The Lions ignored the consensus board in 2026 — here’s who they reached for and why they still had a good draft despite that
Everyone is talking about the consensus boards right now. How did the Lions do against it?
One of the biggest conversations coming out for the 2026 NFL Draft was that of the consensus boards.
It seems as though the consensus board was discussed a lot more than usual this year. A lot of the conjecture centered around the San Francisco 49ers and their penchant for reaching for players who ranked lower on the consensus board. That, and the Jaguars making some odd choices.
The Detroit Lions have reached before. The biggest one being Brodric Martin, who was 260th on the consensus board and was taken 96th overall. That’s as far a reach as the Lions have ever made with Brad Holmes.
This had me wondering what the Lions’ 2026 NFL Draft class looks like against the consensus board. Let’s check it out using our friend Arif Hasan’s consensus board. The one we think is the best in the business.
Blake Miller
Picked: 17th
Consensus Board Ranking: 31st
A slight reach, but you also have to consider how the board was moving at the time. Five tackles had come off already, and Miller was ranked very high on the Lions’ board, so it all makes sense in the end. The good news is that, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, some execs felt Miller was the best tackle in the draft.
Derrick Moore
Picked: 44th
Consensus Board Ranking: 63rd
There was certainly a possibility that the Lions could have waited a little longer for Moore or taken him at 50, but the Baltimore Ravens, with Moore’s former defensive coordinator and defensive line coach, were likely to make sure that didn’t happen if Detroit didn’t move up.
Jimmy Rolder
Picked: 118th
Consensus Board Ranking: 167th
This might have been the biggest reach of the draft for the Lions, but it doesn’t really feel like one. While Hasan’s board had his cumulative rank at 167th, he had forecasters putting him at 136th. So the Lions drafted him shortly before he was expected to get picked. He likely wouldn’t have made it to 157.
Keith Abney
Picked: 157th
Consensus Board Ranking: 61st
The biggest steal of the draft for the Lions. Frankly, it might have been one of the biggest steals of the draft altogether, if not the biggest one for sure. Abney was not supposed to fall this far. He should have been gone in the second round, and the Lions somehow swung him in the fifth.
Skyler Gill-Howard
Picked: 205th
Consenus Board Ranking: 227th
A little bit of a reach, but in the sixth round, this is where you take your shots to see what you can get. Gill-Howard has a lot of what the Lions like.
Tyre West
Picked: 222nd
Consensus Board Ranking: Unranked
West was not among the 300 players the board ranks. He was also expected to be an undrafted free agent. I fully expected they’d look to sign him there. It was a bit of a surprise when Detroit drafted fim. Still, a seventh-round pick is meant to be a swing no matter what.
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