What was the biggest surprise of the Lions’ 2026 NFL Draft?
· Yahoo Sports
The 2026 NFL Draft is in the books and, as usual, it was full of surprises.
The Arizona Cardinals went running back with the third-overall pick. The Los Angeles Rams selected a quarterback in the first round as an heir to Matthew Stafford. Jermod McCoy fell all the way to the fourth round amid concerns surrounding his knee.
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In comparison, the Detroit Lions had a modestly surprising draft, but there were still some moves—or lack thereof—that raised eyebrows.
Today’s Question of the Day is:
What surprised you the most about the Detroit Lions’ 2026 NFL draft?My answer: I was surprised by the emphasis on pass rush.
It is not surprising that the Lions went heavy on defense in the draft—entering the draft with a below-average depth chart, they needed reinforcements across multiple positions. However, I really expected Detroit to look for players built for run defense. Crushing the can has been the motto of the Lions defense for a few years now, with players like Tyleik Williams, Josh Paschal, Brodric Martin, and Ahmed Hassanein being a few examples of draftees with an acumen for run defense. Besides Aidan Hutchinson, the only drafted players that were pass rush-orientated were Mekhi Wingo and James Houston.
In the 2026 draft, Detroit added three linemen, all of whom have pass rush as a strength. Second-round pick Derrick Moore could be the 2026 counterpart to Al-Quadin Muhammad, a player used primarily as a pass rusher (although Moore has the ceiling to be an every-down player). Sixth-round pick Skyler Gill-Howard provides the team with some much-needed interior pass rush, as Wingo has seemingly fallen out of favor in Detroit. With the final pick of their draft, Detroit added Tyre West, a larger defensive end in the mold of Tyler Lacy that can bring pressure from inside and out. Even linebacker Jimmy Rolder could factor in as a pass rushing SAM linebacker (although WILL is more likely his future position).
Aside from the signing of DJ Wonnum—the frontrunner to start across from Hutchinson—the Lions have done little to bolster their run defense. This is not necessarily a bad thing, as the pass rush was sorely lacking consistency last season, but it is nonetheless an interesting pivot for this organization. Plus, free agency tends to have a second wave following the draft, so Detroit could still add to their run defense. In particular, another nose tackle to replace DJ Reader and Roy Lopez could be needed (Reader returning could still be in the cards, however).
Is this a sign that the Lions want to prioritize pass rush next season? Perhaps, though it could also be a case of Detroit seeing potential in their new rookies to grow as run defenders. We likely will not know how the scheme materializes until Week 1.