The Detroit Lions selected defensive tackle Tyleik Williams in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft. An ESPN mock draft published Wednesday has the Lions following the same path in 2026.
Jordan Reid, an NFL Draft and college football analyst for ESPN, has the Lions taking Alabama defensive tackle LT Overton at No. 20 overall. Reid has the Cleveland Browns selecting Oregon quarterback Dante Moore, a former Detroit King star, at No. 3.
Reid’s draft order is based on current NFL standings.
The Lions selected Williams at No. 28 overall last year out of Ohio State, bolstering an interior defensive line that included Alim McNeill, Levi Onwuzurike and DJ Reader. McNeill is nearing a return from a knee injury suffered last December, while Onwuzurike will miss the 2025 season following surgery in July to repair an ACL.
“Lions GM Brad Holmes isn’t afraid to go against the grain and take players who best fit the team’s profile, even if it means reaching,” Reid writes. “Overton could help a Detroit defensive line that needs reinforcements opposite star edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson, as its 27.4% pass rush win rate as a team ranks 31st in the NFL. Overton is a scheme-versatile defender who wins with overwhelming power at the point of attack and could pair nicely with (Williams) on the inside.”
The 6-foot-5, 278-pound Overton has 22 tackles, including three sacks among five tackles for loss, through six games this season for Alabama, including 1½ sacks in the Tide’s 27-24 victory last weekend at then-No. 14 Missouri. He tallied two sacks among 42 tackles in 13 games, including four starts, last season. He also spent two seasons at Texas A&M.
Moore, meanwhile, is off to a strong start in his first season as the Ducks’ starting quarterback, though he appeared to struggle in Oregon’s first loss of the season last weekend, throwing for just 186 yards and a touchdown with a pair of interceptions in a 30-20 defeat to now No. 3 Indiana. Moore was sacked six times.
Still, Moore has completed 72% of his passes (121 for 168) for 1,396 yards and 15 touchdowns, with just three interceptions.
“Moore was surging up draft boards prior to an underwhelming performance against Indiana, but he is a calm distributor with the arm strength to get the ball to all three levels of the field,” Reid writes. “His 72% completion percentage ranks ninth in the FBS. Moore has only 11 career starts, but he is primed to be near the top of a QB class filled with question marks. The Browns have plenty of questions of their own under center, as rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders haven’t established themselves as long-term options.”
Reid’s first-round projection does not include any players for Michigan or Michigan State. The Wolverines have had seven first-round draft picks in the last four years, including three last year: defensive lineman Mason Graham (No. 5, Browns), tight end Colston Loveland (No. 10, Chicago Bears), and defensive tackle Kenneth Grant (No. 13, Miami Dolphins).
The 2026 NFL Draft will be April 23-25 in Pittsburgh.
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