aechean'S MOCK DRAFT
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aechean'S MOCK DRAFT
RUN ON MAR 27, 2026

Lions

  • aechean DRAFTING FOR THE
    Lions
Draft Selections
Blake Miller Head Shot
PICK: 17 RND: 1 (DET)
Blake Miller
OT Clemson
LT Overton Head Shot
PICK: 50 RND: 2 (DET)
LT Overton
DE-EDGE Alabama
Malik Muhammad Head Shot
PICK: 118 RND: 4 (DET)
Malik Muhammad
CB Texas
Zane Durant Head Shot
PICK: 128 RND: 4 (DET)
Zane Durant
DT Penn State
Isaiah World Head Shot
PICK: 157 RND: 5 (DET)
Isaiah World
OT Oregon
Patrick Payton Head Shot
PICK: 181 RND: 5 (DET)
Patrick Payton
DL-EDGE LSU
Nick Barrett Head Shot
PICK: 205 RND: 6 (DET)
Nick Barrett
DL South Carolina
Tyler Onyedim Head Shot
PICK: 213 RND: 6 (DET)
Tyler Onyedim
DE-EDGE Texas A&M
Jeremiah Wright Head Shot
PICK: 222 RND: 7 (DET)
Jeremiah Wright
OG Auburn
Draft Grade — Lions
Overall C+
ValueD+ NeedB+ TradesB- FutureB-
The Lions land in the muddy middle: C+.

The Lions bet big and early on Patrick Payton, 63 picks ahead of the board. Bold does not always mean right. A mixed bag that lands at C+.

That safety hole did not close this weekend, and it was the biggest one on the wall. The Muhammad value carries more weight than any single miss elsewhere. The roster is better shaped than it was, with cornerback chief among the fixes.

The trenches got the money picks, top to bottom.

So much rides on Blake Miller that the real verdict is a season or two away.

Pick Analysis
Pick17 Rnd1 Blake Miller
In the Round 1 slot they get protection for the quarterback, a steep price for the projection. The biggest hole, addressed.
Pick50 Rnd2 LT Overton
LT Overton at the 50th pick is a conviction pick that outran the value. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Pick118 Rnd4 Malik Muhammad
A top-tier cornerback at a bargain, Malik Muhammad in the 118th overall pick, plain and simple. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Pick128 Rnd4 Zane Durant
A wild overpay on Zane Durant in No. 128, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. A minor need, but a need all the same.
Pick157 Rnd5 Isaiah World
Isaiah World slipping to slot 157 is the kind of luck good rooms make for themselves. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Pick181 Rnd5 Patrick Payton
They talked themselves into Patrick Payton at pick No. 181, and the board did not agree. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Pick205 Rnd6 Nick Barrett
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Nick Barrett well ahead of where he belonged. A luxury on a unit that was already in good shape.
Pick213 Rnd6 Tyler Onyedim
Tyler Onyedim at the Round 6 slot is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Pick222 Rnd7 Jeremiah Wright
Jeremiah Wright at pick 222 is money in the bank, a offensive lineman taken below his worth. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.