Lions NFL Draft Review: Immediate Starters, Sleepers and Long-Term Bets

In the 2026 NFL Draft, the Detroit Lions were able to effectively add draft prospects that fit the culture and have the ability to compete for expanded roles on both sides of the football.

All in all, general manager Brad Holmes has added motivation to leave no stone unturned in his efforts to improve the roster.

After the completion of the draft, the sixth-year general manager expressed missing out on the playoffs last season may be the necessary "kick in the rear end" needed to get back on track in 2026.

“This whole draft I’d say, this is the most capital that we’ve had on Day 3 probably since we’ve been here, if I’m right on that," said Holmes. "I kept saying before the draft started I was most excited about Day 3. It was like, ‘Okay, we’ve got to get first round right. We’ve got to get second round right.’ But just so excited about all the capital. It actually exceeded my expectations just in terms of the players that we were able to get and just maximize the resources that we have on Day 3. Just really couldn’t be more thrilled with all three days.”

By all accounts, this draft class was considered a little thin overall in terms of talent.

"When you get to Day 3, I just, you can throw a lot of the stuff out the window. ‘What round did you have him in? What grade did you have on him?’ Just pick the player that you want. That’s kind of our mindset, so I just thought it would be a fun time. I don’t know if they’re going to be seventh round guys, sixth round guys, whatever, but we were able to get some guys that we had ranked way higher that fell for whatever reason," said Holmes. "I’m not really worried about that, we’re not worried about that, we’re just thrilled that we have them.

"That’s just kind of how it exceeded my expectations. But all of them, every single last one of them, they are complete, true fits. These guys are Lions. I know technically they are, yes, but they fit everything that we’re about. We got some good football players.”

Immediate starter

Blake Miller is the only player in the draft that really has a strong chance to become an immediate starter.

In its first five years, Detroit's personnel department has done a solid job of building a core group of starters.

For Miller, there is a strong expectation he will be the starter in Week 1, when the team next takes the field in a game that counts in the standings.

“Really high-floor player. What’s really intriguing, obviously, he’s big, he’s tough, he’s smart, he’s a finisher. He has unbelievable football character, work ethic," said Holmes. "Everything from a culture standpoint, he fits that. That’s the easy part. But, his ability is the stuff. He’s athletic. He’s a good athlete. It’s hard to find guys that can move like that (who) are finishers.

"That’s what he is. And what’s been interesting on him, he probably has no idea, we’ve probably been watching Blake for three years now, and he has gotten better every single year," Holmes continued. "So, that’s what makes you really excited about a player like that, that has a high floor but he’s gotten better every year. So, coming to this level with our offensive line coach and our ecosystem, I don’t see any reason why he won’t continue to get better.”

Sleepers

Detroit made the decision to target defensive back Keith Abney, who was arguably the best "steal" of Day 3.

With the departure of Amik Robertson in free agency, Abney will compete with Roger McCreary for an opportunity to play at nickel cornerback.

“We evaluated Abney multiple times throughout this process, dating back to last fall, and every single time I always enjoyed it," said Holmes. "I think he might tilt a little bit more to nickel at this level, but I think he could play outside for sure. He’s another instinctive guy that he could find the football, he could trigger, he can tackle, he’s pretty sticky. He was just a simple one because we had him ranked a couple rounds higher than where he was, so that was a no-brainer for us.”

Long-term bets

Detroit made the rare decision to draft two players from the same school in the same year.

Defensive end Derrick Moore and linebacker Jimmy Rolder should become consistent contributors and remain on the roster for the next several seasons.

Holmes indicated the very first time he saw Rolder, he immediately identified him as a football player.

“First time I looked at Rolder, I was just like, I just kept saying, ‘Football player. This guy is a football player.’ I thought he was highly instinctive," the Detroit GM expressed. "Again, he was the one guy on that Michigan defense, like I said, Derrick Moore we were watching for a long time and there are other players on that defense or that team period, he was one I hadn’t seen in previous years. That was just kind of a fresh, like very encouraging view of him but thought he was very instinctive, was a really good tackler.

"He doesn’t really miss any tackles. He just plays with his hair on fire. He’s stronger than you think. He could actually set edges if you put him on the edge. If you don’t know where you’re going and you don’t have high-level processing and instincts, it can be tough for you. I don’t care how big, strong, explosive you are as an inside linebacker.”

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