ScholarlyViking'S MOCK DRAFT
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ScholarlyViking'S MOCK DRAFT
RUN ON APR 17, 2026

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Mock drafts from ScholarlyViking

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  • ScholarlyViking DRAFTING FOR THE
    Lions
Draft Selections
Olaivavega Ioane Head Shot
PICK: 24 RND: 1 (DET)
Olaivavega Ioane
OG Penn State
Kenyon Sadiq Head Shot
PICK: 28 RND: 1 (DET)
Kenyon Sadiq
TE Oregon
Chris Johnson Head Shot
PICK: 47 RND: 2 (DET)
Chris Johnson
CB San Diego State
Anthony Hill Jr. Head Shot
PICK: 60 RND: 2 (DET)
Anthony Hill Jr.
LB Texas
Jake Golday Head Shot
PICK: 78 RND: 3 (DET)
Jake Golday
OLB Cincinnati
Darrell Jackson Jr. Head Shot
PICK: 85 RND: 3 (DET)
Darrell Jackson Jr.
DT Florida State
Gennings Dunker Head Shot
PICK: 89 RND: 3 (DET)
Gennings Dunker
OG Iowa
Trey Zuhn III Head Shot
PICK: 107 RND: 4 (DET)
Trey Zuhn III
C Texas A&M
Nadame Tucker Head Shot
PICK: 118 RND: 4 (DET)
Nadame Tucker
DE-EDGE Western Michigan
Malik Muhammad Head Shot
PICK: 128 RND: 4 (DET)
Malik Muhammad
CB Texas
Ephesians Prysock Head Shot
PICK: 181 RND: 5 (DET)
Ephesians Prysock
CB Washington
Jeff Caldwell Head Shot
PICK: 213 RND: 6 (DET)
Jeff Caldwell
WR Cincinnati
Riley Mahlman Head Shot
PICK: 222 RND: 7 (DET)
Riley Mahlman
OT Wisconsin
Reggie Grimes II Head Shot
PICK: 239 RND: 7 (DET)
Reggie Grimes II
DL-EDGE Memphis
Dasan McCullough Head Shot
PICK: 241 RND: 7 (DET)
Dasan McCullough
LB-EDGE Nebraska
Khordae Sydnor Head Shot
PICK: 245 RND: 7 (DET)
Khordae Sydnor
DL-EDGE Vanderbilt
Draft Picks Received
Olaivavega Ioane Head Shot
PICK: 24 RND: 1 (CLE)
Olaivavega Ioane
OG Penn State
Kenyon Sadiq Head Shot
PICK: 28 RND: 1 (HOU)
Kenyon Sadiq
TE Oregon
Chris Johnson Head Shot
PICK: 47 RND: 2 (IND)
Chris Johnson
CB San Diego State
Anthony Hill Jr. Head Shot
PICK: 60 RND: 2 (CHI)
Anthony Hill Jr.
LB Texas
Jake Golday Head Shot
PICK: 78 RND: 3 (IND)
Jake Golday
OLB Cincinnati
Darrell Jackson Jr. Head Shot
PICK: 85 RND: 3 (PIT)
Darrell Jackson Jr.
DT Florida State
Gennings Dunker Head Shot
PICK: 89 RND: 3 (CHI)
Gennings Dunker
OG Iowa
Trey Zuhn III Head Shot
PICK: 107 RND: 4 (CLE)
Trey Zuhn III
C Texas A&M
Reggie Grimes II Head Shot
PICK: 239 RND: 7 (CHI)
Reggie Grimes II
DL-EDGE Memphis
Dasan McCullough Head Shot
PICK: 241 RND: 7 (CHI)
Dasan McCullough
LB-EDGE Nebraska
Khordae Sydnor Head Shot
PICK: 245 RND: 7 (JAX)
Khordae Sydnor
DL-EDGE Vanderbilt
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 2 (IND)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 3 (IND)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 4 (HOU)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 4 (IND)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 6 (LAR)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 7 (CHI)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
Draft Picks Traded
Mansoor Delane Head Shot
PICK: 17 RND: 1 (PIT)
Mansoor Delane
CB LSU
Malachi Lawrence Head Shot
PICK: 50 RND: 2 (CHI)
Malachi Lawrence
DE-EDGE UCF
Demond Claiborne Head Shot
PICK: 157 RND: 5 (CLE)
Demond Claiborne
RB Wake Forest
Keagen Trost Head Shot
PICK: 205 RND: 6 (JAX)
Keagen Trost
OT Missouri
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 1 (LV)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
Players traded away
Head Shot
Derrick Barnes
LB
Head Shot
Sam LaPorta
TE
Draft Grade — Lions
Overall D-
ValueB- NeedB TradesF FutureC+
A costly weekend of dealing drags the Lions to a D-.

If confidence were a draft strategy, the Lions would have aced it. Khordae Sydnor at the Round 7 slot is 205 spots clear of where he belonged. The math is unkind, and the D- follows.

They lost the exchange badly enough to drag the whole class down. The safety spot stays a question, and it was the one they most needed an answer at. If one pick saves this weekend, it is Dunker.

The roster is better shaped than it was, with cornerback chief among the fixes.

Bottom line, they will need several of these picks to beat their grades just to break even, and safety is still a hole.

Pick Analysis
Pick24 Rnd1 Olaivavega Ioane
In pick 24 they get a cornerstone up front. Exactly the need they had to hit.
Pick28 Rnd1 Kenyon Sadiq
In the Round 1 slot they get a security blanket over the middle at a price that makes it sweeter. A real need, handled.
Pick47 Rnd2 Chris Johnson
The board had Chris Johnson higher than pick No. 47, and the cornerback fell to them anyway. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Pick60 Rnd2 Anthony Hill Jr.
Anthony Hill Jr. at No. 60 is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Pick78 Rnd3 Jake Golday
A slide stopped in the 78th pick, with Jake Golday worth more than the price. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Pick85 Rnd3 Darrell Jackson Jr.
They talked themselves into Darrell Jackson Jr. at slot 85, and the board did not agree. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
Pick89 Rnd3 Gennings Dunker
They barely believed it either: Gennings Dunker still on the board at pick No. 89. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Pick107 Rnd4 Trey Zuhn III
They left a pile of value on the table to take Trey Zuhn III this early at No. 107. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Pick118 Rnd4 Nadame Tucker
A big swing on Nadame Tucker at the 118th pick, well ahead of any board in the building. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Pick128 Rnd4 Malik Muhammad
The board fumbled Malik Muhammad all the way to the 128th overall pick, and they scooped it up. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Pick181 Rnd5 Ephesians Prysock
They liked Ephesians Prysock enough to skip the value, taking him in the Round 5 slot. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Pick213 Rnd6 Jeff Caldwell
Jeff Caldwell in slot 213 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Pick222 Rnd7 Riley Mahlman
Riley Mahlman at Round 7, Pick 6 is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Pick239 Rnd7 Reggie Grimes II
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Reggie Grimes II. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Pick241 Rnd7 Dasan McCullough
They reached into another round for Dasan McCullough, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Pick245 Rnd7 Khordae Sydnor
Khordae Sydnor at pick No. 245 is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.