Nolan Bianchi's final 2026 NFL mock draft: Lions swing on huge tackle

The 2026 NFL Draft will officially get underway on Thursday night in Pittsburgh, meaning it's almost time to stop talking and start doing.

But there is still a little time for further speculation.

The Detroit Lions, with pick No. 17, are in a pivotal offseason for their contending window. After a 9-8 season in 2025, the Lions will look to add players to help them reclaim their place atop the NFC North — or, at the very least, back in the playoffs.

How can the Lions make progress toward that goal in Round 1? Let's take a look at my final prediction for how the first round will go.

1. Las Vegas Raiders — Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana

All that remains to be known about the Raiders’ first-round selection is how long they’ll wait to turn the card in with Mendoza’s name on it.

Arvell Reese (8) is one of several Ohio State defenders who could be selected early in the first round of the NFL Draft.

2. New York Jets — Arvell Reese, LB, Ohio State

The Jets canceled their 30 visit with Texas Tech’s David Bailey, which probably bodes well for Reese being the first defender coming off the board. Coach Aaron Glenn gets a versatile defender with sky-high upside as he looks to rebound from a rough first season.

3. Arizona Cardinals — David Bailey, DE, Texas Tech

Bailey isn’t as well-rounded as you’d like from an edge defender being taken in this range, but he packs some serious punch as a pass rusher and could be a difference-making player to help kick-start the Cardinals’ rebuild.

4. Tennessee Titans — Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State

This is much higher than is typical for an off-ball linebacker, but Styles was one of the best players in college football and then turned in an NFL Combine performance that ranked fourth out of 3,480 linebackers in Relative Athletic Score (9.99 out of 10).

5. New York Giants — Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State

Downs going to New York is one of the only picks that hasn’t changed for me over the last few months. He’s an extremely clean fit under new head coach John Harbaugh.

6. Cleveland Browns — Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State

The Browns are hoping to fill holes at receiver and tackle in this draft. Out of the players available at both position groups, I feel best about the chances of Tate becoming a stud at the next level.

7. Washington Commanders — Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame

Who would’ve thought that a running back at pick No. 7 would be a steal? Love, who has been projected to go as high as No. 3, lands with a team that’s looking to climb back into a contending window.

8. New Orleans Saints — Mansoor Delane, CB, LSU

Delane is a borderline lock to be the first corner taken, with Tennessee’s Jermod McCoy reportedly needing another surgery to repair a cartilage defect in his knee. Delane should save on moving costs in making the short drive from Baton Rouge.

9. Kansas City Chiefs — Rueben Bain Jr., DE, Miami

Bain’s arm length (30⅞ inches) is likely the only thing stopping him from being a top-five pick. The attention garnered by George Karlaftis and Chris Jones should help him find his way a little sooner.

10. New York Giants (via Cincinnati Bengals) — Olaivavega Ioane, G, Penn State

With the draft capital they gained by losing a monster in the middle of their defensive line (defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence), the Giants gain a monster in the middle of their offensive line in Ioane, who can help fortify a unit that’s struggled to protect the oft-injured Joe Burrow.

11. Miami Dolphins — Francis Mauigoa, OT, Miami

Reports have emerged in the last week that Mauigoa has a back injury that’s viewed as a long-term concern. But the Dolphins should be mighty excited to land a player that was never expected to land outside the top 10.

12. Dallas Cowboys — Keldric Faulk, DE, Auburn

Jerry Jones’ biggest gripe against Micah Parsons was that he didn’t contribute enough against the run. That won’t be an issue with Faulk, who’s coming off a down year as a pass rusher, but can still be an instant contributor stopping the ground attack.

13. Los Angeles Rams (via Atlanta Falcons) — Spencer Fano, OT, Utah

The lack of clarity surrounding Fano’s best NFL position might cause him to tumble a bit, but his versatility should be a fit for Los Angeles, which needs a little bit of help all along the O-line.

14. Baltimore Ravens — Jordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona State

Tyson carries some injury concerns but reportedly had one of the best moments of the draft cycle in a pre-draft workout last week. He’d be the perfect complement to the Ravens’ current crop of pass catchers.

15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers — Kenyon Sadiq, TE, Oregon

The Buccaneers could really use another pass rusher, but I just don’t love any of the remaining options in this range. So I have them rolling the dice on Sadiq, who fills a need and carries immense upside.

16. New York Jets (via Indianapolis Colts) — Makai Lemon, WR, USC

The Jets’ biggest free-agency moves, and the No. 2 pick, were all defense. But if they’re going to win more games in 2026, they need to fix the offense, which has few proven pass catchers outside of Garrett Wilson.

Georgia offensive lineman Monroe Freeling (57) started for only a season and a half in college, but he's athletic and has a lot of starter-level traits.

17. Detroit Lions — Monroe Freeling, OT, Georgia

I’m going to start this off by saying that I’m not convinced that the Lions are going to draft an offensive tackle on Thursday night. In fact, I’d even wager to say it’s more likely that they don’t. It just seems to be the way this thing goes under general manager Brad Holmes. I strongly considered Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman, Clemson tackle Blake Miller, and Clemson edge defender T.J. Parker.

But with the goal of trying to nail Holmes’ pick, I’m following his method and simply picking the player I like most. Last year, that resulted in me taking wide receiver Jayden Higgins. But this year, it coincides with me also taking a player at Detroit’s top positional need.

Admittedly, my feelings about Freeling involve way more projection than any of the other options considered. He’s an inexperienced player (18 career starts) with absurd size (6-7⅜, 315 pounds), arm length (34¾ inches), and NFL Combine testing numbers. He has a Relative Athletic Score of 9.99 out of 10, second out of 1,645 offensive tackles since 1987. In a draft like this, those are traits you bet on.

Freeling allowed a whopping 21 pressures and three sacks during the 2024 season, when he took 609 offensive snaps, and significantly cut down on his warts the following season, when he gave up just eight pressures. Still, there’s a lot of uncertainty about his NFL readiness. He certainly doesn’t have the floor of some other options still on the board, including Miller. But that should be fine for the Lions, who have Larry Borom as an insurance plan in case Freeling can’t start right away.

18. Minnesota Vikings — Dillon Thieneman, S, Oregon

Veteran safety Harrison Smith hasn’t made a decision about whether he’ll play in 2026, but that didn’t play into my pick. Thieneman has the potential to go as high as No. 10 and could be considered a steal for the Vikings.

19. Carolina Panthers — KC Concepcion, WR, Texas A&M

After hitting on Offensive Rookie of the Year Tetairoa McMillan last season, the Panthers get another weapon for quarterback Bryce Young in Concepcion, a fluid slot receiver who should be a nice complement to what’s in place.

20. Dallas Cowboys (via Green Bay Packers) — Colton Hood, CB, Tennessee

We had the Cowboys reaching against the consensus board to draft Faulk at No. 12, so why not do it again? Hood is a scrappy, physical cornerback with potential to start instantly. The slide of McCoy continues.

21. Pittsburgh Steelers — Kadyn Proctor, OT, Alabama

Proctor is a tweener at tackle and guard with potential to be Round 1’s biggest steal or biggest disappointment. The Steelers should be able to find a place for him on an offensive line that includes Troy Fautanu, another tackle who had guard and center projections coming into the draft.

22. Los Angeles Chargers — T.J. Parker, DE, Clemson

Parker is a high-floor edge defender who excels against the run and carries some untapped potential as a pass rusher. He seems like a perfect fit for the style of coach Jim Harbaugh.

23. Philadelphia Eagles — Max Iheanachor, OT, Arizona State

The Eagles can afford to wait on Iheanachor with Lane Johnson set to return for another season, a move that could set the organization up for another decade of quality tackle play.

24. Cleveland Browns (via Jacksonville Jaguars) — Blake Miller, OT, Clemson

The Browns were patient in pursuing a tackle, and it paid off toward the end of Round 1. Miller (54 career starts) has one of the highest floors of any lineman in the draft.

25. Chicago Bears — Akheem Mesidor, DE, Miami

I’m predicting Mesidor to fall a bit because of his age, but didn’t quite have the guts to have him land in Round 2. He should be a high-floor contributor for a defense that’s looking to become Super Bowl-caliber in the second season under Ben Johnson.

26. Buffalo Bills — Avieon Terrell, CB, Clemson

The Bills need help all over their secondary. Terrell’s inside-outside versatility should give him a decent chance of finding a starting job in Year 1.

27. San Francisco 49ers — Caleb Lomu, OT, Utah

Just like with the Eagles, Trent Williams’ extension gives the 49ers time to prepare their next offensive tackle of the future for battle. Lomu is a technical lineman who needs to add strength to his frame.

28. Houston Texans — Kayden McDonald, DL, Ohio State

The Texans have a need at guard, but we’re giving them the top defensive tackle in the class to help aid a line that’s bookended by Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson Jr. Scary stuff.

29. Kansas City Chiefs (via Los Angeles Rams) — Omar Cooper Jr., WR, Indiana

The shifty Cooper might be a bit redundant in Kansas City, which already has speed to burn at receiver. But he was expected to go much earlier in the round, so if he’s the Chiefs’ best player available, they shouldn’t think twice about taking him.

30. Miami Dolphins (via Denver Broncos) — Chris Johnson, CB, San Diego State

After making a sound pick in the trenches at No. 11, new Dolphins coach Jeff Hafley gets to pick up a toy for his defense.

31. New England Patriots — Malachi Lawrence, DE, UCF

Three of the draft analysts I trust most have all predicted in recent days that Lawrence will end up in the first round. Even after the Patriots added Harold Landry and Dre’Mont Jones to the mix, they could still use another player like Lawrence to add to the rotation.

32. Seattle Seahawks — D’Angelo Ponds, CB, Indiana

At 5-8, Ponds’ size doesn’t quite fit the description of what the Seahawks typically look for from corners. But he doesn’t let that size stop him in any phase, and he’d be a great addition to a Seahawks secondary that lost a ton of pieces after winning the Super Bowl.

More Detroit News mock drafts

▶ Richard Silva's final 2026 NFL mock draft: Lions continue prioritizing OL

▶ Niyo: Here is what the Lions' 7-round haul could look like in 2026 NFL Draft

▶ Gritiron Gang podcast: Who do the Lions take at No. 17? Mock draft 4.0 (Video)

▶ Detroit Lions mock draft 3.0: Which OT will be best available at 17?

▶ 2026 NFL mock draft 2.0: Will Lions' pick give them the edge?

▶ 2026 NFL Mock draft 1.0: Writers split on which OL Lions should take at No. 17

nbianchi@detroitnews.com

@nolanbianchi

This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Detroit Lions NFL mock draft: Nolan Bianchi's final Round 1 projection