Allen Park — The Detroit Lions swung a trade in the fifth round of the 2026 NFL Draft to land Kentucky wide receiver Kendrick Law.
The Lions traded pick Nos. 181 and 213 to move up 13 spots in Round 5 to draft Law, who has upside as a speedy weapon. Law caught 53 passes for 540 yards and three touchdowns last season.
During his press conference with local media, Law was thrilled to be taken by the Lions. But he was clearly not happy about waiting until Round 5 to hear his name; Law thought he should’ve gone earlier.
“Heading into the draft, I expected just to be one of the top guys just like any other receiver expects they should be (taken) off the board,” Law said. “My expectations are high for myself.”
It’s the second trade-up by the Lions in this year’s draft. Detroit moved up six spots on Friday to draft Michigan edge defender Derrick Moore in Round 2.
Law (5-foot-11⅜, 203 pounds) had a Relative Athletic Score of 9.6 out of 10. He ran a 4.45-second 40-yard dash at the combine and recorded a shocking vertical leap of 42 inches with a 10-feet, 8-inch broad jump.
Prior to Kentucky, Law spent three seasons at Alabama. Law was a four-star prospect coming out of Captain Shreve High School in Shreveport, Louisiana. He committed to coach Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide over offers from other powerhouses, including Texas and Notre Dame.
He had eight career starts for the Crimson Tide (five in 2024, three in 2023), but struggled to regularly feature in Alabama’s offense. He had 33 catches for 343 yards in three seasons.
“After my third year, I just kind of felt like, hey, I needed to go to a different system, the kind of system where I can be moved around a little bit more, put in different spots, create mismatches upon defenses and just create value for myself across the board,” Law said.
In addition to great speed, Law boasts short-area quickness with intriguing upside, if there’s a team out there that can figure out how to use him. Law said that his ability to stretch the field is his superpower.
“I know I can stretch the field, and I feel like that’s just something that the Lions will … get to see from me. ‘Hey, this guy is not only just a medium-(package) guy … but he’s also a vertical threat. We can use him downfield, we can use him intermediate, and we can use him in short range,'” Law said. “That’s the kind of guy I feel like I am.”
At Alabama, Law wore No. 1. The last two times Detroit drafted a player who wore that number at Alabama were Jahmyr Gibbs and Jameson Williams.
Law has always been a terrific athlete. At the 2014 National Junior Olympics, he set the record for the long jump (16 feet, 8 inches) in the 9-10-age division; previously, he set national records for the 8-under division in long jump (14 feet, 7¾ inches) and 200-meter dash (28.2 seconds).
Law’s father, Kendrick Sr., played running back at Southern Arkansas and later became a coach.
How does Law fit with Lions?
Law could compete for a job as Detroit’s punt returner. He had 31 kick returns over his college career and averaged 22.9 yards per return. He’ll have to beat out a few other options, such as Greg Dortch, Tom Kennedy and Dominic Lovett, for a spot on Detroit’s 53-man roster.
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This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Lions trade up for speedy receiver Kendrick Law: ‘I can stretch the field’
Reporting by Nolan Bianchi, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
