The Detroit Lions spent a sixth-round pick in the NFL Draft this past weekend to address arguably one of their biggest needs at edge rusher.
A couple of early stabs at the 2026 NFL Draft don’t have them waiting as long to address it again.
ESPN on Thursday unveiled an early mock draft for 2026, with NFL draft analyst Jordan Reid slotting Texas A&M edge rusher Cashius Howell to the Lions at No. 29. That comes on the heels of an early mock draft from CBS Sports unveiled Wednesday that has them selecting Oregon edge Matayo Uiagalelei at No. 28.
“The Lions surprisingly did not draft an edge rusher until the sixth round this year (Ahmed Hassanein),” Reid writes. “Aidan Hutchinson played only five games last season (broken leg), but he was still the only Lions player with more than four sacks. Howell — who could be a big riser in this class — can help. He spent much of 2024 behind Shemar Stewart and Nic Scourton but starred in the Las Vegas Bowl, finishing with a sack and an interception.”
The usual caveats apply here, like with any way-too-early look at rankings and drafts, including in this case, the position in which the Lions will actually draft. For this exercise, Reid says ESPN used its Super Bowl odds from ESPN BET and reversed it to determine the draft order. CBS Sports did the same, using Super Bowl odds from FanDuel Sportsbook to set its order.
Stewart and Scourton went in the first two rounds of last weekend’s draft, but the 6-foot-4, 255-pound Howell appeared to still carve out a role for the Aggies last season. In 13 games, he registered 40 tackles, with four sacks among 8.5 tackles for loss. His eight quarterback hurries led the team, and he was second in sacks.
Uiagalelei tallied 9½ sacks among 11½ for loss last season to pace the Ducks’ defense. He added a pair of forced fumbles.
“The younger brother of (quarterback) D.J. Uiagalelei has been impactful since arriving in Eugene,” CBS Sports’Josh Edwards writes. “… Jordan Burch, Jamaree Caldwell and Derrick Harmon (Detroit Loyola) are gone from that Ducks defensive line. The future lies in the hands of talented prospects like defensive tackle Bear Alexander and Uiagalelei.”
Whether the Lions target — or even need — an edge rusher a year from now obviously is a long way off, and general manager Brad Holmes has bristled at the suggestion of drafting for “need,” anyway. The Lions selected Hassanein out of Boise State on Day 3, and his backstory and his quick ascension in the sport — he started playing at age 16 — could make him both a fan favorite and late-round gem for the Lions.
The 2026 NFL Draft is April 23-25 in Pittsburgh.
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