Way too early Detroit Lions 53-man roster projection for the 2026 season, the defense looks pretty deep after the 2026 NFL Draft
The Lions bulked up on defense in free agency and the 2026 NFL Draft and now they look like a very deep group
The 2026 NFL Draft is in the books, and the Detroit Lions had themselves a very good time. This draft felt like a return to form for Lions GM Brad Holmes, who may have overthought things in 2025 or just plain struck out on the guys he was hoping to get.
With all the players on the roster now, we’re going to make a way-too-early projection about what the Lions’ 53-man roster will look like in late August after training camp.
Note: Drafted rookies will have ** next to their name, and undrafted players will have ***.
Lions post-draft 2026 53-man roster projection
Quarterback (3)
In: Jared Goff, Teddy Bridgewater, Luke Altmeyer***
Out: N/A
Skinny: The Lions have their starting and QB2 situation figured out. But I still believe they wind up keeping a third quarterback in Altmeyer. Don’t look at him as someone who can be the future for the Lions, but he has some real ability to be a solid QB2 in the future. He gets the ball out quickly and doesn’t make a ton of mistakes. That’s all you need.
Running Back (3)
In: Jahmyr Gibbs, Isiah Pacheco, Sione Vaki
Out: Jacob Saylors, Kye Robichaux, Jabari Small
Skinny: It was somewhat surprising that the Lions didn’t draft a running back, but they must feel good about what they have with Isiah Pacheco, and this proves they definitely still have intent to see things through with Sione Vaki.
Wide Receiver (6)
In: Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Isaac TeSlaa, Greg Dortch, Kendrick Law**, Jackson Meeks
Out: Tom Kennedy, Malik Cunningham, Dominic Lovett
Skinny: Picking Kendrick Law likely means that Dominic Lovett is going to have to step it up at camp to have a shot. Law should get a lot of play on special teams in the beginning, but he’ll have to wait for Greg Dortch to be out of the way before he really gets his shot.
Tight End (3)
In: Sam LaPorta, Tyler Conklin, Brock Wright
Out: Zach Horton, Thomas Gordon, Miles Kitselman***
Skinny: Not much changing here. The Lions didn’t draft a tight end, and that shows they feel pretty good about what they have going there. Kitselman should absolutely make the practice squad based on his blocking ability. He does have some intriguing receiving possibilities, too.
Offensive Line (9)
In: Penei Sewell, Christian Mahogany, Cade Mays, Tate Ratledge, Blake Miller**, Larry Borom, Miles Frazier, Juice Scruggs, Ben Bartch
Out: Giovanni Manu, Melvin Priestly***, Colby Sorsdal, Michael Niese, Devin Cochran, Seth McLaughlin,
Skinny: The Lions should feel so much better about their offensive line right now. They’ve got starting quality guys at each spot, and they have some solid depth. As far as Giovani Manu goes, I feel like the Lions try Miles Frazier at tackle this summer, and it pays off. For Manu to make the roster this year. He needs to really show something this summer. Until then, I just don’t see it.
Defensive Line (8)
In: Aidan Hutchinson, Alim McNiell, Tyliek Williams, Derrick Moore**, D.J. Wonnum, Ahmed Hassanien, Skyler Gill-Howard**, Anthony Lucas***
Out: Tyler Lacy, Myles Adams, Levi Onwuzurike, Payton Turner, Chris Smith, Mekhi Wingo, Tyre West** Aidan Keanaaina***, Eric O’Neil***
Skinny: I think the Lions still look to add a veteran presence on the edge in free agency before camp starts, but even if they don’t, this is a good group with a lot of versatility. I’m giving Lucas the nod over West at this point because I think Lucas has a little bit more of a defined role at the end of the day, when West is a tweener, and I don’t really know what the plan is there yet.
Linebackers (6)
In: Jack Campbell, Derrick Barnes, Jimmy Rolder**, Malcolm Rodriguez, Damone Clark, Trevor Nowaske,
Out: Erick Hunter ***
Skinny: Congratulations. Basically, everyone just makes the team. The only thing that really makes you wonder is what is happening at Will linebacker in 2026? Rolder is theoretically going to get that spot in the future, but I don’t know if he steps into that role right away. This could be another spot where Detroit adds a veteran.
Cornerbacks (7)
In: Terrion Arnold, D.J. Reed, Keith Abney**, Roger McCreary, Ennis Rakestraw, Rock Ya-Sin,
Out: Khalil Dorsey, Nick Whiteside, De’Shawn Rucker ***, Aamaris Brown***
Skinny: The Lions have a ton of cornerbacks on the roster right now, and I think the plan going into the season is to make sure they have as much depth as they possibly can in the secondary to help negate some of the issues they had there last year after injuries.
Safety (6)
In: Kerby Joseph, Christian Izien, Chuck Clark, Avonte Maddox, Thomas Harper, Dan Jackson
Out: Loren Strickland
PUP: Brian Branch
Skinny: Same thing with safety. The Lions lost both of their guys last year, and they don’t want to have to deal with that kind of problem again. So they got better depth this year. Some good news came out of the draft. The Lions didn’t take a safety, and Brad Holmes said both Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch were trending the right way. Still, we expect at least Brach to miss a little bit of time at the beginning of the season.
Special Teams (3)
In: Jake Bates, Jack Fox, Hogan Hatten
Out:
Skinny: Nothing changing here. Don’t see any change in this department for a long time.
Final Word
At the end of the day, the Lions are a lot deeper of a team than they were last year, and the draft really helped them find some guys who can be starters in 2026 and then a couple of guys who can maybe join them later in the year or in 2027. This team has really come together and shown that crashing out too early is never a good idea.
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