NFL Draft week is upon us, and that means Lions general manager Brad Holmes and the 31 other GMs across the league are making their final preparations for the three-day event kicking off with Thursday night's first round in Pittsburgh.

The Lions currently have nine total picks, one in each of the first, second and seventh rounds, and two each in the fourth, fifth and sixth rounds. This is an important draft for Holmes and the Lions to infuse some young talent and competition into a roster that's looking to get back to their winning ways after missing the playoffs last season after two straight NFC North division titles in 2023 and 2024.

Holmes has never been afraid to move up or back in the draft, trusting his board. If Holmes stays put at No. 17, here's a look at 10 players who could be on the board in the first round that make sense for the Lions:

1. T Monroe Freeling, Georgia

Freeling is one of the most athletic tackles to enter the draft in decades with the kind of length, long arms (34 3/4), quickness and athleticism teams love at the position with room to still add mass and strength to his frame. Freeling was a full-time starter at left tackle for the Bulldogs last season. He's still a little raw with only 17 collegiate starts under his belt, but there's a lot to work with. Freeling's pass blocking grade of 85.6 from Pro Football Focus ranked in the top 10 among all FBS tackles last season.

2. EDGE Keldric Faulk, Auburn

At 6-foot-6 and 276 pounds with longer than 34-inch arms, Faulk has the kind of frame and athleticism the Lions like to deploy in their big end role opposite Aidan Hutchinson. He's terrific as an edge setter and anchor in the run game, posting an 85.5 run-defense grade from Pro Football Focus last season. Just 21 years old, Faulk still has some development remaining as a pass rusher (10.0 career sacks at Auburn), but there's no teaching the size, athleticism and frame.

3. CB Jermod McCoy, Tennessee

The Lions have some depth at cornerback, but Holmes drafts the player, not the position, and McCoy had an impressive 2024 season before missing last year with a torn ACL. He's one of the top cornerbacks in the class and it wouldn't be surprising if he's one of the top players available if still on the board at No. 17. He's a former triple and long-jump champion with explosive traits. He recorded 13 passes defended, four interceptions and seven pass breakups with an 89.6 coverage grade (third best in the SEC) in 2024.

4. IOL Olaivavega Ioane, Penn State

The Lions have built up good depth along the interior of their offensive line this offseason with the additions of Cade Mays, Juice Scruggs, Ben Bartch and Seth McLaughlin, but Ioane might be the best offensive lineman in this entire draft and those types of players are hard to pass on. A starter at left guard the last two and a half seasons, Ioane plays with a nasty disposition that would fit right in with Detroit's O-line room. Ioane didn't allow a sack in each of the last two seasons and could be a starter at left guard for the next decade.

5. T Kadyn Proctor, Alabama

Proctor is a massive human (6-7, 352) with terrific athletic traits. He's a people mover when he gets downhill and has quicker feet in pass pro than most people would think. Alabama put him in the backfield and used him as a fullback which shows off the kind of athleticism we're talking about with Proctor. He was an All-American left tackle last year as a junior, allowing just two sacks over 527 pass-blocking snaps with an 81.8 pass-blocking grade and 81.6 run-blocking grade from Pro Football Focus.

6. S Dillon Thieneman, Oregon

NFL teams are always looking for versatile players to deploy on defense and that's what Thieneman is. He played in the box, deep safety and slot cornerback for Oregon's defense last season. He's got terrific range, as his 4.3 speed would indicate, but also plays physical in the run game and isn't afraid of contact. He racked up 306 tackles, 10 tackles for loss and eight interceptions in three seasons starting his career at Purdue and ending at Oregon.

7. EDGE Akheem Mesidor, Miami

Mesidor was a highly productive edge rusher for Miami and enters the draft coming off a 2025 season in which he recorded 12.5 sacks, 17.5 tackles for loss, four forced fumbles and 63 total tackles helping lead Miami to the National Championship Game. Mesidor's 92.5 pass rush grade in 2025 was the seventh highest among all FBS pass rushers. He's got a ton of experience and could thrive in the one-on-one environment most pass rushers the Lions deploy opposite Hutchinson get.

8. T Blake Miller, Clemson

The nice thing about having a versatile All-Pro player like Penei Sewell is his ability to play both right and left tackle, which gives the Lions a lot of flexibility. Miller played a ton of right tackle with 54 college starts under his belt. He started every game Clemson played in his entire four-year career. Miller is athletic and moves well in space. The fact that he was a high school wrestler shows up in his game. He broke the Clemson record for career snaps from scrimmage, playing 3,778 offensive snaps over 54 career games (all starts) from 2022-25.

9. TE Kenyon Sadiq, Oregon

If Sadiq is still on the board at No. 17, there's a good chance he's high on a lot of draft boards. The thought of a player with Sadiq's explosiveness and 4.39 speed at 6-foot-3, 241 pounds in a 12 personnel package alongside Sam LaPorta, Jahmyr Gibbs, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams is scary to think about. Sadiq will be a matchup nightmare for defenses because of his size and speed combo.

10. DT Kayden McDonald, Ohio State

Holmes could double up on interior defensive tackle talent with back-to-back first-round picks if McDonald is the best player on the board. There's no such thing as having too many good defensive linemen, as the last two Super Bowl Champions Seattle and Philadelphia can attest to. McDonald emerged as an All-American in his first year as a starter for the Buckeyes and is considered the top interior defender in this class. He had 84 combined tackles the last two seasons in Columbus, and the Buckeyes allowed 3.0 yards per carry or fewer in both seasons with McDonald front and center on defense as a key reserve in 2024 and a starter in 2025.

Wild Card pick: LB Jacob Rodriguez, Texas Tech

Most draft analysts give Rodriguez a late first or second-round grade. That was the same case for Jack Campbell coming out of Iowa in 2023. The Lions liked Campbell and took him at No. 18 and received some criticism at the time. He's since become one of the top linebackers in the game, earning All-Pro honors in 2025. Rodriguez is the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and had elite production on way to also winning the Bronko Nagurski Trophy (nation's top defender), Lombardi Award (nation's top lineman/linebacker), Bednarik Award (nation's top defender) and Butkus Award (nation's top LB). He recorded 128 tackles, 11.0 tackles for loss, six passes defended, four interceptions and seven forced fumbles last season. He could step right in and compete for the open WILL spot.