The Detroit Lions’ 2026 NFL Draft—like any year—is bound to have a profound impact on the overall roster. Some players will see their stock rise with the additions. Others may now have a tougher route to the roster or a starting job.
Here are six winners and three losers when it comes to players who were already on the roster prior to the draft.
Winner: Jared Goff
Goff may be the biggest winner of all. After a 2025 season that saw Goff endure a career-high 38 sacks, the drafting of Blake Miller feels like the final touch
on a revamped offensive line. Miller should immediately step in and raise the floor of the entire unit, and moving Penei Sewell to Goff’s blindside should provide some comfort to the Lions quarterback.
Winner: Jahmyr Gibbs, Isiah Pacheco
Goff isn’t the only one to benefit from a revamped offensive line. Last year, the Lions’ rushing attack was far less efficient than in previous years, taking the wind out of Detroit’s offensive sails. In the final six games, as the Lions attempted to make their playoff push, Gibbs averaged just 3.1 yards per carry and 45.3 rushing yards per game. But with Miller’s finishing attitude, a second-year jump from Tate Ratledge, and a revamped left side of the offensive line, Gibbs could be in for a monster Year 4.
Pacheco should benefit from all of the same things, plus Detroit didn’t draft a running back to compete with him. That paves the way for him to not only win the RB2 job this year, but prove to the league he’s still got it and potentially score a much bigger contract next year.
Winner: Christian Mahogany
The Lions could have drafted some competition for the starting left guard job, and no one would’ve thought twice. Instead, they didn’t, leaving Mahogany to compete with Miles Frazier and Ben Bartch (among others) for the starting job. That makes Mahogany the favorite to start.
Additionally, with Sewell now almost certainly moving to left tackle, that would put Mahogany between Sewell and Cade Mays—a significant upgrade from Taylor Decker and Graham Glasgow. Mahogany has never been put in a better position to succeed.
Loser: Giovanni Manu
It’s Year 3 for the developmental tackle, but Manu’s ceiling appears to be OT4 after the selection of Miller. Many were hoping he’d eventually grow into the backup swing tackle, but Detroit clearly likes the experience and success that Larry Borom brings to the position. Manu now must justify keeping a fourth tackle on the roster, meaning for the first time in his young NFL career, he’s truly fighting for his job.
Loser: Dominic Lovett
One of the more surprising picks this year was fifth-round pick Kendrick Law. The slot receiver projects to be a gadget player with untapped upside and an immediate contributor on special teams. Not only does he have returner experience that Lovett lacked, but general manager Brad Holmes has already talked about how he likes Law’s potential as a candidate for the critical gunner role.
Lovett, who spent most of his rookie season playing a very small special teams role, will now have to fight for a spot on the 53-man roster just one season into his NFL career.
Winner: The entire Lions secondary
For the first time in several drafts, the Lions invested in pass rush. Not only did they take Derrick Moore in the first round, but they also invested in some interior pass rush with both their sixth-round (Skyler Gill-Howard) and seventh-round (Tyre West) picks.
Last year, the Lions were able to generate pressure, but only two teams took longer to get to the quarterback. That left the Lions’ secondary out to dry, having to cover receivers for an unrealistic amount of time. With Moore, DJ Wonnum, Aidan Hutchinson, a healthy Alim McNeill, and Levi Onwuzurike, plus a second-year jump from Tyleik Williams, Detroit’s pass rush finally has some true potential, and the weight may be lifted off of Detroit’s defensive backs.
Plus, the only added competition to the room was fifth-round pick, Keith Abney. And while Abney could certainly challenge for the starting nickel role, the outside corners and safeties are likely safe from any additional competition.
Loser: Mekhi Wingo
Wingo has had two years to make an impact on the Lions roster, and it appears Detroit is trying to light a fire underneath him. Wingo has logged just 235 snaps over two season—only 59 last year—and now he has direct competition with Gill-Howard possessing many of the same traits.
The job won’t automatically go to the rookie, but the pressure is now on Wingo to perform. It’s now or never for the third-year defensive tackle.
Winner: Malcolm Rodriguez
Linebacker was one of the team’s biggest needs going into the draft, and while they did select Michigan linebacker Jimmy Rolder with their fourth-round pick, I’m not so sure he’ll push Rodriguez for playing time. Rolder is athletic and showed promise in his one year as a starter for the Wolverines, but I believe he’s more of a long-term project who will contribute on special teams right away.
That opens the door for Rodriguez to get a lot of early playing time and prove to both the Lions and the rest of the league that he’s a starting-level talent.
He was robbed of that opportunity last year—his contract year—with an ACL that zapped most of his 2025 season. Now healthy, Rodriguez could impress in 2026 and cash in in 2027.
