{"id":875076,"date":"2026-04-26T10:12:27","date_gmt":"2026-04-26T10:12:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/875076\/"},"modified":"2026-04-26T10:12:27","modified_gmt":"2026-04-26T10:12:27","slug":"meet-the-class-what-to-know-about-detroit-lions-2026-draft-class","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/875076\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet The Class: What to Know About Detroit Lions 2026 Draft Class"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Detroit Lions<\/a>‘ 2026 NFL Draft class is complete.<\/p>\n

Over the course of the Draft’s three days, the Lions made a total of seven picks. General manager Brad Holmes identified physical players who fit the team’s culture of relentlessness. <\/p>\n

Once again, he focused on the trenches taking a tackle with his first pick and a pair of defensive linemen over the next two days.<\/p>\n

Here’s a look at each of the picks the Lions made in the 2026 NFL Draft.<\/p>\n

Drafted: Round 1, pick 17<\/p>\n

What to know: The Lions started their draft class with one of the most durable linemen available. Miller started 54 games over four years, including 52 as a right tackle. He fits the Lions’ culture from a toughness and play-style standpoint, and should be right in the mix to start at right tackle this season.<\/p>\n

\"Clemson<\/p>\n

Clemson offensive lineman Blake Miller (OL35). | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Drafted: Round 2, pick 44<\/p>\n

What to know: Holmes traded up to get Moore in the second-round, adding him to play opposite of another former Wolverine in Aidan Hutchinson. He plays with a mixture of speed and power, using his relentless motor to win off the line of scrimmage. Moore will contribute in special packages at the very least as a rookie, with three-down upside as he continues to develop.<\/p>\n

\"Michigan<\/p>\n

Michigan edge Derrick Moore (8). | Junfu Han \/ USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Drafted: Round 4, pick 118<\/p>\n

What to know: Rolder waited his turn at Michigan, not becoming a starter until his final season. He had a very solid senior season, and has the instincts to develop into a key cog in the defense. Rolder also built up plenty of special teams experience early in his college career that will serve him well.<\/p>\n

\"Michigan<\/p>\n

Michigan linebacker Jimmy Rolder (30). | Junfu Han \/ USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Drafted: Round 5, pick 157<\/p>\n

What to know: An undersized but fiesty corner, Abney excels in man coverage. He spent a lot of time as an outside corner, but could have the ability to play nickel. Abney’s play style calls to mind that of Amik Robertson and D.J. Reed, and he looks to be an ideal scheme match for Kelvin Sheppard’s defense. Entering the draft with a Day 2 grade, Abney is a steal for the Lions.<\/p>\n

\"Arizona<\/p>\n

Arizona State Sun Devils defensive back Keith Abney II (1). | Jacob Reiner-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Drafted: Round 5, pick 168<\/p>\n

What to know: Law adds depth to the Lions’ receiver room, but has some work to do when it comes to being a complete player. He was mostly an underneath option as a slot receiver for Kentucky, showcasing plenty of explosiveness after the catch. He had an averaged depth of target of 3.4 yards. Law also has special teams experience with 537 snaps in college. <\/p>\n

\"Kentucky<\/p>\n

Kentucky Wildcats wide receiver Kendrick Law (1). | Jordan Prather-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Drafted: Round 6, pick 205<\/p>\n

What to know: Gill-Howard began his career at Upper Iowa College and Northern Illinois before finishing at Texas Tech. He’s another fit from a cultural and play-style perspective, as he overcomes his size limitations by playing with a mean-streak. He was a three-technique at Texas Tech, but has rotational ability as a run defender. He will compete for snaps and will compete for snaps in a rotation to begin his career.<\/p>\n

\"Texas<\/p>\n

Texas Tech defensive lineman Skyler Gill-Howard. | Nathan Giese\/Avalanche-Journal \/ USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Tyre West, EDGE, Tennessee<\/p>\n

Drafted: Round 7, pick 222<\/p>\n

What to know: West was a rotational player in college, starting just five total games in four years. However, he does have intriguing traits and flashed potential with four sacks as a senior. There’s a lot to like about his twitchiness and athleticism, and perhaps the Lions could find a role for him as a speed rusher in passing situations.<\/p>\n

\"Tennessee<\/p>\n

Tennessee defensive lineman Tyre West (42). | Brianna Paciorka\/News Sentinel \/ USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images<\/p>\n

\"\"Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Detroit Lions‘ 2026 NFL Draft class is complete. Over the course of the Draft’s three days, the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":875077,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[2071],"tags":[146,113,2506,7,147,6],"class_list":{"0":"post-875076","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\/116470479301904066","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/875076","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=875076"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/875076\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/875077"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=875076"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=875076"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=875076"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}