The Detroit Lions got a tackle replacement for Taylor Decker in Clemson’s Blake Miller with the No. 17 overall pick as the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft concludes from Pittsburgh.
In a first round filled with surprising selections and odd orderings, the Lions managed to do something rather expected, albeit maybe not with the player a lot of insiders were positing might be the pick.
Elsewhere, in the NFC North, Chicago and Minnesota each went after players they hope will be premiere defenders in Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman and Florida DT Caleb Banks, respectively. Banks played high school football at Southfield A&T and began his college career at Louisville before transferring.
The Packers did not pick in the first round.
Now the table is set for Day 2, as the Lions could still pursue a number of positions, from edge rusher to corner to more help on the interior of the offensive line.
Detroit has the eight picks remaining: 50 (Rd. 2), 118 (Rd. 4), 128 (Rd. 4), 157 (Rd. 5), 181 (Rd. 5), 205 (Rd. 6), 213 (Rd. 6) and 222 (Rd. 7).
32. Seattle Seahawks: Jadarian Price, RB, Notre Dame
Two first round running backs, two Notre Dame running backs. That’s pretty, pretty good for Marcus Freeman and Co. to recruit on in South Bend. Price has no career starts, but that’s more a virtue to the fact he spent his college career playing with the guy who went No. 3 overall tonight, Jeremiyah Love.
Price is a less explosive runner than Love and doesn’t quite have the change-the-complexion-of-your-offense talent, but he’ll be a solid replacement off the bat for Kenneth Walker III, while Zach Charbonnet continues to rehab.
The reigning champs had a bit of a choose-your-own-adventure proposition at 32, without any glaring needs on the roster and no obvious players sitting on the board that made too much sense to pass on. So, Seattle chose to fill in a gap at running back.
31. Tennessee Titans (via Buffalo): Keldric Faulk, edge, Auburn
The Bills have now traded fully out of the first round and accumulated a bunch of capital, and that opened the door for Robert Saleh to add a bruising, big-bodied edge rusher out of Auburn to his defense in Tennessee. Faulk has polish that needs to come along in his game, but the physical profile is something that NFL teams ultimately won’t pass up.
Trade terms: Tennessee gets Nos. 31, 69 and 165 and Buffalo gets Nos. 35, 66 and 101.
30. New York Jets (via San Francisco): Omar Cooper Jr., WR, Indiana
The Jets traded up with San Francisco to get this pick and select Cooper to pair with Garrett Wilson in the receiving corps. Cooper’s mom played basketball at Michigan State.
Trade terms: Jets move to No. 30 and give up Nos. 33 and 179 to the 49ers.
29. Kansas City Chiefs: Peter Woods, DT, Clemson
Woods underwhelmed during his career at Clemson but was a heralded prospect with raw talent to be a first rounder. And now he gets to play next to Chris Jones in the middle of the Kansas City defensive front.
28. New England Patriots (via Buffalo): Caleb Lomu, OT, Utah
The second Utah tackle off the board in the first round, the Patriots climb up a few spots by trading with a division rival to get some more protection for star QB Drake Maye.
Lomu also has some positional versatility, potentially.
Trade terms: New England jumps to No. 28, Buffalo gets No. 31 and No. 125.
27. Miami Dolphins: Chris Johnson, CB, San Diego State
Projected to be a first rounder, Johnson may be close to a perfect fit for the defense that head coach Jeff Hafley will want to run. A long, rangy zone corner, Johnson will fit neatly into the scheme.
He’s also the first non-Power 4 player selected on Thursday.
26. Houston Texans: Keylan Rutledge, G, Georgia Tech
Now the eighth offensive linemen to go in Round 1, at least a quarter of the day one picks will be on the offensive line with six more to go. The Texans get a rugged and ready interior lineman to protect CJ Stroud.
25. Chicago Bears: Dillon Thienemen, S, Oregon
Thienemen began his career at Purdue and quickly rose to prominence as an All-American caliber safety. He was just as good at Oregon, and has the size, range and athletic prowess to not just survive but thrive at the NFL level. That he lasted so long is likely just a vestige of the position he plays, as the Bears have landed one of the best defenders in the draft.
24. Cleveland Browns: KC Concepcion, WR, Texas A&M
A special player with the ball in his hands, Concepcion also should provide some special teams value for the Browns. He should be an immediate plus add to the wide receiving corps but the bigger question remains: Who the heck do the Browns plan to have throw him the football?
23. Dallas Cowboys (via Philadelphia): Malachi Lawrence, edge, UCF
Lawrence had a great pre-draft process, testing well and impressing with his on field workout. He’s an elite athlete with all the tools and raw abilities to get after the quarterback and had the production to match at UCF. He needs to come along as a run defender, but he’s the second first round defensive player the Cowboys have selected.
22. Los Angeles Chargers: Akheem Mesidor, edge, Miami
Jim Harbaugh and new defensive coordinator Chris O’Leary get an edge rusher that is badly needed. It might be a surprise that it’s Mesidor, though, as he’s older and has some limitations and injury history. The younger Keldric Faulk from Auburn was available, but evidently the Chargers liked what they saw from Mesidor, Rueben Bain’s running mate in 2025.
21. Pittsburgh Steelers: Max Iheanachor, OT, Arizona State
Iheanachor is a raw tackle who is relatively new to football who is dripping with upside. Pittsburgh was in the market to add some tackle help, and a first year coaching staff isn’t under the gun to win big in Year 1, giving some time to let the first round selection come around.
20. Philadelphia Eagles (via Dallas): Makai Lemon, WR, USC
Lemon is one of the top receivers in this draft, but many felt the Eagles were hunting for a tackle in this draft. Evidently the Philadelphia decision makers didn’t get down with Arizona State’s Max Iheanachor, but did want to pull the trigger on Lemon.
The Eagles also traded with Dallas to get into the No. 20 spot.
The trade: Philadelphia gets No. 20 and a seventh round pick, Dallas in return gets Nos. 23, 114 and 137.
19. Carolina Panthers: Monroe Freeling, OT, Georgia
Freeling is a bit of a project in terms of physical development, but he allowed just two sacks in 2025 and has all the underlying physical tools in terms of length and frame. He might be underwhelming in the run game and need to add some bulk, but he’s long and rangy and makes it really, really hard to sack the quarterback.
More protection for Bryce Young won’t hurt in Carolina.
18. Minnesota Vikings: Caleb Banks, DT, Florida
Few prospects in the draft are put together quite like Banks, who is a massive, massive man with the weight distributed across his wide, 6-foot-6 frame. His talent is undeniable. When he’s on, and on the field, he’s borderline unblockable, and largely unmovable. If he is healthy, Minnesota got a great defender.
The problem is, as evidenced by the 90 snaps he played in 2025, Banks struggles to stay healthy. He’s been dealing with a foot issue going into the draft that might’ve scared off some teams. Not Minnesota, though.
Banks is also a graduate from Southfield A&T High School.
17. Detroit Lions: Blake Miller, OT, Clemson
A trendy pick for the Lions of late, it seems the Kadyn Proctor noise (which would’ve been irrelevant anyways, he went No. 12 overall) was a feint as Detroit circled in on Miller to fill an immediate tackle need. Miller tested well at the combine and had a long and successful career at Clemson, starting immediately.
Miller, who is from Ohio, actually set the Clemson record for consecutive starts by a non-specialist, starting 54 games across four seasons there. He simply arrived at Clemson, became a starting tackle, and didn’t relent. He only missed two (!) practice in his college career. It’s not hard to figure out why Dan Campbell might’ve wanted this guy.
Miller’s primarily a right tackle, which means the Lions will have to figure out whether Miller moves over, or Penei Sewell flips to left tackle.
16. New York Jets: Kenyon Sadiq, TE, Oregon
One of the most intriguing outright prospects in the draft, Sadiq’s tape is lacking in some polish and finer points of playing the tight end as a blocker, but the movement skills and receiving ability are the attraction.
He’s a freakish athlete who can lineup across the formation and might not be a cookie-cutter tight end, but is someone the Jets can get creative with as a weapon to pair with Garrett Wilson. Keep in mind, this is a tight end who ran a 4.39 second 40 yard dash.
And now the Lions are on the clock with a number of tackles — Caleb Lomu, Blake Miller, Max Iheanchor — who could be the pick.
15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Rueben Bain, edge, Miami
If Bain had about 2-3 inch longer arms, he’d have gone off the board well before this pick. He was a punishingly effective edge defender for the Hurricanes in college, but his length is a historical outlier. The Buccaneers are evidently betting on the tape, and that Bain — who has always had short arms, they didn’t suddenly get this way — knows how to break down pass protection in his frame.
A potential non-tackle option for the Lions also comes off the board, as Bain could’ve been a nice complement to Aidan Hutchinson.
14. Baltimore Rams: Olaivavega Ioane, OG, Penn State
A hulking guard who can move, Ioane is one of the best thought of and pro-ready prospects in the draft out of Penn State. He’s a pure guard, so the lack of a position premium or versatility might’ve kept him out of the top round, but this pick makes so much sense for a Baltimore team that needed some help on the line in front of Lamar Jackson.
All in all, a very Ravens-like move to make from Baltimore’s brass.
13. Los Angeles Rams: Ty Simpson, QB, Alabama
A real shocker here, as the Rams were sometimes linked to Simpson as a theoretical possibility but most assumed that McVay and Co. were in more of a win now mode, looking to add help for Matthew Stafford in what appears to be an all-in year as the quarterback’s career winnows down.
Instead, Los Angeles swings big on a player who, if all goes well, won’t play this year as the Rams chase a Super Bowl.
12. Miami Dolphins (via Dallas): Kadyn Proctor, OT, Alabama
Proctor is a massive human. Massive to the point it could be a hindrance and not a help, but he’s got elite physical tools in a frame that’s just rare, and if he hits it could be a massive boon for a Miami franchise rebuilding some in the trenches right now.
And that’s now two tackles off the board as Detroit might be after one.
11. Dallas Cowboys (via Miami): Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State
Downs has a case as the best player in the draft if not a Top 5 player for certain, but he plays a position the NFL doesn’t particularly value, hence he slid out of the Top 10, but barely. Dallas trades up with Miami to get what the Cowboys are surely hoping is the sheriff of a remade defense going forward.
Downs is just a damn good football player, and should make Dallas immediately better on defense if he pans out.
Trade terms: Cowboys and Miami flip the No. 11 and 12 picks, and Miami picks up 177 and 180.
Dallas keeps the No. 20 overall pick.
10. New York Giants: Francis Mauigoa, OT, Miami (Fl.)
The Giants go for a bookend offensive tackle to protect Jaxson Dart, and have gone after the trenches hard in the first two picks in this draft, pairing with Arvell Reese at No. 5 overall.
9. Cleveland Browns (via KC): Spencer Fano, OT, Utah
The first tackle off the board may not end up there long term in the NFL, as some evaluators think he could be an interior linemen long term. Perhaps that versatility was appealing to a Cleveland team that needs offensive line help across the board.
It’s a blow for Detroit, though, as the Lions are likely targeting a tackle in the first round.
8. New Orleans Saints: Jordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona State
Considered to be the top receiving talent in the class, some injury concerns may have dampened Tyson’s stock. But when healthy, he’s a difference maker. And that’s what the Saints are hoping to have selected at No. 8 overall.
7. Washington Commanders: Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State
For those keeping tally at home, there are now three Ohio State players selected in the first seven picks, and stud safety Caleb Downs looms. But Styles rocketed up boards with an otherwordly combine performance, all in a massive frame. He projects to be the sort of sideline-to-sideline defender that can anchor an NFL defense from the middle.
Styles is also the son of former Ohio State and Atlanta Falcons linebacker Lorenzo Styles.
6. Kansas City Chiefs (via Cleveland): Mansoor Delane, CB, LSU
Delane was the top corner for many and he fills an immediate position of need for Kansas City, which had traded away Trent McDuffie to the Los Angeles Rams earlier this offseason. Delane doesn’t quite have elite measurables, but checks the boxes and the tape is electric.
The terms of the trade: Kansas City gets the No. 6 pick for picks No. 9, 74 and 148, which now belong to the Cleveland Browns.
5. New York Giants: Arvell Reese, edge/LB, Ohio State
Reese is projected to make a move to edge rusher full time and this is about the most John Harbaugh pick of all time, getting the good football player that fell past a few others because of doubts about position, that Reese is a “tweener.”
And now the first pick of the John Harbaugh Era in New York is a potential queen on the chess board for the Giants. Reese is 20 years old, terrorized offenses at Ohio State, and seemingly has room to grow.
4. Tennessee Titans: Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State
Tate being a first rounder is not a surprise. Him being the first receiver off the board (instead of, say, Jordan Tyson) is a surprise. And him being drafted before defensive teammate Arvell Reese is a surprise. But it’s a good weapon to add for Cam Ward. That’s five straight years with a first round receiver picked from Ohio State, a streak that’s sure to go to six next year with Jeremiah Smith.
And now it’s officially time to watch how far Arvell Reese falls, as he was projected as a likely Top 3 pick.
3. Arizona Cardinals: Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame
Love is one of the top players in the draft but a running back going so high is always notable. Love is now the highest running back selection since Saquon Barkley. And the former Notre Dame star heads to a Cardinals team that’s certainly hitting a reset under new coach Mike LaFleur (who is a Central Michigan graduate).
Now things get interesting for Tennessee at No. 4, with a potential chance to trade back if a team wants to snag Arvell Reese.
2. New York Jets: David Bailey, edge, Texas Tech
Bailey transfered to Texas Tech from Stanford ahead of the 2025 season and spearheaded a vicious Red Raider defensive front that helped lead his squad to the college football playoff. He was one of the top sack men in college football and is now headed to play for former Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn in New York.
Perhaps a surprise, as many pegged the Jets for Ohio State’s Arvell Reese after New York cancelled a 30 visit with Bailey recently.
1. Las Vegas Raiders: Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana
The expected selection for Las Vegas at No. 1, the Raiders now have the QB for a new era with a new head coach. Expect to hear about how partial team owner Tom Brady (who is also doing color commentary for FOX) gave the young quarterback some sage advice.
Now the real fun begins with the Jets on the clock for pick No. 2.
Intro
The 2026 NFL Draft is finally here, with the Las Vegas Raiders slated to make the first pick — heavily favored to be Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza — sometime after 8 p.m. EST from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The Detroit Lions hold one pick in the first round on Thursday evening, the No. 17 overall selection. The Lions have been projected to select any number of potential players, with a lot of late chatter centering around Detroit selecting an offensive tackle to replace Taylor Decker.
The Detroit News’ Nolan Bianchi, Richard Silva and John Niyo have covered just about every angle for how Detroit could approach the first round. Along with Thursday’s first round pick, Detroit currently holds a second round pick for Friday, and a slew of picks in Round 4 and onward for Saturday.
As for prospects from Michigan colleges, it’s largely expected to be slim pickings Round 1, as no players from any of Michigan’s colleges are projected to be picked on Thursday night.
Follow along here for live updates from Detroit News contributor Andrew Graham.
2026 NFL Draft
When: Thursday-Saturday, Pittsburgh
Schedule: Round 1 — Thursday, 8 p.m. Rounds 2-3 — Friday, 7 p.m. Rounds 4-7 — Saturday, noon
TV: NFL Network, ABC, ESPN
Lions picks: 17 (Round 1), 50 (2), 118 (4), 128 (4), 157 (5), 181 (5), 205 (6), 213 (6), 222 (7)
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Recap: Lions nab OT Blake Miller in Round 1 of 2026 NFL Draft
Reporting by Andrew Graham, Special to The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
