![\"Kadyn](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-2264045777_85e662-e1776433645454.jpg\")
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INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – FEBRUARY 28: Kadyn Proctor of the Alabama Crimson Tide speaks to the media during the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on February 28, 2026 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Justin Casterline\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
The 2026 NFL<\/a> Draft starts in less than a week, and draft rumors and speculation are at an all-time high. The Detroit Lions<\/a> are picking at No. 17 in the first round and have a lot of options with that pick. Offensive tackle, cornerback, and edge rusher are the most common positions connected to the Lions, especially in the first round.<\/p>\n Specifically, Alabama OT Kadyn Proctor is currently viewed as the favorite for the Lions at No. 17 overall. Standing at 6-6 and a half and weighing 352 pounds, Proctor is a truly massive human being with impressive movement skills and athleticism at his size. He\u2019s viewed as a great fit for Detroit\u2019s scheme and if he makes it to the Lions, many analysts believe he\u2019d be the pick.<\/p>\n However, one ESPN analyst has other ideas as to which offensive tackle the Lions should take\u2026.<\/p>\n ESPN Analyst on How the Detroit Lions Should Address Their Offensive Line Draft Needs GettyINDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA \u2013 MARCH 01: Monroe Freeling of the Georgia Bulldogs participates in a drill during the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on March 01, 2026 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Stacy Revere\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n On Thursday, ESPN\u2019s Ben Solak broke down what he would recommend each team do in the first round of the NFL Draft. For the Lions, he would go hard after the offensive line, but he prefers another prospect to Proctor.<\/p>\n \u201cIf the Lions walk out of April with a refurbished offensive line, it\u2019s an A+ draft,\u201d Solak wrote<\/a>. \u201cThat isn\u2019t as easy as drafting a right tackle, flipping Penei Sewell<\/a> to the left side and calling it a day. The Lions are often paired with Alabama\u2019s Kadyn Proctor (on account of his hugeness), but Proctor isn\u2019t a reliable Day 1 player. I\u2019d prefer to see Georgia\u2019s Monroe Freeling (also very big), who could keep Sewell on the right side, or Clemson\u2019s Blake Miller, who would push Sewell to the left side but has been much more consistent than Freeling.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThen the Lions still need to use another pick on the interior offensive line,\u201d he continued. \u201cChristian Mahogany<\/a> is not a guaranteed starter at left guard and has missed time in both of his pro seasons. Cade Mays<\/a> was a solid bargain signing in free agency but was a backup for most of his career in Carolina; the Panthers<\/a> released him in 2024. Neither has a stranglehold on his position, and the Lions should hedge their bets with a middle-rounds pick accordingly.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben Solak on the Lions\u2019 Other Draft Needs<\/p>\n \u201cBesides the offensive line, the Lions have big needs at Edge2 and cornerback that could be addressed at No. 17,\u201d he continued. \u201cIt\u2019s unlikely they go for a pass rusher, as they\u2019ve historically undervalued that spot and the board isn\u2019t strong enough there.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut cornerback Terrion Arnold<\/a>\u2018s struggles for consistent availability and penalty-free play, as well as Amik Robertson<\/a>\u2018s departure in free agency, leave plenty of gettable snaps inside and outside. If Jermod McCoy\u2019s knee injury pulls him to No. 17, don\u2019t be surprised if the Lions adjust their plans on the fly for the Tennessee corner.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tEthan Woodie<\/a> is an accomplished sports writer specializing in the NFL and college football for Heavy.com. He’s written for Heavy since 2025 and has years of experience writing for NFL Trade Rumors and Pro Football Focus (PFF). Woodie is an expert in draft scouting and his Big Board was included in Arif Hasan’s media consensus board for Wide Left in both 2025 and 2026. More about Ethan Woodie<\/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 INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – FEBRUARY 28: Kadyn Proctor of the Alabama Crimson Tide speaks to the media during…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":868430,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2071],"tags":[146,113,2506,7,147,6],"class_list":{"0":"post-868429","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\/116420416152881622","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/868429","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=868429"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/868429\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/868430"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=868429"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=868429"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=868429"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Monroe](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-2264257264_511c8d-e1776433680268.jpg\")
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