zye'S MOCK DRAFT
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zye'S MOCK DRAFT
RUN ON MAR 21, 2026

solid

  • zye DRAFTING FOR THE
    Lions
Draft Selections
Sonny Styles Head Shot
PICK: 31 RND: 1 (DET)
Sonny Styles
LB Ohio State
Gennings Dunker Head Shot
PICK: 42 RND: 2 (DET)
Gennings Dunker
OT Iowa
D'Angelo Ponds Head Shot
PICK: 63 RND: 2 (DET)
D'Angelo Ponds
CB Indiana
Dani Dennis-Sutton Head Shot
PICK: 64 RND: 2 (DET)
Dani Dennis-Sutton
DE-EDGE Penn State
Michael Taaffe Head Shot
PICK: 97 RND: 3 (DET)
Michael Taaffe
S Texas
Kage Casey Head Shot
PICK: 157 RND: 5 (DET)
Kage Casey
OT Boise State
Taylen Green Head Shot
PICK: 158 RND: 5 (DET)
Taylen Green
QB Arkansas
Kaelon Black Head Shot
PICK: 205 RND: 6 (DET)
Kaelon Black
RB Indiana
Isaiah Nwokobia Head Shot
PICK: 222 RND: 7 (DET)
Isaiah Nwokobia
S SMU
Draft Picks Received
Sonny Styles Head Shot
PICK: 31 RND: 1 (NE)
Sonny Styles
LB Ohio State
Gennings Dunker Head Shot
PICK: 42 RND: 2 (NO)
Gennings Dunker
OT Iowa
D'Angelo Ponds Head Shot
PICK: 63 RND: 2 (NE)
D'Angelo Ponds
CB Indiana
Dani Dennis-Sutton Head Shot
PICK: 64 RND: 2 (SEA)
Dani Dennis-Sutton
DE-EDGE Penn State
Michael Taaffe Head Shot
PICK: 97 RND: 3 (MIN)
Michael Taaffe
S Texas
Taylen Green Head Shot
PICK: 158 RND: 5 (CAR)
Taylen Green
QB Arkansas
Draft Picks Traded
Avieon Terrell Head Shot
PICK: 17 RND: 1 (MIN)
Avieon Terrell
CB Clemson
Dontay Corleone Head Shot
PICK: 50 RND: 2 (NO)
Dontay Corleone
DT Cincinnati
Sam Roush Head Shot
PICK: 118 RND: 4 (SEA)
Sam Roush
TE Stanford
Cade Klubnik Head Shot
PICK: 128 RND: 4 (SEA)
Cade Klubnik
QB Clemson
Kaleb Elarms-Orr Head Shot
PICK: 181 RND: 5 (CAR)
Kaleb Elarms-Orr
LB TCU
Harrison Wallace III Head Shot
PICK: 213 RND: 6 (CAR)
Harrison Wallace III
WR Ole Miss
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 6 (LV)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
Players Gained
Head Shot
Jack Westover
TE
Draft Grade — Lions
Overall B+
ValueB NeedB+ TradesA+ FutureB-
The Lions robbed the room for Taaffe. Final grade: B+.

The real work happened on the phones. The Lions fleeced their trade partners, turning their picks into a noticeably bigger pile than they started with. Good, not great, and the B+ says as much.

However the rest shakes out, Taaffe at that price is a win they earned. Leaving wide receiver unaddressed is the roster risk they will have to answer for in the fall.

They will need Green to outplay his draft slot in a hurry to justify it.

All told, a solid class that does its job everywhere but wide receiver.

Pick Analysis
Pick31 Rnd1 Sonny Styles
In pick No. 31 they get a three-down second-level presence at a price that makes it sweeter. A real need, handled.
Pick42 Rnd2 Gennings Dunker
Gennings Dunker at pick 42 is a conviction pick that outran the value. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Pick63 Rnd2 D'Angelo Ponds
A slide stopped in the 63rd overall pick, with D'Angelo Ponds worth more than the price. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Pick64 Rnd2 Dani Dennis-Sutton
Dani Dennis-Sutton at the 64th pick is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Pick97 Rnd3 Michael Taaffe
Michael Taaffe in No. 97 is a gift, value that borders on unfair. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Pick157 Rnd5 Kage Casey
Fair-plus on Kage Casey, a quiet win that adds up over a draft. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Pick158 Rnd5 Taylen Green
A wild overpay on Taylen Green in pick No. 158, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Pick205 Rnd6 Kaelon Black
They paid sticker price for Kaelon Black in pick 205, and that is fine. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Pick222 Rnd7 Isaiah Nwokobia
Quietly one of the better values of the day, Isaiah Nwokobia at No. 222. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.