ScholarlyViking'S MOCK DRAFT
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ScholarlyViking'S MOCK DRAFT
RUN ON APR 14, 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: 18 RND: 1 (DET)
Olaivavega Ioane
OG Penn State
Drew Shelton Head Shot
PICK: 59 RND: 2 (DET)
Drew Shelton
OT Penn State
Darrell Jackson Jr. Head Shot
PICK: 91 RND: 3 (DET)
Darrell Jackson Jr.
DT Florida State
Genesis Smith Head Shot
PICK: 106 RND: 4 (DET)
Genesis Smith
S Arizona
Tacario Davis Head Shot
PICK: 118 RND: 4 (DET)
Tacario Davis
CB Washington
DeMonte Capehart Head Shot
PICK: 128 RND: 4 (DET)
DeMonte Capehart
DT Clemson
Nadame Tucker Head Shot
PICK: 141 RND: 5 (DET)
Nadame Tucker
DE-EDGE Western Michigan
Ar'maj Reed-Adams Head Shot
PICK: 157 RND: 5 (DET)
Ar'maj Reed-Adams
OG Texas A&M
Ephesians Prysock Head Shot
PICK: 163 RND: 5 (DET)
Ephesians Prysock
CB Washington
Vincent Anthony Jr. Head Shot
PICK: 168 RND: 5 (DET)
Vincent Anthony Jr.
DE-EDGE Duke
Patrick Payton Head Shot
PICK: 181 RND: 5 (DET)
Patrick Payton
DE-EDGE LSU
Jeff Caldwell Head Shot
PICK: 205 RND: 6 (DET)
Jeff Caldwell
WR Cincinnati
Khordae Sydnor Head Shot
PICK: 213 RND: 6 (DET)
Khordae Sydnor
DL-EDGE Vanderbilt
Deven Eastern Head Shot
PICK: 220 RND: 7 (DET)
Deven Eastern
DL Minnesota
Dasan McCullough Head Shot
PICK: 222 RND: 7 (DET)
Dasan McCullough
LB-EDGE Nebraska
Draft Picks Received
Olaivavega Ioane Head Shot
PICK: 18 RND: 1 (MIN)
Olaivavega Ioane
OG Penn State
Drew Shelton Head Shot
PICK: 59 RND: 2 (HOU)
Drew Shelton
OT Penn State
Darrell Jackson Jr. Head Shot
PICK: 91 RND: 3 (BUF)
Darrell Jackson Jr.
DT Florida State
Genesis Smith Head Shot
PICK: 106 RND: 4 (HOU)
Genesis Smith
S Arizona
Nadame Tucker Head Shot
PICK: 141 RND: 5 (HOU)
Nadame Tucker
DE-EDGE Western Michigan
Ephesians Prysock Head Shot
PICK: 163 RND: 5 (MIN)
Ephesians Prysock
CB Washington
Vincent Anthony Jr. Head Shot
PICK: 168 RND: 5 (BUF)
Vincent Anthony Jr.
DE-EDGE Duke
Deven Eastern Head Shot
PICK: 220 RND: 7 (BUF)
Deven Eastern
DL Minnesota
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 4 (HOU)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 4 (BUF)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 5 (MIN)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 7 (BUF)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 7 (MIN)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 7 (HOU)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
Draft Picks Traded
Arvell Reese Head Shot
PICK: 17 RND: 1 (MIN)
Arvell Reese
LB Ohio State
Caleb Banks Head Shot
PICK: 50 RND: 2 (HOU)
Caleb Banks
DL Florida
Players Gained
Head Shot
Matt Nelson
OT
Draft Grade — Lions
Overall B
ValueD+ NeedB TradesA FutureB
A solid, sensible weekend for the Lions: B.

There was a run on nobody at that position, and the Lions started one anyway for Khordae Sydnor, 236 picks ahead of schedule.

The Capehart pick is fine in a vacuum, less so with linebacker, quarterback and other spots still on the board. That linebacker hole did not close this weekend, and it was the biggest one on the wall. Landing Caldwell that late papers over a lot of smaller sins.

In sum, a sturdy weekend with one asterisk, the linebacker spot they never got to.

Pick Analysis
Pick18 Rnd1 Olaivavega Ioane
In the 18th pick they get an anchor for the offensive line at fair value. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
Pick59 Rnd2 Drew Shelton
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Drew Shelton well ahead of where he belonged. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Pick91 Rnd3 Darrell Jackson Jr.
Darrell Jackson Jr. at the 91st overall pick is a conviction pick that outran the value. A minor need, but a need all the same.
Pick106 Rnd4 Genesis Smith
No drama and no debate, Genesis Smith went about where he belonged in No. 106. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Pick118 Rnd4 Tacario Davis
Good price on Tacario Davis in Round 4, Pick 18, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Pick128 Rnd4 DeMonte Capehart
A curious use of slot 128. Linebacker, quarterback and other spots needed the pick; an interior defensive lineman in DeMonte Capehart did not.
Pick141 Rnd5 Nadame Tucker
Nadame Tucker at the Round 5 slot is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Pick157 Rnd5 Ar'maj Reed-Adams
They paid up for Ar'maj Reed-Adams at pick 157 when waiting would have done the job. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Pick163 Rnd5 Ephesians Prysock
Ephesians Prysock in No. 163 is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Pick168 Rnd5 Vincent Anthony Jr.
They reached into another round for Vincent Anthony Jr., and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Pick181 Rnd5 Patrick Payton
Patrick Payton at the 181st overall pick is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Pick205 Rnd6 Jeff Caldwell
They read the board right and Jeff Caldwell was the payoff at the 205th pick. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Pick213 Rnd6 Khordae Sydnor
They left a pile of value on the table to take Khordae Sydnor this early at slot 213. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Pick220 Rnd7 Deven Eastern
A wild overpay on Deven Eastern in Round 7, Pick 4, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. Nice player, but the depth chart did not need him here.
Pick222 Rnd7 Dasan McCullough
This one needs a full-page explanation: Dasan McCullough in Round 7, Pick 6, miles early. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.