It’s been a couple of weeks since the last Lions 7-round mock draft, with that one coming out on St. Patrick’s Day. Now that it’s almost April, it’s time to freshen things up on the projections front. 

This 7-round mock for the Lions features trades. GM Brad Holmes is no stranger to making deals during draft weekend; less than 50 percent of the picks made in the Holmes era (since 2021) have featured the Lions making their selection in the original draft slot for the pick. 

There are many different “trade value” charts and systems out there for the NFL Draft and the value of picks. Most trades tend to see the aggressor (the team trading up) “lose” on the charts to some degree, though it’s generally fairly close. I prefer the Fitzgerald-Spielberger chart from Over the Cap, and utilized that as a guideline for the hypothetical trades executed here. 

This is much more of a predictive type of projection than a “what I would do” mock, as much as that can be held to with the hypothetical trades injected into the mix.

Here we go…

First round: The trade back

Lions trade No. 17 and No. 157 (5th round), plus a 2027 7th-round pick to the Houston Texans.
Texans trade No. 28 and No. 69, plus a 2027 6th-round pick to the Lions

Houston moved up to solidify their interior defensive line with Clemson DT Peter Woods. The maneuver leaves the Lions with picks at 28, 50 and 69, recouping one of the third-round picks Detroit dealt away in the 2025 draft-day trade to move up and select WR Isaac TeSlaa. 

The pick at 28: T.J. Parker, EDGE. Clemson

Parker began the 2025 college season as the first defensive player projected to be drafted in the 2026 NFL Draft after a monster first two seasons at Clemson. Like most of the Tigers team, Parker’s year didn’t go as well as planned. He was still pretty darn good, but the production wasn’t as gaudy as expected. 

The heady Parker definitely fits what the Lions have looked for in the EDGE spot opposite Aidan Hutchinson. I broke down Parker extensively in a recent Daily DLP. To keep it brief, the top of the “Pros” section of my scouting breakdown:

–Strongly built with powerful core and shoulders/arms

–Jolting power in his hands, and his hand placement is consistently outstanding

–Brings a decent barrage of pass-rush moves

–Gets off blockers inside and outside

–Quick eyes to sniff out chips and also screens and bootlegs

–NFL-ready edge setting and anchor in the run game

–Finishes in the backfield with power and control

Getting that at 28 feels pretty good. Better than Keldric Faulk at 18 (he went No. 21 to Pittsburgh in this mock), better than Akheem Mesidor, Max Iheanachor or Blake Miller, all still available at 28. More to the point, I believe–at this point anyway–that the Lions would select Parker over those other options if presented with this board. 

Second round brings a second trade

The way the first round ended, a couple of obvious (to me) potential Lions targets unexpectedly slid to being available on Day 2. Namely, Clemson RT Blake Miller and Toledo S Emmanuel McNeill-Warren. That availability spurs Brad Holmes into buyer mode on Friday. 

The trade: 

Lions trade No. 50, No. 222 (7th rounder) and a 2027 5th-round pick to Arizona

Cardinals trade No. 34 and a 2027 4th-round pick to the Lions

Detroit pounces on Parker’s teammate, right tackle Blake Miller. 

I am admittedly skeptical Miller falls to 34, but it’s not out of the question. He’s currently No. 28 overall in the consensus big board here at DLP, as well as at Mock Draft Database. Being a right tackle-only prospect limits some potential interest in Miller. In this mock, a run on CBs (Brandon Cisse, Colton Hood, Chris Johnson, Aveion Terrell) in the 22-32 range pushed Miller down. I attacked, and I believe Holmes would at least strongly consider this sort of aggressive move to land an obvious Lions culture fit. It’s a long-term solution to replacing Taylor Decker’s roster spot–with Penei Sewell moving to left tackle and Miller immediately challenging one-year free agent Larry Borom for the RT spot. 

 

Third round (from trade): Domonique Orange, DT, Iowa State

Big Citrus, come on down! The 6-foot-2, 322-pound Orange is an immovable object in the middle of the defensive line. While he offers very little as a pass rusher, Orange is a dominant presence against the run who proactively attacks blocks and disrupts schemes. This is the direct replacement for D.J. Reader in Detroit, a spot the Lions have yet to address in this offseason. Orange is a natural locker room fit and will make life easier for LBs Jack Campbell and Derrick Barnes in the run game. His quickness off the snap can also open up blitzing lanes, too. 

 

Fourth round, No. 118: Charles Demmings, CB, Stephen F Austin

 

The draft’s Chuck D, Demmings doesn’t typically project to come off the board until about 30-50 slots later than here in the middle of the fourth round. That’s precisely why the 6-foot-1, 193-pound FCS standout is the pick here, in keeping with Holmes’ propensity for perceived reaches with lesser-known prospects in this range of the draft. 

 

Demmings is an outstanding athlete with speed, length and ball skills. He’s in need of some refinement with his hands and his transition footwork, but the potential is there for a future starting outside CB in a man-heavy scheme like Detroit operates. Biggest drawback is his run support, which is more willing than effective at this point. As a bonus, Demmings should thrive on special teams units right away, and the Lions quietly lost quite a bit from the punt and kick teams. 

 

Fourth round: Another trade

 

The Lions slide back from the pick they acquired from the Texans (No. 128) in the David Montgomery trade. The Lions trade No. 128 and No. 213 overall to the Cleveland Browns for No. 141, No. 206 and a 2027 6th rounder. 

 

The Browns, who have three of the first nine picks in the fifth round entering the draft, move up to snag Michigan State IOL Matt Gulbin. 

 

For Detroit, they move back 13 spots and give up the final pick of the sixth round to land a bonus pick in the 2027 draft, as well as recouping a seventh-rounder to make up for an earlier trade. With the pick at No. 141, the Lions select…

 

V.J. Payne, S, Kansas State

 

The savvy Payne was the subject of a recent Daily DLP Prospect of the Day. He’s a coverage specialist who is at his best in the slot against flexed-out TEs and RBs out of the backfield. He’s a willing hitter, but his consistent failure to wrap up makes him something of a wild card in run defense. Payne is the fifth round safety here in the “safety for every round” piece. 

 

Fifth round, 185 overall: Max Llewellyn, EDGE, Iowa

 

Llewellyn is the master of the spin move as a pass rusher, and the 6-foot-6, 260-pounder deploys it in either direction with aplomb. He was the fifth-round featured prospect in the recent “An EDGE for every round”, which spotlights his playmaking as a pass-rush specialist with great size, but also Llewellyn’s unsavory propensity for missing tackles. 

 

Sixth round, back-to-back picks at 205 and 206

 

The last trade with the Browns weirdly slots the Lions with consecutive picks near the end of the sixth round. They are the last two picks for Detroit, having traded away the seventh-rounders in some above deals, too. 

 

The picks:

Adam Randall, RB, Clemson

Justin Jefferson, LB, Alabama

 

Randall is a 232-pound wide receiver transitioning to running back, a process he began in 2024. He did that quite impressively in 2025, showing he isn’t shy about using his size. Randall is already a more instinctive and elusive runner than Detroit’s Sione Vaki, and he does offer some potential as a return man, too. But his best asset is his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield by running actual routes, not just leaking out into space. 

 

Jefferson is a safety-sized (6 feet, 223 pounds) off-ball LB who projects as a nickel backer. It’s easy to envision the speedy, instinctive Jefferson platooning with run-stuffing Malcolm Rodriguez when the opposing offense is in obvious passing downs. Alabama used him as a spy against mobile QBs and also let him show he can blitz, too.