As mock draft season works its way through January, we start to see new prospects make their way into first-round projections. This week, we\u2019ve seen a few players projected to be selected near the top of the draft no longer being connected to the Detroit Lions, who hold the No. 17 overall pick. At the same time, we\u2019re also seeing a few more new prospects make their way into the first round mix, with some being projected as high as the Lions\u2019 selection.<\/p>\n
With that in mind, let\u2019s take a look at which NFL Draft prospects are being mocked to the Lions this week.<\/p>\n
Spencer Fano, RT, Utah (6-foot-5, 300) \u201cLeft tackle Taylor Decker could be either a cap casualty or a retirement candidate this offseason. Even if Decker returns for another year, the Lions would benefit from adding a talent like Utah\u2019s Spencer Fano. An athletic offensive lineman capable of fitting into any scheme, Fano is also the only qualified FBS tackle to earn a top-10 PFF grade in each of the past two seasons.\u201d \u2014 Wasserman<\/p>\n Kadyn Proctor, LT, Alabama (6-foot-7, 360) \u201cThe Lions\u2019 O-line was hit hard by center Frank Ragnow\u2019s sudden retirement last year, and now left tackle Taylor Decker is mulling his future, as well — which could make offensive tackle a top priority. Proctor needs to smooth out the rough parts of his game, but his potential to develop into a franchise-caliber tackle would make the gamble worth the risk at this point.\u201d \u2014 Brooks<\/p>\n Ioane Vega, LG, Penn State (6-foot-4, 335) \u201cVega Ioane was simply phenomenal over the last two years at Penn State. He is impressive physically, but he\u2019s a player whose body of work simply speaks for itself \u2014 the type of player Detroit loves to draft.\u201d \u2014 Williams<\/p>\n Caleb Lomu, LT, Utah (6-foot-6, 305) \u201dWhile the center position might be the most important area for the Lions\u2019 offense to improve this season, a Taylor Decker succession plan might not be too far behind. Lomu plays calm with light feet, and he has a good frame but could stand to add strength to take his game to the next level. I\u2019m bullish on Lomu and think he could end up as a good starter on the blindside as he matures. A timeline behind Decker with Hank Fraley coaching him would be an ideal situation.\u201d \u2014 Tice<\/p>\n Monroe Freeling, LT, Georgia (6-foot-7, 315) \u201cLong and athletic, Monroe Freeling is one of the few true pure left tackles in this draft. He shows good feet, versatility to play either tackle spot and solid run-blocking ability with a big frame and strong hand usage. He moves well in space and at the second level.\u201d \u2014 Brockermeyer<\/p>\n I\u2019m a bit surprised to see the Lions connected to Fano this week, especially considering most have recognized that Francis Mauigoa (Miami) is expected to come off the board ahead of the Lions\u2019 pick, and Fano\u2019s typically put in that same bucket. Last week, we saw Proctor assume the major of projections, but this week, we see Lomu and Vega pull even, which is closer to expectations, as all three appear to be selected in the same range of picks.<\/p>\n Freeling is a new name to our weekly mock draft roundup, and it shouldn\u2019t be overly surprising, as NFL Network\u2019s Daniel Jeremiah listed him as the 24th-best prospect in his top 50 prospects rankings<\/a>. Freeling\u2019s been considered a riser with first-round potential, but when a heavy-hitter like Jeremiah ranks him so high, we should expect to see him in more mock drafts moving forward.<\/p>\n Keldric Faulk, EDGE, Auburn (6-foot-6, 275) \u201cThe Lions have long been searching for a consistent answer across from Aidan Hutchinson on the defensive front, and Faulk is their kind of player at six-foot-six, 288 pounds. I\u2019d expect a strong draft for the organization after the early returns for 2025 were underwhelming compared to previous years under Brad Holmes.\u201d \u2014 Chappine<\/p>\n Akheem Mesidor EDGE, Texas A&M (6-foot-2 1\/2, 273) \u201cThe Detroit Lions defensively are too dependent on Aidan Hutchinson for sack production, which is a roster issue. In the past, GM Brad Holmes has always directly addressed roster issues in the draft and has done so with a high success rate. With this pick, I believe Holmes goes after Miami edge rusher Akheem Mesidor, a power rusher who should be a great complementary piece to Hutchinson.\u201d \u2014 Sanchez<\/p>\n T.J. Parker, EDGE, Clemson (6-foot-4, 263) \u201cThe Lions need to have a physical thumper to better complement Aidan Hutchinson at end in their 4-3. Parker\u2019s strength and power can feed well off Hutchinson\u2019s quickness.\u201d \u2014 Iyer<\/p>\n Like with offensive tackle, we\u2019ve seen the top few prospects fall out of range for the Lions, while familiar names like Faulk and Parker remain. Mesidor\u2019s stock has been rapidly rising throughout the college football playoffs, and stylistically, he\u2019s a tremendous fit for the Lions, making him a legitimate potential option for the Lions in the first round\u2014something I noted in my preview of the CFP National Championship Game<\/a>. If the Lions do elect to grab an edge rusher in the first round, these three seem the most likely prospects, while players like Zion Young (Missouri) and Gabe Jacas (Illinois) are knocking on the door.<\/p>\n Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State (6-foot-4, 238) \u201cStyles is a 6-foot-4, 243-pound freak of nature who has completely unlocked his game after transitioning from safety to linebacker. He\u2019s a defensive centerpiece with the elite athleticism to cover running backs, tight ends and wide receivers. Most impressively, he went through the first 13 games of the 2024 season without a single missed takedown. His physical presence and discipline make him a \u2018do-it-all\u2019 weapon for the modern NFL.\u201d \u2014 Brown<\/p>\n Through the first three mock draft roundups, not a single linebacker had been projected to the Lions, but that changed this week with the introduction of Styles. A complete modern-day linebacker, Styles has the speed to run sideline-to-sideline, the quickness to drop into coverage, and the power to be a force in the run game. But what makes Styles even more impressive is that he is also an elite blitzer, which is why he\u2019s drawn comparisons to Fred Warner and a new-aged version of Anthony Barr\u2014making him a plug-and-play starter at WILL and SAM in the Lions scheme.<\/p>\n Avieon Terrell, CB Clemson (5-foot-11, 180) \u201cThe Lions need defensive back help and select Avieon Terrell out of Clemson. He\u2019s a true corner but took a fifth of his snaps as a slot back as well. Terrell received an 83.5 overall PFF grade in 2025 and has continued to improve. He\u2019s gotten a lot of meaningful snaps these past three years and should continue to improve. His versatility in the defensive backfield gives the Lions great value.\u201d \u2014 Mark<\/p>\n The Lions are being connected to defensive backs less and less in recent mock drafts, as most analysts focus on the Lions spending capital in the trenches. Terrell was the only corner paired with the Lions this week, but there are several other options\u2014Jermod McCoy (Tennessee), Mansoor Delane (LSU), Colton Hood (Tennessee), and Brandon Cisse (South Carolina)\u2014that could be considered at this spot, as there is little clarity with the corner hierarchy right now.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As mock draft season works its way through January, we start to see new prospects make their way…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":716628,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[2071],"tags":[146,113,449,448,5105,2506,7,147,6],"class_list":{"0":"post-716627","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-detroit-lions","8":"tag-detroit","9":"tag-detroit-lions","10":"tag-detroit-lions-analysis","11":"tag-detroit-lions-draft","12":"tag-detroit-lions-mock-draft","13":"tag-detroitlions","14":"tag-football","15":"tag-lions","16":"tag-nfl"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/115984383697337430","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/716627","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=716627"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/716627\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/716628"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=716627"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=716627"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=716627"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Source: Dalton Wasserman (PFF<\/a>), Matthew Freedman (Fantasy Life<\/a>), Tarringo Basile-Vaughn (NFL Mocks<\/a>), Nicholas Rome (Saturday Blitz<\/a>)<\/p>\n
Source: Bucky Brooks (NFL.com<\/a>), Jack Aaron (Pro Football Network<\/a>), Ayrton Ostly (USA Today<\/a>), Tony Pauline (Essentially Sports<\/a>)<\/p>\n
Source: Cody Williams (Fansided<\/a>), Sayre Bedinger (NFL Spin Zone<\/a>), Eric Woodle (NFL Trade Rumors<\/a>), Nate Szarzynski (The Pacer<\/a>)<\/p>\n
Source: Charles McDonald and Nate Tice (Yahoo.com<\/a>), Nick Baumgardner and Scott Dochterman (The Athletic<\/a>), T.J. Randall (Pro Football Network<\/a>), Bobby Bishop (Dynasty Nerds<\/a>), Rob Paul (Sportsbook Review<\/a>)<\/p>\n
Source: Blake Brockermeyer (CBS Sports<\/a>)<\/p>\n
Source: Dylan Chappine (Wolf Sports<\/a>)<\/p>\n
Source: Daniel Jeremiah (NFL.com<\/a>), Keith Sanchez (The Draft Network<\/a>)<\/p>\n
Source: Vinnie Iyer (Sporting News<\/a>), Richard Janvrin (Fantasy Pros<\/a>)<\/p>\n
Source: Eddie Brown (San Diego Union-Tribune<\/a>)<\/p>\n
Source: Curt Popejoy (Draft Wire<\/a>), Tankathon (Staff<\/a>), Justin Mark (Sports Gambling Podcast<\/a>)<\/p>\n