The Lions Should Draft This Guy: Auburn’s Keldric Faulk fits, but maybe not how Lions fans would hope

We’re getting closer and closer to the 2026 NFL Draft for the Detroit Lions. With that in mind, we’re starting our new series called The Lions Should Draft This Guy. We’re going to profile a bunch of players we feel the Lions would love, and talk about their positives and negatives. Follow along! Here’s who […]

Mike Payton — Detroit Lions Beat Writer
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Auburn Tigers defensive lineman Keldric Faulk (15) celebrates a stop as Auburn Tigers take on California Golden Bears at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala., on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024. © Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

We’re getting closer and closer to the 2026 NFL Draft for the Detroit Lions. With that in mind, we’re starting our new series called The Lions Should Draft This Guy. We’re going to profile a bunch of players we feel the Lions would love, and talk about their positives and negatives. Follow along! Here’s who we’ve covered so far:

The positives of Keldric Faulk

The first thing that pops off the page for Faulk is that he’s a very good run defender. Pro Football Focus gave him a grade of 85.5. One of the highest grades in the country at the edge in 2025.

Faulk has the makings of the exact kind of player you’d like to develop over time. He’s still super young at just 20 years old, and he has the frame and size that are worth building upon. Theoretically, he would be great in the Lions’ defense on run snaps. In a couple of years, he might be a very good edge rusher.

The Concerns

He is not right now, and the Lions seem pretty unlikely to want to take what could be a developmental pick at 17. If he were a third-round pick, it would make sense. Even if he were a second-round pick, it would make sense. Right now it doesn’t.

While he’s been really good at stopping the run, he’s not been very good at getting after the pass. He had 30 pressures and two sacks for Auburn in 2025 and had a 66 grade. He was much better in 2024 with 45 pressures and nine sacks. If he can be that player, it makes more sense.

Again, I think the fit for the Lions is great, but not with the 17th pick and not in the first round. He makes much more sense for a team that wants to spend its time developing him, though.

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