4 Lions who may have just lost their roster spots after the 2026 NFL Draft

Things are changing for the Lions, and with new players added, some guys are going to be put in some tough situations

Mike Payton — Detroit Lions Beat Writer
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Aug 23, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Lions offensive tackle Giovanni Manu (59) defends against Houston Texans defensive end Solomon Byrd (50) during the second half at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: David Reginek-Imagn Images David Reginek-Imagn Images

The Detroit Lions had a pretty good 2026 NFL Draft. Good enough to make you wonder which players should be looking over their shoulders come training camp time. We have four of them.

OT Giovanni Manu

Here’s the thing: the Lions have sort of moved themselves past Manu, whether they did it on purpose or not. If you’re Manu, you now have Blake Miller and Larry Borom in front of you, and there’s also Mason Miller and Colby Sorsdal to compete with for a roster spot. It’s a lot. To go along with that, a shift to tackle for Miles Frazier makes a lot of sense for the player and the Lions. With all that, I just don’t see how Manu makes it unless he has a big breakthrough summer.

WR Dominic Lovett

The idea when the Lions drafted Lovett was to maybe have him take over for Kalif Raymond. But struggled at receiver in the preseason and got no real chances during the regular season. On top of that, the Lions seemingly never gave a shot at return man at any point, as expected. Now the Lions have Greg Dortch and just drafted Kendrick Law. Two guys that cancel Lovett out unless he simply outplays both of them.

DT Mehki Wingo

When the Lions drafted Wingo in the sixth round, it felt like a big steal for them. Unfortunately, an injury in his rookie year slowed his progress, and the Lions making him a healthy scratch basically every week of the 2025 season slowed it down even further. Then, the Lions drafted Skyler Gill-Howard, who is essentially the same type of player who does the same stuff. Wingo can still win out, but he’s really going to have to compete for his spot this year.

DT Levi Onwuzurkie

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