafts, and even worse, there are writers’ admittedly and purposefully “rage baiting” their audience. Per usual, I excluded the jump-the-shark mock drafts to avoid unnecessarily influencing this exercise and provide readers with more realistic outcomes. (i.e., I waded through the trash so you don’t have to).
Let’s take a look at which NFL Draft prospects are being mocked to the Lions this week.
Offensive linemen
Spencer Fano, RT, Utah (6-foot-5 1/2, 311)
Source: Chad Reuter (NFL.com), James Dator (SB Nation), Bradley Locker (PFF), Vincent Bonsignore (NY Post), Paul Gillemette (Draft Countdown), Jason Abbey (DAZN), Andrew Phelps (Lindy’s Sports)
“The Lions weren’t afraid to select Penei Sewell five years ago in spite of questions about his length, so Fano’s measurables should not dissuade them from giving him a shot at right tackle, with Sewell then moving to the left side following the departure of Taylor Decker.” — Reuter
Vega Ioane, LG, Penn State (6-foot-4, 320)
Source: Vinnie Iyer (Sporting News), Tim Bielik (Cleveland.com), Alec Medford (105.3 The Fan – Cowboys)
“The Lions need to focus on their offensive line rebuild and getting the big, powerful and mean Ioane from the Nittany Lions would be ideal to maintain their run blocking strength inside.” — Iyer
Blake Miller, RT, Clemson (6-foot-7, 317)
Source: Erik Schlitt (SB Nation), Todd McShay (McShay Report), Steve Muench (McShay Report), Gennardo Filice (NFL.com), Adam Rank (NFL.com), James Meche (ESPN), Tom Fornelli (CBS Sports), Rob Rang (Fox Sports), Brent Sobleski (Bleacher Report), Alex Butler (UPI)
“Proctor is the tackle most commonly mocked to Detroit, and while his traits might be more enticing, Miller’s tape is far more consistent. Miller is 6 feet, 6 3/4 inches and 317 pounds with 34 1/4–inch arms, and he ran a 5.04-second 40, posted a 32-inch vertical (72nd percentile among the last three OT classes), and put up 32 bench reps (the best among offensive linemen at the last three combines).” — McShay
Monroe Freeling, LT, Georgia (6-foot-7 1/2, 315)
Source: Dane Brugler (7-round mock via The Athletic, and via Mina Kimes’ War Room podcast), Mel Kiper (ESPN), Mike Renner (CBS Sports), Brett Whitefield (Fantasy Points), Mike Band (NFL.com), Luke Easterling (Athlon Sports), Craig Ellenport (Athlon Sports), Ayrton Ostly (USA Today), Tyler Forness (AtoZ Sports), Cameron Willey (Stadium Rant), Justin Bales (FF Today), Dan Zaksheske (Outkick), The Draft Zone (Staff), Rob Paul (Sportsbook Review), Andrew Cooper (Fantasy Alarm), Ryan Noonan (4for4), John Green (Buffalo FAMbase), Jordan Foote (PrizePicks), Pete Martuneac (SI – Bears), Jack Wargo (Sleeper CFB), Paul Banks (The Sports Bank), Johnny McGonigal (Penn Live), Chris Gregory (Rotoballer)
“Though he’s inexperienced in areas, Freeling is an ascending player with above-average size and athletic traits. The Lions have short-term options opposite Penei Sewell, but Freeling has the talent to earn his way onto the field at some point during his rookie season”. — Brugler
Kadyn Proctor, LT, Alabama (6-foot-7, 352)
Source: Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz (USA Today), Jacob Camenker (USA Today), Jared Dublin (CBS Sports), Geoff Schwartz (Fox Sports), Matthew Freedman (Fantasy Life), Jordan Edwards (Sports Info Solutions), Evan Silva (Establish the Run), John Daigle (Establish the Run), Ryan Roberts (AtoZ Sports), Josh Edwards (CBS Sports), Anthony Rizzuti (Panthers Wire), Nicholas Rome (Saturday Blitz), Matt Mulhern (NBC Sports – Philadelphia), Logan Ulrich (NFL Rumors), Matt Rooney (Bleacher Nation), Doug Orth (The Huddle), Sean Newcomb (The Daily Targum), Ian Harper (NFL Mocks), Andrew Hammond (Al.com), Rob Staton (Seahawks Draft Blog)
“With Dan Campbell swinging open the door to Penei Sewell moving to left tackle, the Lions have ample flexibility to patch their hole at offensive tackle. By adding Proctor, however, Detroit could keep Sewell at the spot at which he’s become an All-Pro performer. The 6-7, 352-pound blocker’s penchant for displacing people in the run game should endear him to Campbell right away.” — Middlehurst-Schwartz
Max Iheanachor, RT, Utah (6-foot-6, 321)
Source: Trevor Sikkema and Connor Rogers (The NFL Stock Exchange), Nate Tice and Charles McDonlad (Yahoo Sports), Justin Melo (Sports Illustrated – NFL Draft)
“Proctor is the buzzy name… but I think Iheanachor is better… Max Iheanachor is a top 15 player for me. I think his talent is through the roof. And I think when you look at the fact that h’s only been playing football for four years… I just think the athleticism is there, the frame is there, the strength, the body density, the ability to anchor against power… if you can get this guy with more football under his belt and the right offensive line coach you can fix (his flaws). You can play him at right tackle, then you’re obviosuly going to move Penei Sewell to left.” — Sikkema
Caleb Lomu, LT, Utah (6-foot-6, 313)
Source: Emory Hunt (CBS Sports), Brian Batko (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette), Dennis Sosic (Fantasy Pros)
“Lomu offers significant upside for the Lions as a redshirt sophomore who still has room to grow.” — Hunt
Erik’s thoughts:
Despite our close proximity to the draft, we continue to see a wide range of offensive line prospects heavily connected to the Lions. This week, 70 of the 72 mock drafts we looked at connected Detroit to an offensive lineman, and they were distributed in the following manner:
- Fano: 7 projections
- Ioane: 3
- Miller: 10
- Freeling: 24
- Proctor: 20
- Iheanachor: 3
- Lomu: 3
The majority of the projections landed on the rising star Freeling, but there was still a heavy amount of people leaning toward Proctor, likely due to NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah suggesting the Alabama tackle wouldn’t fall past the Lions’ pick. Miller’s stock continues to rise, while Iheanachor and Lomu are getting minimal attention.
With 70 mock drafts to sift through, it’s important to keep in mind what’s really worth noting this week: Where are the veteran/connected mock drafters placing their pick projections?
Of the established analysts from publications like The Athletic, NFL.com, and ESPN, you’ll notice that most of their picks landed on Freeling and Miller, though it’s worth noting that Iheanachor also has some heavy hitters backing him.
Reading the tea leaves here suggests that the two prospects Lions fans should keep their attention on are Freeling and Miller, while noting that Iheanachor could be a sleeper pick.
Edge rusher
Akheem Mesidor EDGE, Miami (6-foot-3, 259)
Source: Connor Rogers (NBC Sports), Scott Smith (Buccaneers.com)
“The Lions did indeed have their eyes on Freeling and could just shift to Kadyn Proctor or Caleb Lomu, but instead I have them pivoting to another obvious need: an edge rush running mate for Aidan Hutchinson. Al-Quadin Muhammad emerged as that guy last year but he’s now in Tampa. The one knock on Mesidor is his age, as he recently turned 25, but the Lions are in win-now mode and want an instant impact player. Mesidor has a well-developed pass-rush toolkit and he plays hard on every down.” — Smith
Erik’s thoughts:
The only non-offensive lineman to get projections this week was Mesidor, who has consistently been featured on the Roundup all offseason. Auburn’s Keldric Faulk falls off the Roundup list for the first time in a long while, but I think that lines up with the suggestions that the NFL likes him more than the draft analysts do.
Mesidor could certainly be the wildcard on Day 1 of the NFL Draft for the Lions. If there is a bit of a run on offensive linemen, or if they simply have the Miami edge rusher ranked higher, they could easily opt to grab him, as he is a terrific fit for what the Lions desire in their players.
However, most analysts are expecting the Lions to select an edge rusher in Round 2, and we saw evidence of this in this week’s mock drafts that expanded beyond the initial round.
Round 2 Spotlight
Gabe Jacas, EDGE, Illinois (6-foot-4, 260)
Source: Luke Easterling (Athlon Sports), Chris Gregory (Rotoballer), Logan Ulrich (NFL Rumors)
Malachi Lawrence, EDGE, UCF 96-foot-4 1/2, 253)
Source: Ryan Roberts (AtoZ Sports)
Jaishawn Barham, EDGE/SAM, Michigan (6-foot-3 1/2, 251)
Source: Trevor Sikkema and Connor Rogers (The NFL Stock Exchange)
Derrick Moore, EDGE, Michigan (6-foot-4, 255)
Source: Mel Kiper (ESPN), Chad Reuter (NFL.com), Brent Sobleski (Bleacher Report), Jordan Edwards (Sports Info Solutions)
D’Angelo Ponds, CB/NB, Indiana (5-foot-9, 182)
Source: Dane Brugler (7-round mock via The Athletic), Todd McShay (McShay Report)
Of the 11 mock drafts that featured more than one round, nine of them paired the Lions with an edge rusher, with Jacas and Moore each receiving multiple projections. Both Jacas and Moore would be solid fits for the Lions’ scheme and culture, and with this many connections happening 50 picks into these mock drafts, it’s worth taking note.
As Brett Whitefield pointed out last week, the Lions could certainly be in the market to draft a cornerback, and Ponds was on his list of viable candidates. Adding further fuel to the Ponds fire is the fact that Brugler and McShay—two of the most highly respected analysts in the business—are also on that same page, which should absolutely grab Lions fans’ attention.
