Lions NFL mock draft 2026: What experts are saying about first round

Mock draft season is upon us, even if it's the earliest Detroit Lions fans have had to think about the NFL Draft in a while.

The Lions finished a disappointing 2025 season at 9-8, finishing in fourth place in the NFC North and falling out of the playoff chase before their Week 18 win against the Chicago Bears. And now it's time for general manager Brad Holmes and the rest of the front office to prepare for the draft, where Detroit hopes to fill abundant positional needs.

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Detroit is currently at No. 17 in the draft order barring any trades and have at least seven picks to work with in the upcoming draft. And if the Lions choose to keep their first-round pick, they will be picking at their highest slot since choosing running back Jahmyr Gibbs at No. 12 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft.

But who will the Lions pick? Early mock drafts from NFL experts show two general directions, but no consensus, on what the Lions will do with their first-round pick.

Here's a roundup of those predictions.

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USA TODAY: OL Francis Mauigoa, Miami (FL)

USA TODAY''s Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz has the Lions selecting stout Miami offensive lineman Francis Mauigoa with their first-round pick, helping to shore up potential losses on the offensive line with the possible retirements of left tackle Taylor Decker, center Graham Glasgow and swing tackle Dan Skipper.

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"Solid to the core in pass protection and a true punisher in the run game, Mauigoa will up the physicality of whatever front he joins," Middlehurst-Schwartz writes. "That's something that Dan Campbell would covet as he tries to re-establish Detroit's ability to set the tone up front with a stronger interior."

The Athletic: OT Kadyn Proctor, Alabama

The Athletic's Nick Baumgardner also sees the Lions addressing their offensive line needs for 2026, but sees them going in a different direction from Mauigoa.

"The Lions could have needs nearly across the board on the offensive line, especially with left tackle Taylor Decker and interior lineman Graham Glasgow pondering their futures. Proctor is still more sizzle than steak, but the potential — like his 6-foot-7, 360-pound frame — is enormous," Baumgardner writes.

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Fox Sports: DT Kayden McDonald, Ohio State

Fox's Rob Rang thinks the Lions will address their interior defensive line, choosing an Ohio State defensive tackle with their first-round pick for the second year in a row.

"General manager Brad Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell have prioritized brute size, strength and physicality along the line of scrimmage, but that didn’t keep the Lions from slipping to 14th in the NFL in rushing yards allowed in 2025 after ranking fifth in this critical category a year ago," he writes. "With injuries and inconsistency plaguing Detroit’s middle, the club could see McDonald — this draft’s best run-stuffer — as an immediate upgrade."

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CBS Sports: CB Mansoor Delane, LSU

CBS's Mike Renner thinks the Lions will use their first-round pick on cornerback Mansoor Delane, though this is a curious prediction with the Lions presumably returning a healthy Terrion Arnold, Ennis Rakestraw and D.J. Reed heading into the 2026 season.

"Delane was the best man corner in college football this fall, and the Lions are one of the man-heaviest teams in the NFL. While the Lions have options in the pipeline, like Terrion Arnold and Ennis Rakestraw, they've yet to prove anything meaningful two years in," Renner writes.

Bleacher Report: CB Jermod McCoy, Tennessee

Bleacher Report makes an even more curious prediction than CBS, not only because they also predict the Lions will take a cornerback, but also because they predict they will take a cornerback who did not play in 2025 due to injury.

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"Jermod McCoy was viewed as a top-five talent for the 2026 draft class, but he never played a down down the '25 campaign after suffering a torn ACL last January," they write. "Even so, the Detroit Lions should see an opportunity to land an elite talent and upgrade a disappointing secondary."

While it's entirely possible the Lions will look to bolster their secondary through the draft, their greater positional needs on the offensive and defensive lines will probably have them prioritizing the cornerback position a little less than they have in years' past – especially since Detroit has a greater need at safety than at cornerback with potentially career-altering injuries to starting safeties Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch throwing the 2026 secondary in flux.

That's not to say there' no logic in picking a cornerback, especially if Decker and Glasgow decide to come back and make the team's offensive line problems less urgent. But if Detroit takes a cornerback with their first-round pick, Lions fans should hope that the team addresses their need for an offensive lineman and a pass rusher through a big trade trade or free agent signing.

Otherwise, you should expect the Lions to target those two needs, first.

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You can reach Christian at cromo@freepress.com.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Lions NFL mock draft roundup: What experts are saying about 1st round