Lions urged to trade for $23 million pass-catcher during 2026 NFL Draft

Lions urged to trade for $23 million pass-catcher during 2026 NFL Draft originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Detroit Lions are hoping to get back to contention in 2026 after having a disappointing campaign in 2025.

There's plenty of reason to still believe in the Lions. After all, the team still has Jared Goff, Jahmyr Gibbs, Amon-Ra St. Brown, and Sam LaPorta on offense, with some elite defenders like Aidan Hutchinson and Brian Branch.

In the Goff/Dan Campbell era, the Lions have traditionally had a great offense. You can never have too much offense, so what if the Lions just decide to add as many weapons as possible? Vito Chirco of Lions On SN recently identified three players the Lions could trade for during the draft.

One notable suggestion was tight end Evan Engram, who is currently on the Denver Broncos. Engram perhaps slightly underperformed in 2025, so it's possible the team could move him rather than keep him and his $14 million cap hit.

Regarding this potential deal, Chirco offered the following:

The two-time Pro Bowler (Engram) brings a solid degree of athleticism and proven production, and would be an instant upgrade over Brock Wright (and recently acquired Tyler Conklin) as Detroit’s No. 2 tight end.

If the Broncos end up making Engram available, it wouldn’t hurt Holmes to dial up Sean Payton’s squad.