Lions 2026 draft preview: Does Detroit have serious need at tight end?

Ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft (April 23-25 in Pittsburgh), we'll be taking a position-by-position look at the Detroit Lions' roster and how the team's needs can be met on draft weekend. Today: Tight ends.

Previously: Quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers

Current roster outlook

The Lions' top three tight ends make an extremely formidable group entering the 2026 season, each of them with something to prove entering the final year (or only year) of their respective contracts.

Sam LaPorta is looking to rebound from a back injury that ended his 2025 season while going into the final season of his rookie deal; Brock Wright is coming off a season-ending neck injury entering the last year of the three-year pact he signed in 2023; Tyler Conklin failed to eclipse 400 receiving yards last season for the first time since 2020 and signed with Detroit on a one-year, prove-it deal.

Rounding out the bottom of the roster, the Lions have a pair of undrafted players entering their second year: Thomas Gordon joins Detroit after spending his first season in Chicago, while Zach Horton, who appeared in two games for the Lions last season, was brought back on a reserve/future contract. Detroit also has 2025 undrafted receiver Jackson Meeks, who the Lions began working at tight end last season and could have a future at the position.

The Lions are in great shape for next season, but none of their five tight ends are under contract for 2027.

▶ Level of need: Low-medium

At the top

This year's draft tight end class features one bona fide first-rounder and a cluster of intriguing middle-round picks, all of which could potentially be on the table for the Lions.

Kenyon Sadiq (Oregon) might not have the same allure as recent first-round tight ends such as Brock Bowers, Tyler Warren and Colston Loveland, but he's still a freak athletically who can have a really productive career if he solves his drop problem and will likely find a new team on Day 1 of the draft. Sadiq ran the fastest 40-yard dash (4.39 seconds) by any tight end since at least 2003 and briefly held the record (since at least 2003) for the vertical leap (43 1/2 inches) before Vanderbilt's Eli Stowers recorded a 45 1/2-inch vertical leap later in the day.

Related: 23 prospects, 23 days: Examining Kenyon Sadiq's fit with the Lions

Stowers, an athletic specimen who began his career as a quarterback, is widely considered the No. 2 tight end in the class and could have first-round potential, although he hasn't had a ton of buzz in that regard. In two seasons with Vanderbilt, the former dual-threat quarterback caught 111 passes for 1,407 yards.

For the Lions, selecting a tight end in Round 1 would certainly be an unpopular choice. There are several starter-level needs on the roster, particularly on defense. But there is some merit to it, as hitting on a player like Sadiq would allow Detroit to avoid paying LaPorta a market-resetting deal while giving them significant upside at the position for the next five years.

▶ Teams who could be after a TE in Round 1: Baltimore Ravens (No. 14), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (No. 15), Carolina Panthers (No. 19), Philadelphia Eagles (No. 23)

Down the board

Along with Stowers, there is a small cluster of tight ends who are projected to go before the end of Day 2. While the idea of Detroit taking a first-round tight end might be a bit rich, we'd expect the Lions to consider a tight end in Round 2 and beyond. Not only could a draftee provide insurance for LaPorta, who's coming off a back injury, but a league-wide shift to heavier personnel could provide extra snaps to an incoming player.

Georgia tight end Oscar Delp (4) had 20 catches for 261 yards last season.

Oscar Delp (Georgia) is an intriguing prospect who's projected to go in the middle rounds. He never topped 300 yards in a season, even after taking over the starting job from Bowers in 2024, which is undoubtedly a red flag. But he showed some serious receiving potential in flashes while earning a top-40 run-blocking grade among tight ends who took at least 20% snaps last season. Max Klare (Ohio State) had an impressive receiving resume in college, finishing Third-Team All-Big Ten in 2024 (51 receptions, 685 yards, four touchdowns) and First-Team All-Big Ten in 2025 (43 receptions, 448 yards, two touchdowns). He's not as renowned a blocker as some other prospects in the class, but might make up for it with his pass-catching upside.

Sam Roush (Stanford), a former rugby player, is another solid blocker whose receiving production increased steadily over his college career, culminating in a 49-catch, 545-yard senior season. His ceiling might be lower than others with a similar draft projection, but he could have a higher floor. Rounding out the middle-round prospects who could be quick contributors because of blocking are Nate Boerkircher (Texas A&M) and Will Kacmarek (Ohio State).

More: 3 big takeaways from Lions GM Brad Holmes' pre-draft press conference

Michael Trigg (Baylor) brings plenty of intrigue as a pass catcher after finishing as a Mackey Award finalist and setting the single-season program record for catches (50) and receiving yards (694) with seven touchdown catches (second in FBS), but he reportedly carries character concerns and has been criticized for his effort as a run blocker.

Later on Day 3, the Lions can find good blocking tight ends in the form of Marlin Klein (Michigan) or Josh Cuevas (Alabama); Cuevas was the No. 6-ranked blocker among tight ends last season (PFF).

▶ Best time for Lions to target a tight end: We're not ruling out the possibility of the Lions taking a tight end as soon as Rounds 1 and 2, but we're expecting them to get serious about a tight end in Round 3. The problem is that they don't have a third-round pick this year, so any sort of aggression in that round will have to come by way of trade. Ultimately, we'd expect the Lions to potentially add to this room on Day 3.

nbianchi@detroitnews.com

@nolanbianchi

This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Lions 2026 draft preview: Does Detroit have serious need at tight end?