SunDGod'S MOCK DRAFT
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SunDGod'S MOCK DRAFT
RUN ON APR 3, 2026

Defense 1st

  • SunDGod DRAFTING FOR THE
    Lions
Draft Selections
Arvell Reese Head Shot
PICK: 17 RND: 1 (DET)
Arvell Reese
LB Ohio State
Dillon Thieneman Head Shot
PICK: 50 RND: 2 (DET)
Dillon Thieneman
S Oregon
Jake Golday Head Shot
PICK: 118 RND: 4 (DET)
Jake Golday
OLB Cincinnati
Sam Hecht Head Shot
PICK: 128 RND: 4 (DET)
Sam Hecht
C Kansas State
Isaiah World Head Shot
PICK: 157 RND: 5 (DET)
Isaiah World
OT Oregon
Charles Demmings Head Shot
PICK: 181 RND: 5 (DET)
Charles Demmings
CB Stephen F. Austin
Jeff Caldwell Head Shot
PICK: 205 RND: 6 (DET)
Jeff Caldwell
WR Cincinnati
Taylen Green Head Shot
PICK: 213 RND: 6 (DET)
Taylen Green
QB Arkansas
Riley Nowakowski Head Shot
PICK: 222 RND: 7 (DET)
Riley Nowakowski
TE Indiana
Draft Grade — Lions
Overall B
ValueA- NeedB+ TradesB- FutureB-
The Lions robbed the room for Golday. Final grade: B.

The board owed the Lions one, and it paid up: Jake Golday, the No. 59 name on the board, sitting there at Round 4, Pick 18 like a gift left on the doorstep.

The running back hole is the one line item this class does not answer. Cornerback was the priority and it is no longer a question, which is most of the job.

Nothing here to lose sleep over, and plenty to feel decent about.

Pick Analysis
Pick17 Rnd1 Arvell Reese
In pick No. 17 they get a downhill thumper at linebacker at a price that makes it sweeter. A real need, handled.
Pick50 Rnd2 Dillon Thieneman
Dillon Thieneman slipping to No. 50 is the kind of luck good rooms make for themselves. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Pick118 Rnd4 Jake Golday
Steal is underselling it; Jake Golday at slot 118 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Pick128 Rnd4 Sam Hecht
You do not let an offensive lineman like Sam Hecht reach the 128th pick and blink. They did not. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Pick157 Rnd5 Isaiah World
The board had Isaiah World higher than Round 5, Pick 17, and the offensive lineman fell to them anyway. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Pick181 Rnd5 Charles Demmings
Charles Demmings in the 181st overall pick is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Pick205 Rnd6 Jeff Caldwell
A tidy bit of business in pick 205, where Jeff Caldwell graded well above the range. A need, and now a little less of one.
Pick213 Rnd6 Taylen Green
Taylen Green at the Round 6 slot is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Pick222 Rnd7 Riley Nowakowski
They did well to land Riley Nowakowski in slot 222, just ahead of his grade. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.