The 10 best players left for the Detroit Lions after Day 2 of the 2026 NFL Draft. There are still plenty of opportunities to bulk up the defense
There are still a lot of good players left in the 2026 NFL Draft because some of these teams are making weird choices
Just one more day of the 2026 NFL Draft left to go, and then we’ll be waiting for the season to start. And it’s going to be a long wait through the dead zone.
The Lions have a lot of picks left on the board, and they can really find some strong value at this point. They could even find some guys who could potentially start for them. Here are the 10 best players left on the board for the Lions:
Kyle Louis, LB, Pittsburgh
Here is the guy you move Heaven and Earth to go up and get at the top of the fourth. Louis should not be here right now. He can absolutely take on the Will linebacker role and start for Detroit in 2026. He is a bit undersized at the position, but that’s something the Lions do not care about. He can play it. That’s all that matters.
Mikail Kamara, Edge, Indiana
I don’t at all think the Lions are done with edge rushers just yet. They still need more help there. Kamara fits the Lions in the sense that he can do both set the edge in the run game and get can get home. The stat sheet doesn’t show the latter, but the film shows him taking on a lot of attention after a big 2024, and his line-mates capitalizing on that.
Caden Curry, Edge, Ohio State
The thing that’s really knocking Curry is that he doesn’t have a ton of starting experience outside of 2025. But in his one year as a starter, he showed he can flat-out get pressure. He put up 46 pressures and 12 sacks. He presents as a potential pass rush specialist on third down.
Dontay Corleone, DT, Cincinnati
The Lions get a true run-stuffing nose tackle who, in the past, with a different defensive coordinator, showed that he can also bring some pass-rush juice. Corelone is only here because of the blood clots he dealt with in 2024. He would likely be as high as a second-round pick without that.
Kaytron Allen, RB, Penn State
The Lions might feel like they’re all set at running back with Isiah Pacheco coming in to replace David Montgomery. But if they want another running back, Allen’s comp is David Montgomery. They play so much alike that he could plug right in and even share carries with Pacheco before he likely takes over the RB2 job in 2026.
Jimmy Rolder, LB, Michigan
Like Curry, Rolder would probably be gone by now if he had more starting experience. Just one year as a starter for Michigan, but he made the most of it by leading the team in tackles. He can cover well, and he has some pass-rush ability, too. Another guy who can play that Will linebacker role.
Jalon Kilgore, S, South Carolina
The thing to like about Kilgore is positional versatility. He can play safety, outside corner, nickel, and slot. You can put him anywhere in the secondary, and he is going to play it well. The only real question is, do the Lions feel like they have their fill of players like this already, or can you never have enough of these guys?
Jadon Canady, CB, Oregon
The Lions have a potential starting slot cornerback in Roger McCreary on the roster already, but Canady is the best true slot corner in this draft. He’s been doing it at Oregon for years and with success. In 2025, he allowed a passer rating of just 39.4.
Kionte Scott, CB, Miami
Scott is another really good slot corner. He was amazing for the Hurricanes in 2025. Like Curry and Rolder, the concern might be that he only has one year of starting experience. It makes you wonder what the fluke is? The three years he didn’t start, or the one year he did?
Garrett Nussmeier, QB, LSU
At what point do the Lions take a flier on a quarterback? You know it has to happen at some point. They need at least one more guy in that room. It might as well be a project like Nussmeiere, who, at one point, was being mocked in the first round of this draft.
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