Daily DLP: 10 Bold NFL Draft predictions – Detroit Lions Podcast

Three weeks out from the NFL Draft in Pittsburgh, the Jeff Risdon of the Detroit Lions Podcast unloaded bold calls that reshuffle needs and tiers across the NFL. The headline is blunt. No wide receivers will be selected in the top 10. Carnell Tate profiles as a strong number two, but without Jamo’s speed or Amon-Ra Saint Brown’s middle-field wins. Jordyn Tyson’s talent pops, but a crucial workout and injuries cloud his range.

The trench market takes the lift. Kadyn Proctor is pegged for the top 10 and could be the first or second offensive tackle taken. He is a specimen with workable tape. If he is gone early, the Detroit Lions avoid that decision at 17. At the top, the show framed Ryan Mendoza to the Raiders as the early chalk, then flipped with a bolder claim: Las Vegas will not take Ford Mendoza after signing Kirk Cousins today.

Quarterback Chess at 32

The quarterback twist comes at the back of round one, but in the 2026 draft. The call: Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson goes 32 overall. Not to Seattle. That slot gets traded. The logic is twofold. A team jumps to 32 to lock the fifth-year option and to shut down overnight bidding from clubs holding picks 33 and 34. Simpson needs work and starts, but the projection has the NFL making the move and Simpson becoming the second quarterback off that board.

Safety Run Shapes Lions at 17

The secondary drives the night between 10 and 20. Three safeties go in that window: Caleb Downs from Ohio State, Dylan Spielman from Oregon by way of Purdue, and Emmanuel McNeill Warren from Toledo. Consensus boards slot McNeill Warren around 26, but the tape and the body in person say upside. Vikings chatter points hard to Spielman at 18, echoing past Minnesota tells. If Caleb Downs is on the board at 17 and the Detroit Lions pass, the fallback must be special.

One First-Round Fall

Utah offensive tackle Campbell Holmes is forecast outside round one. It is a contrarian call, and it lands with weight in a class where tackles crowd the top half. If Holmes slips, the board compresses for teams chasing linemen in the 20s. That could push another safety or corner toward 17 and test the Detroit Lions’ resolve if the run hits earlier than expected.

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Chris
Chris is the founder of everything you see here. A former radio presenter and Detroit native, he now resides in sunny California – and like so many of us, he found himself marooned on an island devoid of other Lions fans. After spending a few years in the Detroit Lions Reddit community he decided to start the Detroit Lions Podcast. Its become the #1 Detroit Lions podcast, and regularly ranks with the top podcasts in Detroit. With a mixture of pre-recorded shows, live & recorded phone-ins, and live post-game broadcasts - this is his slice of Honolulu Blue heaven.