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Detroit has made confirmed scouting stops at 17 schools, including repeat visits to Ohio State and Texas. Here are the quarterbacks, corners, safeties, linebackers and running backs who could be drawing their attention.
Nov 22, 2025; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns defensive back Jelani McDonald (4) scratches his helmet after making a tackle during the second half against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images
Scott Wachter
The Detroit Lions are back from their bye week, and another Saturday of college football is in the books. That makes this a good time to reset the table on the Lions’ 2026 scouting trail. Where have Detroit’s scouts been, and which draft prospects might they have been there to see?
Here’s every school the Lions have had confirmed scouts at this year:
Ohio State (Three times)
Texas (Three times)
NC State
Vanderbilt
Virginia
West Virginia
Utah State
Utah
Ball State
Tennessee
Iowa
Michigan (Twice)
LSU
Kentucky
UCLA
Oregon
Florida State
Indiana (Twice)
Notre Dame (Twice)
BYU
Oklahoma
Northwestern
Colorado
Texas Tech
Syracuse
Uconn
North Carolina
Those are only the visits we know about. It’s also worth noting that Lions general manager Brad Holmes attended the Iowa vs. Michigan game himself.
Ohio State and Texas stand out the most. Detroit has been to both schools twice, and that usually means there’s more than one player it wants a long look at.
Ohio State
Julian Sayin, QB
Jaylen McClain, S
Earl Little, S
Texas
Arch Manning, QB
Jelani McDonald, S
Rasheem Biles, LB
NC State
CJ Bailey, QB
King Mack, S
Vanderbilt
Martel Hight, CB
Jordan Matthews, CB
Virginia
Kam Robinson, LB
Jam Jackson, CB
West Virginia
Utah State
Utah
Ball State
Tennessee
Amare Campbell, LB
Kaylin Lee, CB
Iowa
Michigan
Jyaire Hill, CB
Zeke Berry, CB
LSU
Sam Leavitt, QB
Dashawn Spears, S
Ty Benefield, S
Kentucky
Ty Bryant, S
Jordan Castle, S
UCLA
Tao Johnson, S
Nico Iameleava. QB
DJ Barksdale, CB
Oregon
Dante Moore, QB
Koi Perich, S
Indiana
Josh Hoover, QB
Jamari Sharpe, CB
Notre Dame
CJ Carr — QB
Leonard Moore, CB
Tae Johnson, S
Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa, LB
BYU
Oklahoma
– Peyton Bowen, S
Northwestern
Colorado
Texas Tech
Syracuse
– Chris Peal, DB
UConn
North Carolina
Ohio State and Texas lead the way
At Ohio State, quarterback Julian Sayin is a name to keep an eye on. I get it. Jared Goff is playing the best football of his career right now, and there’s no doubt about that. But Sayin looks almost like a carbon copy of Goff, and this Lions offense is built for a quarterback like that.
Draft Sayin in the second or third round, and he can sit on the bench and marinate for a while. By the time Detroit is ready to hand him the keys, say in 2029 or 2030, he’s ready to go.
The Buckeyes also have two safeties in Jaylen McClain and Earl Little who could fit what the Lions need. But the safety I’m watching most closely plays for Texas. That’s Jelani McDonald.
Nobody knows what Kerby Joseph’s future looks like at this point. I’m not reporting anything here, and I hope I’m wrong. But right now, nobody really knows when we’re going to see him again. Either way, Detroit has to think about what its future at safety looks like.
Maybe part of that answer is Keith Abney. I thought Abney played a strong game at safety against the Cardinals, and that’s worth monitoring. McDonald, though, reminds me of Joseph. He has the makings of a ball hawk, he can do a lot of things on the field, and he has tremendous size.
More names to know across the list
NC State’s King Mack is a player the Lions could grab a little later in the draft. Wolfpack quarterback CJ Bailey is also on my list.
At cornerback, Michigan’s Jyaire Hill works really well in man coverage. That’s the kind of coverage the Lions like to play in their secondary. I actually mocked him to Detroit during the bye week, and I like what he can do.
Oregon’s Koi Perich is another defensive back worth watching.
Overall, this list is heavy on safeties, running backs, and linebackers, with a few quarterbacks sprinkled in. That tells you a little bit about where we think the Lions’ eyes are right now.
It’s still early
Here’s the thing. It’s still early in the college football season, and it’s still early in the NFL season. We don’t know where the Lions will be picking. We also don’t know how many of these players will actually declare for the NFL draft.
These are the guys we think will be there, and that can change in a hurry. Take Oregon quarterback Dante Moore. Everybody thought he was going to be in the 2026 draft. Now it looks like he’ll be in the 2027 draft.
So consider this a watch list, not a final answer. If I had to guess, I think the Lions go all in on cornerback and safety. I think they’ll probably grab a quarterback, and I think they’ll look for some linebacker help too.
We’ll keep tracking where Detroit’s scouts show up as the season goes on. Let’s see where it goes.
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