Top 3 players the Lions should NOT draft in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, some of these guys are not ready for the NFL
The Lions have to get it right with the 17th pick and picking any of these three players would not be getting it right
The 2026 NFL Draft is exactly two weeks away, and we’ve been talking a lot about the players that the Lions should draft. I mean a lot. On Wednesday, we outlined our top 25 prospects.
What we haven’t done is talk about the players the Lions should avoid. That’s what we’re going to do today. We’ll limit it to first-round prospects and say that these are the three guys the Lions should not take with the 17th pick. Keep in mind that this is not us calling these players bad. It’s us saying there’s a time and place for them, and 17 isn’t it. Let’s jump into it.
Monroe Freeling, OT, Georgia
Look, I get what everyone likes about this guy. He’s got the impressive frame and the athleticism. But what he also has is a way to go before he’s a starter in the NFL. Lions fans didn’t want to wait for Giovanni Manu, well, Freeling is like Manu Plus. There’s way more upside, but you have to wait for that upside, and that is if you even achieve it.
The Lions might not need a tackle who can start right away, but they’ll probably want one who can start in 2027. I’m not sure Freeling can do that.
I will agree that he has the highest ceiling of any tackle prospect in this draft. If the Lions were a rebuilding team, I’d say go for it. But if this is a team that wants to win it all as soon as possible and they’re a best player available team, Freeling is not the best player at 17.
Keldric Faulk, Edge, Auburn
Here’s the thing: Faulk is actually right up the Lions’ alley in terms of what he brings to the table. He’s a very good run-stopping edge. The Lions love that. But he is really hit or miss in the pass rush game. For a team that needs that, taking Faulk at 17 is basically just grabbing a slightly better version of D.J. Wonnum and a healthier version of Marcus Davenport.
Now, if Fualk were to maybe fall to the second round, then I would say go all in on him. 17th is just too high. Take The Athletic’s Dane Brugler’s words from the Beast into account.
“The character and upside are promising, but how early a team drafts him is dependent on its appetite for risk.”
Dane Brugler
From The Beast
Caleb Banks, DT, Florida
The Lions were one of the teams that had Banks in for a top-30 after he reaggravated his foot injury at the NFL Combine. Look, there is no doubt that Banks is a first-round talent. If he were fully healthy, he’d go in the first round for sure, and I’d bet money on it. But he isn’t.
My suspicion is that the Lions are doing the same thing every other team is doing, and getting a look at the medicals and hoping he falls to the second round. If the Lions took him at 50, it’s a giant steal. Banks, Tyleik Williams, and Alim McNeill are tough. But if they take him at 17, it’s a giant mistake.
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