The Lions trade everyone hated looks like a fleece after the 2026 NFL Draft- Plus, a look at the final outcomes of the David Montgomery, Za’Darius Smith, and Tim Patrick trades

The Isaac TeSlaa trade, which a lot of Lions fans hated, wound up giving them some pretty good players

Mike Payton — Detroit Lions Beat Writer
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Detroit Lions wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa (18) makes a catch for a touchdown against Houston Texans cornerback D’Angelo Ross (37) during the first half at Ford Field in Detroit on Saturday, August 23, 2025. Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Now that the 2026 NFL Draft is over and finalized, all of the Lions’ recent trades are finalized as well. This is actually the first time in a very long time that the Lions don’t have any pending trade results out there. It’s all done. Let’s look at how everything went.

Za’Darius Smith Trade

Lions got: Za’Darius Smith and a 2026 seventh-round pick (Tyre West)
Browns got: 2025 fifth-round pick (Used to trade for Kenny Pickett) and a 2026 sixth-round pick (Traded away)

The Lions wound up getting two edge rushers out of the deal. Of course, only one of them is here. Smith was not brought back by the Lions in 2026, and he retired a few weeks into his run with the Eagles. The Browns did essentially nothing with what they got back.

Tim Patrick Trade

Lions got: 2026 sixth-round pick (Skyler Gill-Howard)
Jaguars got: Tim Patrick

The Lions get an interior defensive lineman late in the draft this year. Patrick was fun in 2025, but drafting Isaac TeSlaa pushed him out the door. He wound up having a pretty quiet season for the Jags.

Isaac TeSlaa Trade

Lions got: A 2025 third-round pick (Isaac TeSlaa), a 2025 fifth-round pick (Miles Frazier), and a 2026 sixth-round pick (Used to trade up for Kendrick Law)
Jaguars get: 2025 third-round pick (Wyatt Millum), a 2026 third-round pick (Albert Regis), and a 2026 third-round pick (Jalen Husky)

The Lions won this trade by far at the end of the day. I know Lions fans got mad about it because a lot of capital was spent on a player who didn’t play much in his rookie season, but TeSlaa is expected to get a lot more playing time in 2026. Plus, Frazier could be this team’s starting left guard this season. Kendrick Law might take a minute to have an impact on offense, but he could be your kick returner and a gunner on special teams this year.

The Jaguars used two of their picks to pick players that had sixth-round grades on them in the third round. Something they’ve received a tremendous amount of flak for.

David Montgomery Trade

Lions got: Juice Scruggs, a 2026 fourth-round pick (Used to trade up for Derrick Moore), and a 2027 seventh-round pick
Texans got: David Montgomery

A win for both teams. The Texans get a great running back who should do big things for them, and the Lions get their new starting edge rusher opposite Aidan Hutchinson. Scruggs has a shot to be a solid depth offensive lineman who can play both guard and center.

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