ScholarlyViking'S MOCK DRAFT
  1. Home
  2. Simulator

ScholarlyViking'S MOCK DRAFT
RUN ON MAR 25, 2026

VIEW ALL
Mock drafts from ScholarlyViking

yup

  • ScholarlyViking DRAFTING FOR THE
    Lions
Draft Selections
Olaivavega Ioane Head Shot
PICK: 27 RND: 1 (DET)
Olaivavega Ioane
OG Penn State
Blake Miller Head Shot
PICK: 50 RND: 2 (DET)
Blake Miller
OT Clemson
Jake Golday Head Shot
PICK: 82 RND: 3 (DET)
Jake Golday
OLB Cincinnati
Jaishawn Barham Head Shot
PICK: 91 RND: 3 (DET)
Jaishawn Barham
LB-EDGE Michigan
Nadame Tucker Head Shot
PICK: 118 RND: 4 (DET)
Nadame Tucker
DE-EDGE Western Michigan
Julian Neal Head Shot
PICK: 128 RND: 4 (DET)
Julian Neal
CB Arkansas
DeMonte Capehart Head Shot
PICK: 133 RND: 4 (DET)
DeMonte Capehart
DT Clemson
Patrick Payton Head Shot
PICK: 157 RND: 5 (DET)
Patrick Payton
DL-EDGE LSU
Ephesians Prysock Head Shot
PICK: 163 RND: 5 (DET)
Ephesians Prysock
CB Washington
Jeff Caldwell Head Shot
PICK: 181 RND: 5 (DET)
Jeff Caldwell
WR Cincinnati
David Gusta Head Shot
PICK: 196 RND: 6 (DET)
David Gusta
DT Kentucky
Jaren Kanak Head Shot
PICK: 205 RND: 6 (DET)
Jaren Kanak
TE Oklahoma
George Gumbs Jr. Head Shot
PICK: 213 RND: 6 (DET)
George Gumbs Jr.
DE-EDGE Florida
Thaddeus Dixon Head Shot
PICK: 222 RND: 7 (DET)
Thaddeus Dixon
CB North Carolina
Jack Kelly Head Shot
PICK: 244 RND: 7 (DET)
Jack Kelly
LB BYU
Draft Picks Received
Olaivavega Ioane Head Shot
PICK: 27 RND: 1 (SF)
Olaivavega Ioane
OG Penn State
Jake Golday Head Shot
PICK: 82 RND: 3 (MIN)
Jake Golday
OLB Cincinnati
Jaishawn Barham Head Shot
PICK: 91 RND: 3 (BUF)
Jaishawn Barham
LB-EDGE Michigan
DeMonte Capehart Head Shot
PICK: 133 RND: 4 (SF)
DeMonte Capehart
DT Clemson
Ephesians Prysock Head Shot
PICK: 163 RND: 5 (MIN)
Ephesians Prysock
CB Washington
David Gusta Head Shot
PICK: 196 RND: 6 (MIN)
David Gusta
DT Kentucky
Jack Kelly Head Shot
PICK: 244 RND: 7 (MIN)
Jack Kelly
LB BYU
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 2 (BUF)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 3 (SF)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
Draft Picks Traded
Avieon Terrell Head Shot
PICK: 17 RND: 1 (MIN)
Avieon Terrell
CB Clemson
Players Gained
Head Shot
Nate Hobbs
CB
Draft Grade — Lions
Overall B+
ValueC+ NeedB TradesA+ FutureB+
The Lions won the weekend at the trade table. Grade: B+.

The Lions spent real capital to be 87 picks early on Patrick Payton, and the board is going to hold them to it. Call it a sensible B+, earned the boring way.

The dealing alone would carry a lesser class. Whatever else happened, they won the night they took Golday. For all the activity, safety went untouched, which is hard to explain.

In sum, a sensible class that nudges the roster the right way.

Pick Analysis
Pick27 Rnd1 Olaivavega Ioane
Olaivavega Ioane at slot 27 is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Pick50 Rnd2 Blake Miller
Blake Miller at pick No. 50 nudges the ledger their way without any fuss. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Pick82 Rnd3 Jake Golday
They barely believed it either: Jake Golday still on the board at No. 82. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Pick91 Rnd3 Jaishawn Barham
Jaishawn Barham at the 91st overall pick is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Pick118 Rnd4 Nadame Tucker
Nadame Tucker at pick 118 is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Pick128 Rnd4 Julian Neal
Nice patience on Julian Neal, who had no business lasting to the Round 4 slot. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Pick133 Rnd4 DeMonte Capehart
DeMonte Capehart at pick No. 133 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
Pick157 Rnd5 Patrick Payton
They reached a country mile for Patrick Payton at No. 157, and the board is aghast. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Pick163 Rnd5 Ephesians Prysock
Ephesians Prysock at the 163rd pick is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Pick181 Rnd5 Jeff Caldwell
By-the-book stuff, Jeff Caldwell at the 181st overall pick squarely in line with his ranking. The roster fit checks out.
Pick196 Rnd6 David Gusta
A straight-up fair deal on David Gusta at pick 196, value and slot in agreement. A want dressed up as a pick, at a spot they had covered.
Pick205 Rnd6 Jaren Kanak
Jaren Kanak at the Round 6 slot is a conviction pick that outran the value. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Pick213 Rnd6 George Gumbs Jr.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, George Gumbs Jr. well ahead of where he belonged. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Pick222 Rnd7 Thaddeus Dixon
A tidy bit of business in Round 7, Pick 6, where Thaddeus Dixon graded well above the range. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Pick244 Rnd7 Jack Kelly
They liked Jack Kelly enough to skip the value, taking him in the 244th pick. It patches a soft spot without any drama.