As the Detroit Lions turn the corner to the offseason ahead, we’ve officially entered Mock Draft season. Our Mock Draft Roundup series will return later in the week, but we thought it’d be a good idea to kick things off by breaking down a Mock Draft from the SB Nation mothership, composed by long-time respected NFL Draft analyst Mark Schofield.
The early expectations for this draft cycle for the Detroit Lions anticipate the Lions focusing on the trenches, most notably on the offensive line and edge rushers.
Schofield has quarterbacks Fernando Mendoza (Indiana) and Dante Moore (Oregon) as the first two players off the board, with offensive tackle Spencer Fano (Utah) and EDGE Rueben Bain Jr. (Miami) the next players off the board. Hybrid linebacker Arvell Reese (Ohio State) is off the board at No. 7, followed by EDGE Kendrick Faulk (Auburn) picked next. EDGE David Bailey (Texas Tech) goes at No. 12, with offensive tackle Francis Mauigoa (Miami) off the board two picks later at No. 14 overall.
Despite some serious trench talent off the board, Schofield still has the Lions staying in the trenches, and with the No. 17 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, he projects the Lions to take…
Olaivavega Ioane, LG, Penn State
“A major reason behind the Detroit Lions’ downward turn this year was the struggles in front of Jared Goff. While he posted an Adjusted Completion Percentage of 68.5% when pressured according to Pro Football Focus, tenth-best in the NFL, he was sacked a career high 36 times. Finding some help along the interior is a big need for Brad Holmes, and Detroit gets that in Olaivavega Ioane, a bright spot for Penn State this past season.”
At first glance, the Lions’ most significant needs along the offensive line appear to be at left tackle and center (with Taylor Decker and Graham Glasgow on retirement watch). However, there’s a lot of potential movement that could happen, depending on how things shake out. For example, if Decker retires, the Lions could target the best offensive tackle available, and if they need to move Penei Sewell to the left side, he’s shown the range to make that work.
If Glasgow retires, Schofield’s prediction is entirely plausible. The Lions have hinted that they will consider moving Tate Ratledge inside to center and believe he has the intelligence and athleticism to hold down the position for years to come. If that happens, the Lions would likely flip Christian Mahogany to right guard—a position he’s shown he can play at the NFL level and primarily played in college—thus opening a hole at left guard for Ioane.
Easily the best interior offensive lineman in this draft class, Ioane (6-foot-4, 335 pounds) is a plug-and-play left guard who is an anchor as a pass protector and a mauler as a run blocker. He’s likely going to grade out similarly to last year’s first-round pick, Tyler Booker, yet stylistically, he’ll remind people of former Lion Larry Warford, who was a big-bodied bully in the trenches.
I also would’ve considered Utah offensive tackle Caleb Lomu (pick No. 27) and Alabama offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor (pick No. 28) at No. 17 for the Lions. I still like the idea of landing an offensive tackle in the first round, but in the early stages of my draft evaluation, I do have Lomu and Proctor in a tier below Fano and Mauigoa. How big of a gap between the duos is still to be determined.
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