2026 NFL Draft order: Detroit Lions first-round pick officially set

SB Nation

The Detroit Lions’ 2025 season has come to a close, and the Lions now hold the No. 17 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.

While the season is complete for over half the NFL, we’ve only just begun to establish the draft

order for the majority of this year’s picks. At this stage, we know the first 18 picks in the upcoming draft, with the remaining first-round picks assigned once teams are eliminated from the NFL playoffs. Once the playoffs conclude, more picks will be awarded to teams via the NFL—i.e., compensatory picks, awarded picks based on minority hires, etc.—and we will learn all the Lions’ official picks in the coming months.

Lions’ estimated picks in each round

For now, here is where the Lions are slotted to pick, keeping in mind the picks beyond the first three rounds are just estimated placeholders:

Round 1: No. 17
Round 2: No. 50
Round 4: To be determined
Round 5: TBD
Round 5: TBD, expected compensatory pick (loss of Kevin Zeitler)*
Round 6: TBD (From Jaguars as part of Tim Patrick trade)
Round 6: TBD (From Jaguars, via Seattle as part of trade for Issac TeSlaa)
Round 7: TBD (From Cleveland, via the Za’Darius Smith trade)

* – Compensatory picks are awarded based on the totality of roster moves during a designated time of the previous offseason. Quality of player, salaries, and playing time are all included in the formula to determine if a team is eligible for an additional draft pick. Initially, the Lions were not expected to be awarded a pick; however, with prized free agent D.J. Reed missing seven weeks with an injury, the formula shifts in the Lions’ favor. According to the folks over at OverTheCap.com, they expect Detroit to be awarded a fourth-round pick.

Lions’ picks, which were traded away

Round 3: traded to the Jaguars during the 2025 draft — Issac TeSlaa trade
Round 3 (comp pick – Aaron Glenn): Included in the above TeSlaa deal
Round 6: traded to the Browns for Za’Darius Smith
Round 7: traded to the Jaguars for Riley Patterson (from trade in 2023)

History of pick No. 17

The Lions have held the No. 17 pick five times in their history, but only once in the last 30 years: in 2008, when they selected Gosder Cherilus. An immediate starter at right tackle, Cherilus played five seasons in Detroit (74 games) before moving on to the Colts and Bucs, each for two seasons. Over his career, Cherilus played in 132 games, starting 116, and retired after nine NFL seasons.

Here are the last players selected at pick No. 17 over the past decade: