Breaking down what the Lions’ depth chart looks like before the 2026 NFL Draft, the defensive goals for the draft seem clearer than ever
The Detorit Lions have some space to fill on defense and all the moves they’ve made in the last month show us exactly where it’s going to happen at.
The 2026 NFL Draft is just 17 days away, and before you know it, things are going to look a lot different for the Detroit Lions.
Before we get there, let’s take one more look at the Lions’ depth chart before then and see what’s changed in the last couple of weeks, where the Lions added more help to their secondary.
Offense
| LWR | Isaac TeSlaa | Jackson Meeks | |||
| RWR | Jameson Williams | Tom Kenndey | |||
| SWR | Amon-Ra St. Brown | Greg Dortch | Dominic Lovett | Mail Cunningham | |
| LT | Larry Borom | Giovanni Manu | |||
| LG | Christian Mahogany | Miles Frazier | Ben Bartch | ||
| C | Cade Mays | Seth Mclaughlin | |||
| RG | Tate Ratledge | Juice Scruggs | Michael Niese | ||
| RT | Penei Sewell | Devin Cochran | Colby Sorsdal | ||
| TE | Sam LaPorta | Tyler Conklin | Brock Wright | Zach Horton | Thomas Gordon |
| QB | Jared Goff | Teddy Bridgewater | |||
| RB | Jahmyr Gibbs | Isiah Pacheco | Sione Vaki | Jacob Saylors/ Jabari Small | Kye Robichaux |
There have been some changes on offense as well. The Lions have invested heavily in having a competition at guard. I think some see Bartch as a potential starter, but he has a ways to go to get to that point, and I’m not sure he can beat out Christian Mahogany or Miles Frazier.
It’s crazy that this team has six running backs right now. The expectation is that RB2 is Isiah Pacheco’s job to lose, but don’t rule out Sione Vaki making that competition a hard one for the veteran. I’m not really sure where Saylors, Small, and Robichaux fit in at this time.
Defense
| LDE | Aidan Hutchinson | Ahmed Hassanein | ||
| NT | Tyleik Williams | Myles Adams | Chris Smith | |
| DT | Alim McNeill | Levi Onwuzurkie | Mekhi Wingo | |
| RDE | D.J. Wonnum | Tyler Lacy | Payton Turner | |
| WLB | Malcolm Rodriguez | Damone Clark | ||
| MLB | Jack Campbell | |||
| SLB | Derrick Barnes | Trevor Nowaske | ||
| LCB | Terrion Arnold | Rock Ya-Sin | Nick Whiteside | |
| SS | Brian Branch | Christian Izien | Avonte Maddox | Dan Jackson |
| FS | Kerby Joseph | Chuck Clark | Thomas Harper | Loren Strickland |
| RCB | D.J. Reed | Khalil Dorsey | ||
| NB | Roger McCreary | Ennis Rakestraw |
The Lions’ secondary is just stacked with players right now. 15 players in that room, and it’s going to be an all-out competition to see who gets to start in some areas and who makes the 53-man roster in others.
There are obvious concerns about both Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph at the start of the season, but Chuck Clark and Christian Izien, mixed in with Thomas Harper, are a sneaky good group if Detroit has to go that way. Right now, I think the Joseph stuff is a little blown out of proportion and wrapped in misinformation. I expect him to be there at the start of camp until I don’t see him or am told otherwise.
So, as we go into the 2026 NFL Draft, the goals seem obvious on defense. It’s all about the defensive line, and maybe throw in a linebacker. It’s hard to see the Lions picking any cornerbacks or safeties with that group, but you never know.
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