Allen Park — Dan Campbell admits he’s a little jealous of Aaron Glenn, his longtime colleague and former defensive coordinator in Detroit. Glenn is entering Year 2 as head coach of the New York Jets, a franchise that’s in the early stages of another rebuild, but one that’s also the envy of the league heading into this week’s NFL draft. The Jets own four of the top 44 selections this year, as well as three first-round picks in next year’s stacked draft.
“And I’m like, ‘Well, this is nothing new for you,’” laughed Campbell, whose tenure with the Lions began with a similar run of high-end picks. “He loved it with us. Damn near the same thing — we went through this.”
And to their credit, the Lions made the most of that time, as general manager Brad Holmes’ first three drafts produced a league-high four first-team All-Pros and a combined 16 Pro Bowl honors.
But Detroit is no longer flush with draft capital, and as Holmes and Campbell prepare for this year’s “Annual Player Selection Meeting” — as the draft is formally titled — they’re once again armed with just two top-100 picks going in.
“Look, there are a lot of different ways you can navigate with having less picks,” said Holmes, who was in the same situation last year before trading up to add another pick (Isaac TeSlaa) on Day 2.
But it won’t be easy filling all their needs — whether it’s at offensive tackle, edge rusher or in the secondary — even with nine total picks at their disposal. Especially in a draft that’s short on first-round grades and long on over-age prospects. Still, here’s our annual attempt at doing just that, navigating a seven-round Lions mock draft, using the Pro Football Focus simulator and ignoring potential trades:
Pick 17: Blake Miller, RT, Clemson
Holmes insists he won’t put a premium on positions of need, but this one lines up too well. The Lions do need another bookend tackle for their offense now that Taylor Decker’s decade-long run in Detroit is over. And you rarely find those in free agency or via trade. So with that in mind, and with All-Pro Penei Sewell poised to move to the left side, if needed, you can make a pretty good argument that Miller is both the safe choice and the right fit here.
He looks the part at 6-foot-7 and 318 pounds with 34 1/4-inch arms, and beyond the athleticism and intelligence, there’s also the off-the-chart intangibles. Miller only missed one practice in his four-year career at Clemson, and that was in spring practice. And only because he’d had surgery the day before on a broken wrist. He made 54 starts, logged 3,778 snaps and certainly seems capable of stepping in as a rookie at right tackle, though the Lions bought themselves some insurance by signing Larry Borom in free agency.
Three tackles already were off the board in this simulation — Miami’s Francis Mauigoa, Utah’s Spencer Fano and Georgia’s Monroe Freeling — and so was the top interior offensive lineman, Penn State’s Vega Ioane, a tailor-made Lions prospect who went one pick before to Glenn and the Jets. And while I’m not ignoring the elephant in the room — Alabama’s mammoth Kadyn Proctor ended up going 24th to Cleveland — the tougher decision was taking Miller over an enticing edge in Auburn’s Keldric Faulk, in part because I see more Day 2 depth at that position.
Pick 50: Gabe Jacas, edge, Illinois
Round 2 started with a mini-run on pass rushers, with Cashius Howell (Texas A&M) and Zion Young (Missouri) going in the mid-30s and then Malachi Lawrence (Central Florida) and R Mason Thomas (Oklahoma) coming off the board in the 40s. And I gave strong consideration here to an off-ball linebacker in Anthony Hill Jr., (Texas) and South Carolina cornerback Brandon Cisse.
But options remain at a position where the Lions have tried — and failed thus far — to find a difference-maker opposite Aidan Hutchinson at defensive end. And if Jacas were still available in the middle of the second round — Penn State’s Dani Dennis-Sutton might make sense as well — he’d be a terrific addition to Kelvin Sheppard’s crew. The 6-3, 260-pounder is a relentless, heavy-handed edge who shows great instincts and packs a serious punch. And much like Miller above, he’s “all ball” with his passion for the game, his work ethic and his durability, having played in 50 straight games for the Illini.
Pick 118: Jimmy Rolder, LB, Michigan
What was a position of strength has thinned out this offseason, so I’d expect the Lions to add a rookie who can run and hit and perhaps develop into a starter at the WILL linebacker spot. Rolder only started one season at Michigan, but showed he has the physical tools and processing ability to play just about any role. The 6-2, 238-pounder diagnoses plays well, gets to the ball in a hurry and is one of the elite tacklers in this draft class. And while Rolder may not log many defensive snaps as a rookie, those traits are why he’ll be a huge asset on special teams from Day 1.
Pick 128: Charles Demmings, CB, Stephen F. Austin
No one ever has the market cornered on secondary help. And the Lions could have holes to fill here sooner rather later, with off-field questions surrounding Terrion Arnold and D.J. Reed perhaps a year away from a contractual off-ramp in Detroit.
But I’m still taking a leap here to snag an FCS prospect in Demmings who could prove to be a real find down the line. He looks the part of a future starter at 6-1 and 193 pounds with long arms, legit speed (4.41 40) and a 42-inch vertical. He has some ballhawk in him as well, recording four interceptions last season at Stephen F. Austin. And after an impressive showing at the scouting combine, his stock was on the rise. Even if he’s not ready to be a top-four corner on the roster, he might find a rookie role as a gunner on special teams.
Pick 157: DeMonte Capehart, DT, Clemson
Capehart isn’t a young player — he turns 24 this summer — but his pre-draft testing suggests there’s still some upside here after six years and only 12 starts at Clemson. The 6-5, 313-pound tackle turned heads with some explosive combine results, posting a Relative Athletic Score of 9.96, which ranks ninth out of more than 2,000 defensive tackles since 1987. Whether the former five-star recruit can turn that into any pass-rush production as a pro is another matter, obviously. But if nothing else, Capehart profiles as a run-stuffing rotational piece, which is something the Lions still need after losing D.J. Reader and Roy Lopez in free agency.
Pick 181: Jeremiah Wright, G, Auburn
Another mauler wouldn’t hurt, and that’s what the Lions would be adding in Wright, who started all 24 games at right guard for the Tigers the last two seasons but did play some on the left earlier in his college career. A 6-5, 330-pound prospect, he has the physical tools and the nastiness to punish people as a run blocker and certainly fits new coordinator Drew Petzing’s gap-heavy scheme. And if an NFL coaching staff can refine some of Wright’s pass-pro technique, maybe there’s a future starter in there, though he’s another older prospect who turns 25 in September.
Pick 205: Kaelon Black, RB, Indiana
After trading David Montgomery to Houston this winter, the Lions brought in Isiah Pacheco to be Jahmyr Gibbs’ tag-team complement in the backfield this season. But they may look to find a longer-term option in this draft, and in Black, a 5-9, 211-pound powder keg, they’d find one that plays a lot like Pacheco. A tough, hard-nosed runner who followed Curt Cignetti from James Madison, Black was an integral piece in Indiana’s undefeated national title team, topping the 1,000-yard mark despite sharing duties with starter Roman Hemby. He hasn’t showed much as a pass-catcher, but his strength and quick feet would be a nice addition to the Lions’ run game.
Pick 213: Riley Nowakowski, TE, Indiana
The Lions may pull the trigger on a tight end earlier in this draft, and I was tempted to a couple times. But there’s plenty of depth at the position in this class, and here in the seventh round, the pick was another national champ. And a bit of a hybrid, as the 6-2, 250-pound Nowakowski is more of an H-back than a traditional Y tight end. But while he lacks the ideal size, he’d be a useful piece for Petzing, who utilized plenty of 13 personnel in Arizona. Nowakowski is an accomplished blocker who’d help the Lions in the run game, particularly finishing drives in the red zone. But he also showed good hands while catching 32 balls as a starter for the Hoosiers last season, and the special-teams experience is a must at this stage of the draft.
Pick 222: Dalton Johnson, S, Arizona
Johnson doesn’t have the ideal size to play in the box at 5-11 and 192 pounds. But the first-team All-Big 12 safety could fill a big nickel role as a pro, given his athleticism, football IQ and his quick-twitch ability. He’s a fearless tackler with over 200 solo stops the last three seasons at Arizona, where the staff lauded his character and leadership after sticking it out through three head coaching changes. And his core special-teams play will add value as a Day 3 pick.
john.niyo@detroitnews.com
@JohnNiyo
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Niyo: Here is what the Lions’ 7-round haul could look like in 2026 NFL Draft
Reporting by John Niyo, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
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