The NFL Draft begins on Thursday as Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes and his personnel staff put the final touches on their preparations this week. Holmes said last week he feels he's in a good position in the pre-draft process where he can trust his board and add young, talented players to mix.
"It was really more in the past, where I've gotten – for our process, it's a lot of time that you miss," Holmes said last week when asked about missing the Annual League Meetings in Arizona earlier this month to focus on the draft process. "So, by the time that you get back, I'm kind of in a make-up mode because of all the time that you missed for our process.
"So, that's why I kind of just said, look, in order for me to try to kind of avoid being in that make-up mode – because now you hop into draft meetings with the scouts, and it keeps rolling, but you've missed a good chunk of time for us. So, that's what went into it this year."
Free agency filled some holes on Detroit's roster and now comes the task of acquiring young talent via the draft that can hopefully make an immediate impact and be a core player for the future.
The Lions currently have nine selections total with one pick in each of the first, second and seventh rounds and two selections in rounds four, five and six.
"I still think we'll be able to get a good player," Holmes said of the No. 17 overall pick. "I do think that this draft is not too much different than what it's been in the last probably couple of years. Obviously, we're picking higher than we have in the past, so hopefully that will put us in position to get a better player."
Here's a look at Detroit's nine draft picks for 2026:
- Round 1, Pick 17
- Round 2, Pick 18 (No. 50 overall)
- Round 4, Pick 18 (118)
- Round 4, Pick 28 (128) - from Texans
- Round 5, Pick 17 (157)
- Round 5, Pick 41 (181) - compensatory selection
- Round 6, Pick 24 (205) - from Jaguars
- Round 6, Pick 32 (213) - from Seahawks through Jaguars
- Round 7, Pick 6 (222) - from Browns
The NFL Draft will be held April 23-25 in Pittsburgh.
