![\"Dan](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Dan-Campbell.jpg\")
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Head coach Dan Campbell of the Detroit Lions looks on in the third quarter against the Buffalo Bills at Ford Field on December 15, 2024 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Mike Mulholland\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
The Detroit Lions<\/a> and head coach Dan Campbell were not pleased with the way the 2025 NFL season turned out.<\/p>\n After entering the season viewed as one of the league\u2019s top Super Bowl contenders, the Lions didn\u2019t even make the playoffs. They took a huge step back from where they had been in the previous two years.<\/p>\n So far this offseason, Detroit has made some aggressive moves. In free agency, the Lions brought in running back Isiah Pacheco, center Cade Mays, cornerback Roger McCreary, and multiple other additions as well.<\/p>\n With the 2026 NFL Draft right around the corner, Detroit will have more opportunities to improve the roster to make a Super Bowl run next season.<\/p>\n Keeping that in mind, the Lions have received a prediction to shake up the first round of the draft with an aggressive trade.<\/p>\n Detroit Lions Predicted to Make Big Trade in 2026 NFL Draft<\/p>\n Christian Booher of On SI has predicted<\/a> that the Lions will trade with the Los Angeles Chargers<\/a> in the first round. His proposal would see Detroit ship the No. 17 overall pick to the Chargers in exchange for the No. 22 pick and No. 160 overall pick.<\/p>\n With that pick, he has the Lions selecting Penn State offensive lineman Olaivavega Ioane.<\/p>\n \u201cIn Ioane, they would get a player capable of competing for a starting job right away. He\u2019d be another young player that the team can continue to rebuild their offensive line around.\u201d<\/p>\n Detroit would be adding an additional draft pick, which would allow the team to add more talent. Moving down from No. 17 to No. 22 would still net the Lions a quality young player in the first round as well.<\/p>\n What Are the Lions\u2019 Biggest Needs Entering the Draft?<\/p>\n ESPN has taken a look<\/a> at the biggest needs for Detroit ahead of the draft. They believe that offensive line, pass rushing, and cornerback are the three biggest positions to address.<\/p>\n \u201cOL, edge, CB. After struggling to adapt to new faces on the line last season and the release of veteran left tackle Taylor Decker, Detroit can benefit from drafting an O-lineman early. Adding an edge rusher to pair with Pro Bowl player Aidan Hutchinson would also be smart, as Al-Quadin Muhammad signed with Tampa Bay. Plus, the Lions\u2019 cornerback room was plagued by injuries the past couple of seasons.\u201d<\/p>\n Even though the Lions missed out on the playoffs last season, they aren\u2019t far off from being right back in contention. A strong 2026 NFL Draft would be a big step in that direction.<\/p>\n ESPN Weighs in on Potential Post First-Round Target for Detroit<\/p>\n In addition to looking at the biggest needs for Detroit, ESPN also revealed who they view as a perfect target outside of the first round.<\/p>\n \u201cCaleb Tiernan, OT, Northwestern. He is a high-floor prospect who has the requisite attributes to be a long-term starter at either tackle spot. Tiernan showcases physicality as a run blocker and has slightly above-average range as a pass protector.\u201d<\/p>\n That being said, it will be interesting to see what the Lions end up doing in the upcoming draft. They have some holes, but could fill them all with the right selections.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tEvan Massey<\/a> Evan Massey is a sports reporter and analyst located in Indianapolis, Indiana who covers the NFL, NBA, MLB, WNBA, and college sports. He has been featured on many publications, including Newsweek, Athlon Sports, ESPN, Yahoo! Sports, Forbes, Bleacher Report, Sporting News, and many others. In his free time, Evan enjoys spending time with his wife and son. More about Evan Massey<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tMore Heavy on Lions\n\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\tLoading more stories\n\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getty Head coach Dan Campbell of the Detroit Lions looks on in the third quarter against the Buffalo…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":819562,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2071],"tags":[146,113,2506,7,147,6],"class_list":{"0":"post-864303","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-detroitlions","11":"tag-football","12":"tag-lions","13":"tag-nfl"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116388517015003418","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/864303","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=864303"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/864303\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/819562"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=864303"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=864303"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=864303"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}