Lions 2026 draft preview: Does Detroit need to add an OT in Round 1?

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: Offensive tackles.

Previously: Quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, tight ends, interior offensive linemen

(Consensus rankings via NFL Mock Draft Database’s aggregated big board)

Current roster outlook

For the first time since the 2021 NFL Draft, the Lions are looking for a long-term solution at offensive tackle. Detroit parted ways with stalwart Taylor Decker after 10 seasons together and signed veteran Larry Borom to compete for a starting job regardless of whether it selects a tackle in Round 1. According to general manager Brad Holmes, Borom’s tape suggests he can be an effective starter — and maybe has some untapped potential — but it goes without saying that acquiring a young, cost-controlled asset is still going to provide the best chance at achieving multi-year stability for an offensive line that’s in transition.

Thanks to Penei Sewell, the Lions have some flexibility at tackle going into next season. If Borom ends up being the starter, it seems inevitable that Sewell will switch to the left side. If Detroit drafts a prospect who’s more comfortable on the left side and can start immediately, the Lions can keep Sewell at the position where he became a three-time All-Pro in five seasons.

Behind Sewell and Borom, the Lions have four players who could compete for reserve tackle jobs. Giovanni Manu is hoping to build on his second season, which saw him make his first career start before a knee injury derailed his progress. Devin Cochran was a mainstay on Detroit’s practice squad last season and signed a reserve/future contract at season’s end. The Lions also have depth piece Colby Sorsdal, who missed all of last season with a leg injury, and second-year lineman Miles Frazier, who played guard last season but took plenty of tackle reps in college.

▶ Level of need: High. After stabilizing the center position in free agency, the Lions might be fine rolling into next season with Borom as a starter. But the goal is to reestablish themselves as one of the league's best units, and Borom has yet to prove that he's capable of helping raise the bar in such a way. Plus, he's only under contract for one season. Finding a long-term piece to pair with Sewell for the next five seasons should be the goal.

Right tackle Spencer Fano (55) was reliable in pass protection over his last two seasons at Utah, allowing one sack and 19 pressures in 806 pass-blocking snaps.

At the top

This year’s draft could see as many as seven offensive tackles selected in the first round. Francis Mauigoa (Miami, No. 5 overall consensus ranking) has long been believed to be the front-runner for the first tackle to come off the board, and it’s easy to understand why — even if some believe that his 33¼-inch arms might make him a better NFL guard than tackle. He’s 6-foot-5, 329 pounds with 42 career starts and great athleticism. He should be off the board long before the Lions have a chance to even trade up for him.

Spencer Fano (Utah, No. 11) and Monroe Freeling (Georgia, No. 12) are the highest-rated prospects with a chance to land in Detroit. Both are two of the most athletic players in the draft; Fano has a Relative Athletic Score of 9.8 out of 10, and Freeling’s was 9.99 out of 10, second among all offensive tackles from 1987 to 2026.

Fano, a right tackle, has an uber-lean frame at 6-5, 311 pounds with 32⅛-inch arms (the shortest arms of all projected first-rounders), which has led to whispers about whether he’d be better-suited to play guard or center in the NFL. But he has the athletic traits to be a true bully in the run game and was reliable in pass protection, allowing just one sack and 19 pressures over his last two seasons with the Utes (806 pass-blocking snaps).

No such positional debate exists about Freeling, who is 6-7, 315 pounds with 34¾-inch arms (the longest arms of any projected first-rounder). With just 18 career starts, Freeling is one of the most unproven first-round prospects. But he showed significant improvement as a pass protector last season — pressures allowed dropped from 21 to eight from 2024 to 2025 — and might have the greatest upside of any tackle in the draft.

Kadyn Proctor (Alabama, No. 19) has been linked to Detroit via ESPN’s Peter Schrager and NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah — which, for a tight-lipped organization like the Lions, gives us pause, but we digress. Proctor is a massive human, weighing in at 358 pounds at his pro day and standing 6-6. That size doesn’t limit his athleticism; he has remarkable explosiveness and strength. But it might still force him to switch to guard at the NFL level. He was inconsistent in pass protection, allowing 21 pressures and two sacks last season. Still, Proctor has immense upside at both positions.

Rounding out the tackles with first-round potential are Blake Miller (Clemson, No. 24), Caleb Lomu (Utah, No. 25) and Max Iheanachor (Arizona State, No. 36). Any one of these three players — or even all three — could wind up second-round picks, but their positional value gives them a better shot of sticking in Round 1. None of them is the topic of serious chatter about their need to transition to guard, but they all do have question marks about their ability to anchor at the NFL level.

Miller (6-7, 317) is the most experienced of the group. He started a program-record 54 games for Clemson and never missed a start over four seasons. He has prototypical size, heavy hands and elite athleticism, registering a RAS of 9.97 with 34¼-inch arms. He took a leap in pass protection last season (14 pressures, two sacks). While his experience is a plus, it can also be looked at another way: Why did it take him so long to break out? Miller lacks a top-tier anchor, but could see improvement by adding more weight.

Lomu’s athleticism is also elite (9.78 RAS), although his size (6-6, 313) and strength are nothing to write home about. He’s a good processor who patiently diagnoses and dismantles edge defenders. He also has a superb résumé; he didn’t allow a sack in 2025 and was dinged for just 25 pressures during his sophomore and junior seasons (but he did take four penalties last season).

While Iheanachor is lowest on the consensus rankings of potential first-rounders, he has an argument to be the most intriguing prospect of the group. He just started playing football in 2021 and has a prototypical frame (6-6, 321, 33⅞-inch arms). His first year with Arizona State was extremely rough; he allowed 15 pressures on 198 pass-blocking snaps. But he showed rapid and emphatic improvement over his next two seasons, even if his stats (three sacks, 38 pressures allowed over the last two seasons) don’t jump off the page. He’s oozing with upside and will likely be available for Detroit at No. 17.

▶ Teams who could be after IOL in Round 1: Arizona Cardinals (No. 3), Cleveland Browns (6, 24), Los Angeles Rams (13), Detroit Lions (17), Pittsburgh Steelers (21), Philadelphia Eagles (23), San Francisco 49ers (27), New England Patriots (31)

Down the board

While the first round might be the best time for Detroit to find its tackle of the future, it certainly won’t be the last opportunity to add at the position.

There are two college tackles who check in as consensus Day 2 players but could both end up being guards in the NFL: Gennings Dunker (Iowa, No. 60) and Caleb Tiernan (Northwestern, No. 65).

Dunker is one of this year’s draft darlings because of his fire-red mullet and mustache combo, but there are plenty of football reasons to like him, too. He’s a sturdy, experienced piece (37 starts since 2023) who puts his power on display. Tiernan, a Livonia native who attended Detroit Country Day, could be an intriguing second-round option, but again, there’s a general lack of belief among scouts that he’ll stick at tackle. He has an excellent frame (6-7, 323) but short arms (32¼ inches), which could limit his effectiveness as an NFL tackle.

Markel Bell (Miami, No. 104) is an ascending player who showed dramatic improvement over his two years with the Hurricanes after transferring from a junior college program. He’s a massive human (6-9, 346) with freakishly long arms (36⅜ inches). With only one season as a full-time starter, there are plenty of reasons to be skeptical about his pro-readiness. But he allowed no sacks and 15 pressures over 534 pass-blocking snaps last season as Miami made a run to the national title game.

Another hulking tackle with Day 2 potential is Dametrious Crownover (Texas A&M, No. 94). He’s 6-7 and 319 pounds with 35⅜-inch arms. But he’ll be 25 in September and is largely considered a “raw” prospect — not an ideal combination. To close a mostly impressive season, his play fell off a cliff against Texas (regular-season finale) and Miami (College Football Playoff), when he allowed 11 pressures and one sack.

Travis Burke (Memphis, No. 147) is one to keep an eye on in the middle rounds. The two-time transfer (he went up a level in competition each time) has 46 career starts on his résumé and a 6-8, 325-pound frame with 34¼-inch arms. His one-year stint at Memphis was an impressive one: He allowed 13 pressures and three sacks all season while being an impressive force in the run game. He could be a steal in Round 4 — if he makes it that far.

Diego Pounds (Ole Miss, No. 167) could be a sleeper for Detroit. He has great size (6-6, 325, 33¾-inch arms) and didn’t allow a single sack last season. J.C. Davis (Illinois, No. 179) was one of the best run blockers in college football last season but needs some refinement as a pass protector. Enrique Cruz Jr. (Kansas, No. 260) rounds out our list of potential Day 3 guys to watch; he was a late bloomer, becoming an intriguing prospect only after transferring after four seasons at Syracuse but has attractive traits (good size, good hands, good feet) as a developmental prospect.

▶ Best time for Lions to target OT: Round 1. While we don't think the Lions will force an offensive tackle selection, the Lions' biggest first-round need aligns with a top-heavy tackle class, which makes the first round the best (and most likely) time to find their tackle of the future.

nbianchi@detroitnews.com

@nolanbianchi

This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Detroit Lions 2026 draft preview: Which offensive tackles are best fit?