ScholarlyViking'S MOCK DRAFT
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ScholarlyViking'S MOCK DRAFT
RUN ON MAR 24, 2026

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Mock drafts from ScholarlyViking

No Up Trades

  • ScholarlyViking DRAFTING FOR THE
    Lions
Draft Selections
Olaivavega Ioane Head Shot
PICK: 26 RND: 1 (DET)
Olaivavega Ioane
OG Penn State
D'Angelo Ponds Head Shot
PICK: 63 RND: 2 (DET)
D'Angelo Ponds
CB Indiana
Jake Golday Head Shot
PICK: 91 RND: 3 (DET)
Jake Golday
OLB Cincinnati
Jacob Rodriguez Head Shot
PICK: 95 RND: 3 (DET)
Jacob Rodriguez
LB Texas Tech
Genesis Smith Head Shot
PICK: 118 RND: 4 (DET)
Genesis Smith
S Arizona
Ted Hurst Head Shot
PICK: 128 RND: 4 (DET)
Ted Hurst
WR Georgia State
Ephesians Prysock Head Shot
PICK: 157 RND: 5 (DET)
Ephesians Prysock
CB Washington
Aamil Wagner Head Shot
PICK: 165 RND: 5 (DET)
Aamil Wagner
OT Notre Dame
VJ Payne Head Shot
PICK: 181 RND: 5 (DET)
VJ Payne
S Kansas State
Jeff Caldwell Head Shot
PICK: 205 RND: 6 (DET)
Jeff Caldwell
WR Cincinnati
Toriano Pride Jr. Head Shot
PICK: 212 RND: 6 (DET)
Toriano Pride Jr.
CB Missouri
Jaren Kanak Head Shot
PICK: 213 RND: 6 (DET)
Jaren Kanak
TE Oklahoma
Thaddeus Dixon Head Shot
PICK: 222 RND: 7 (DET)
Thaddeus Dixon
CB North Carolina
Draft Picks Received
Olaivavega Ioane Head Shot
PICK: 26 RND: 1 (BUF)
Olaivavega Ioane
OG Penn State
D'Angelo Ponds Head Shot
PICK: 63 RND: 2 (NE)
D'Angelo Ponds
CB Indiana
Jake Golday Head Shot
PICK: 91 RND: 3 (BUF)
Jake Golday
OLB Cincinnati
Jacob Rodriguez Head Shot
PICK: 95 RND: 3 (NE)
Jacob Rodriguez
LB Texas Tech
Aamil Wagner Head Shot
PICK: 165 RND: 5 (BUF)
Aamil Wagner
OT Notre Dame
Toriano Pride Jr. Head Shot
PICK: 212 RND: 6 (NE)
Toriano Pride Jr.
CB Missouri
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 2 (BUF)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 4 (NE)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 7 (BUF)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
Draft Picks Traded
Makai Lemon Head Shot
PICK: 17 RND: 1 (BUF)
Makai Lemon
WR USC
Elijah Sarratt Head Shot
PICK: 50 RND: 2 (NE)
Elijah Sarratt
WR Indiana
Draft Grade — Lions
Overall B
ValueB NeedB+ TradesC+ FutureB+
The Lions cashed the board's mistake on Golday: B.

This is the pick they will still be bragging about in July: Jake Golday, the No. 58 name on the board, stolen at slot 91. Nothing here to lose sleep over; call it a B.

The Prysock reach is the anchor dragging on the value grade. If this class has a fault line, it runs straight through quarterback.

Good work on the whole, with quarterback the one box left unchecked.

Pick Analysis
Pick26 Rnd1 Olaivavega Ioane
In the 26th pick they get a blindside protector. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
Pick63 Rnd2 D'Angelo Ponds
Quietly one of the better values of the day, D'Angelo Ponds at Round 2, Pick 31. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Pick91 Rnd3 Jake Golday
Jake Golday at the Round 3 slot is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Pick95 Rnd3 Jacob Rodriguez
Somehow Jacob Rodriguez was still sitting there in slot 95, and they pounced on premier linebacker value. A need, and now a little less of one.
Pick118 Rnd4 Genesis Smith
Genesis Smith at the 118th overall pick is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Pick128 Rnd4 Ted Hurst
Ted Hurst slid further than he should have, and pick 128 is lovely value for the wide receiver. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Pick157 Rnd5 Ephesians Prysock
A wild overpay on Ephesians Prysock in No. 157, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Pick165 Rnd5 Aamil Wagner
No edge and no loss on Aamil Wagner in pick No. 165; it is a wash and a sensible one. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Pick181 Rnd5 VJ Payne
They went early on VJ Payne in No. 181, and the value did not follow. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Pick205 Rnd6 Jeff Caldwell
A top-tier wide receiver at a bargain, Jeff Caldwell in Round 6, Pick 24, plain and simple. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Pick212 Rnd6 Toriano Pride Jr.
Toriano Pride Jr. in the 212th pick is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Pick213 Rnd6 Jaren Kanak
Jaren Kanak at the Round 6 slot is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Pick222 Rnd7 Thaddeus Dixon
A quiet steal in the 222nd overall pick: Thaddeus Dixon for less than the market said. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.