The 2026 NFL Draft is less than a week away. Yesterday, I released my fifth and final 7-round mock draft for the Lions. Now I want to switch my focus. So much attention has been placed on who the Lions should draft. That coin, however, has a flip side. There are several potential draftees that Detroit should pass on if available. Here are the top 5 prospects the Detroit Lions should avoid in the 2026 NFL Draft:

It’s very easy to see why Detroit may be interested in Cashius Howell. The Lions need more pass rushers, and Howell is a very good one. Most people believe the Lions will draft an edge rusher with one of their first two selections in next week’s draft. Cashius Howell should not be their pick.

Howell is very adept at getting to the quarterback. In 2025, he led the SEC with 11 sacks. However, the Detroit Lions demand more from their edge rushers. Howell doesn’t fit with what the Lions defense needs.

Detroit needs edge rushers who are solid run stoppers, maintain gap discipline, and can affect a game in multiple ways. That is not who Howell is. There is a reason the Lions didn’t seem very interested in keeping Al-Quadin Muhammad after his 11-sack season. Like Muhammad, Howell is a liability against the run. With sub-31-inch arms, Howell has difficulty shedding blocks and can easily be taken out of a play or pushed out of his gap assignment. If he doesn’t win with his first move, Howell struggles to succeed with alternatives.

Howell may become a very successful pass-rusher in the NFL. For the Lions, he would likely be reduced to a situational role, making him a poor value for a top-50 selection. If the Lions do draft him, Howell could become James Houston 2.0, with tantalizing potential that never gets reached.

Caleb Banks is an insanely talented DT, but his injury history is just not worth the risk for the Lions. Banks suffered a broken bone in his foot at the Combine, just the latest in a series of foot injuries for the 6’6, 327-pound DT. Drafting players with chronic injuries has not paid off for the Lions. Jahvid Best and Levi Onwuzurike were both drafted by Detroit despite their histories with concussions and back injuries. Both had their career derailed before they could ever get going.

The Lions can’t afford to have history repeat itself with Banks, despite his potential. Not to mention, the Lions drafted DT Tyleik Williams in the first round last year. With Alim McNeill already signing a lucrative extension, Detroit’s top two DTs are set. Drafting Banks would be an unnecessary risk for a team looking to compete for a Super Bowl.

I do think the Lions should select a DT in the later rounds this year. Jordan van den Berg or Zxavian Harris, specifically, would be excellent choices for Brad Holmes. Taking a DT with the upside of Harris or van den Berg in round five is a much better gamble than hoping Banks can finally put his foot problems behind him.

There are quite a few people who worry Kenyon Sadiq will be a bust in the NFL. I am not one of them. Sadiq has the talent to become an excellent TE for whatever team uses a first-round pick on him.

That team should not be the Lions, who already have a star TE in Sam LaPorta. Yes, there have been suggestions that the Lions may be trading LaPorta, and drafting Sadiq would most likely make that a reality.

It is true that trading LaPorta and replacing him with Sadiq would have financial benefits for Detroit. However, the Lions are in win-now mode. The monetary benefits wouldn’t be felt for a couple of seasons, and Sadiq will not help the Lions win this year more than LaPorta will. Thinking about the future is a must, but championship teams don’t ignore the present. If the Lions want to reach their goals in 2026, they will need a first-round pick that makes them better on the field, not in the books.

Emmanuel McNeil-Warren has gone from underrated to potentially overrated very quickly. Now that he is likely to be drafted in the first round, the Lions should stay away.

It’s not that I think McNeil-Warren will be a bust. I don’t. I do think that Dillon Thieneman is the only safety in this draft worth a first-round selection. For the Lions to eschew finding a long-term solution at tackle or edge rusher, they need a prospect with less risk than McNeil-Warren.

Going from Toledo to the NFL is a gigantic jump, and McNeil-Warren’s likely selection in round one means a team will expect him to see the field right away. That could be a problem, as NFL receivers could easily exploit the talented prospect’s weaknesses. McNeil-Warren is known for taking poor pursuit angles and missing far too many tackles. Lacking high-end speed, he can also be beaten over the top. Plenty of prospects would be a better choice for the Lions in the first round.

With Terrion Arnold’s ongoing penalty struggles, the Lions should be wary of drafting another CB with that issue. Muhammad will be a top-100 draft pick, and there are several other options for the Lions if they are looking to add a corner in that range.

Muhammad is an inconsistent tackler who is easily blocked out of a play. The former Longhorn is also very thin at 6’0 and 180 pounds, making it easy for him to be out-muscled by big, physical receivers. At this point in his development, Muhammad seems more of a clone of Terrion Arnold than an upgrade. 

The Lions are facing enormous pressure to hit on their 2026 draft class. While I think all of these prospects could find success in the NFL, I believe they are too risky for the Lions. Let me know what you think in the comments below.

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