The Lions Should Draft This Guy: Utah’s Spencer Fano is the perfect fit if, and it’s a big if, he can fall to them

If the Lions have a chance at Spencer Fano, they’re set for a long time at right tackle with arguably the best tackle prospect in the draft

Mike Payton — Detroit Lions Beat Writer
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Oct 11, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Utes offensive lineman Spencer Fano (55) celebrates a touchdown against the Arizona State Sun Devils during the third quarter at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
Oct 11, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Utes offensive lineman Spencer Fano (55) celebrates a touchdown against the Arizona State Sun Devils during the third quarter at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Rob Gray-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 Spencer Fano

I mean, it’s easy to see the big positive. Fano may be the best tackle in this entire draft, even though he’s likely to go after Miami’s Francis Mauigoa. The thing is, could he fall to them at 17? It’s possible. But maybe not totally likely. Are the Lions willing to trade up for him? Maybe.

Fano was Pro Football Focus’s sixth-highest graded tackle who played a minimum of 800 snaps in 2025. He allowed five pressures and no sacks this past season. In his three years as a starter at Utah, he allowed just three sacks combined. That is absolutely insane.

He is a day one plug-and-play starter at right tackle, and he’ll never lose that job. If the Lions are all about best player available and Fano is there, that is the unquestioned best player available.

The Concerns

There really aren’t that many. He has to work on how he blocks against spin moves, and maybe some of the faster and more athletic edges could give him some trouble, but he’s shown to be able to handle some of that in college.

There were some penalties that might need to be worked on. Not really little stuff. Things that can get touchdowns called back. Not saying he does this all the time, but when he does commit a penalty, some of them have been real back breakers.

Of course, then you have to make sure that he is just there for you at 17. That is the biggest concern. Because there is a strong chance he won’t be.

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