The bye week feels like a good time to break out the first Detroit Lions 2026 mock draft of the season.
Entering Week 8, the Lions currently hold the No. 24 overall pick as the top NFC wild card qualifier. Trades have significantly altered the Detroit draft complexion after the first two rounds:
Both third-round picks (DET own and the Aaron Glenn comp pick) are traded (for Isaac TeSlaa)Detroit’s own 6th-round pick was traded to Cleveland as part of the Za’Darius Smith deal in 2025. The Bengals now own that pick from the recent Joe Flacco trade.Detroit’s own 7th-round pick was part of a deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars, but the conditional terms of that deal aren’t clearly enumerated to know if it conveys or not. For simplicity’s sake, this mock assumes that the pick no longer belongs to Detroit, but that’s not official.Detroit owns Jacksonville’s 6th-round pick from the TeSlaa tradeDetroit owns Cleveland’s 7th-round pick from the Smith trade
Early compensatory draft pick projections have the Lions receiving a 4th-rounder for Carlton Davis, but that is entirely speculative and, as such, is not included in these projections. Now for the picks!
Note: All the picks here are projecting what decisions Lions GM Brad Holmes and his staff might choose, and do not necessarily reflect the choices I would make in the given situations.
First round: Isaiah World, OT, Oregon
World was a three-year starter at Nevada before transferring up the college food chain to Oregon. The Ducks’ starting left tackle has played better every week, using his 6-foot-8 length and strong base strength to create a wall in pass protection. The technical prowess, notably his hand usage and ability to stay engaged with speed around the edge, have upticked.
He’s got starting experience at both right and left tackle, with his better tape on the left side. There is some snarl to his run blocking. World had major penalty issues at Nevada, mostly due to not knowing how to counter with his hands or moving his feet quick enough. He’s improved on those in Oregon, enough that he’s playing his way into viable first-round consideration. The length, power and mentality all check boxes the Lions require of their offensive linemen.
Second round: Mateen Ibirogba, DL, Wake Forest
I profiled Ibirogba earlier this fall as a prospect to know for the Lions. The more I watch Ibirgoba’s lightning-quick first step and long-armed power on the Demon Deacons’ interior, the more he strongly resembles exactly the player the Lions hoped Levi Onwuzurike could be in Detroit. With the oft-injured Onwuzurike and starting DT D.J. Reader both entering free agency after the 2025 campaign, keeping the defensive line well-stocked is something I would strongly expect the Lions address with one of their Day 2 picks next spring.
Fourth round: Anthony Lucas, EDGE, USC
Lucas is the epitome of the “crush the can” style of EDGE the Lions have coveted recently. He’s 6-foot-6, 284 pounds with long and powerful arms. The transfer from Texas A&M (2022 and 2023) plays a power-to-speed style but has some burst to his initial movement. Smart, hard-nosed, positionally responsible football player. He doesn’t finish many plays in the backfield, with just two sacks and two TFLs in 14 games with the Trojans, and Lucas will likely test better athletically than he shows on the field in speed and agility. The ability to set a hard edge, play the run on the way to the QB, and kick inside to a 5T are all appealing characteristics from a Lions perspective.
Fifth round: Isaiah Nwokobia, S, SMU
A well-built safety who has shown he can play anywhere the Lions ask a safety to align in the secondary. It’s Nwokobia’s coverage savvy and reactive quickness that stand out. The ball skills and assertiveness in run defense definitely check boxes. There are some tackling issues, and Nwokobia appears to be only an average athlete at the position, which drops his early projections into the Day 3 range. His cultural fit as a Lion and considerable special teams contributions in his five seasons with the Mustangs should attract the eyes of Detroit’s scouting staff.
Sixth round: Le’Veon Moss, RB, Texas A&M
Moss is a strong, quick-footed runner who is at his best using his 5-11, 210-pound frame on interior gap runs. He attacks the hole well and can make the first cut off a block pretty nicely. Don’t even think about arm-tackling Moss. There are some durability issues; Moss missed time in 2024 with an ACL injury and is currently sidelined after suffering an ankle injury in the Aggies’ win over Florida. That’s not been much of a deterrent with Lions GM Brad Holmes, however. He’s not used much in the passing game, which combined with his current injury (he is expected back this year) makes projecting Moss’ draft appeal tricky.
Seventh round: Miles Kitselman, TE, Tennessee
Kitselman has become a bigger part of the Volunteers passing offense in 2025, his second season at Tennessee after two seasons of sparse usage at Alabama. At 259 pounds, Kitselman moves well as an inline TE who can release, as well as a motion TE into a second-level run block. Kitselman works well on intermediate and comeback routes, though his hands in traffic aren’t the best. The Lions currently don’t have any tight ends signed beyond the 2026 season, so injecting some fresh depth with reliable all-around ability makes some sense in this range.