Wednesday marked the final day for college players to declare for the 2026 NFL Draft, prompting analysts to release a new round of mock drafts. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler—arguably the most respected NFL Draft analyst in the business—got in on the action and published his latest mock draft installment. Most Lions writers and NFL analysts […] Wednesday marked the final day for college players to declare for the 2026 NFL Draft, prompting analysts to release a new round of mock drafts. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler—arguably the most respected NFL Draft analyst in the business—got in on the action and published his latest mock draft installment. Most Lions writers and NFL analysts are projecting the Lions to key in on the trenches in the first round (keep in mind it’s only January), so let’s take a look at how Brugler projected the offensive and defensive linemen leading up to the Detroit Lions’ pick. Brugler’s first two linemen—offensive tackles Spencer Fano (Utah) and Francis Mauigoa (Miami)—went off the board in the first six picks of his mock, followed by the top two edge rushers—David Bailey (Texas Tech) and Rueben Bain (Miami)—in the top 10. Making things even more challenging for the Lions, Brugler’s top guard, Vega Ioane (Penn State), and next best edge rusher, Keldric Faulk (Auburn), were both off the board before pick 15. With the top three offensive linemen and defensive ends off the board before pick 17, the Lions could go in a few different directions, but Brugler elected to stick with the next best lineman on his board. And with the No. 17 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Lions select … Here’s Brugler’s explanation for his projection: “It shouldn’t surprise anyone if the Lions address their offensive line early, although I am intrigued by which prospect Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell would see as the best fit. “I have questions about Lomu’s play strength, which might be an issue for this team in particular, but his above-average athleticism and processing will be strong selling points.” A two-year starter at Utah, Lomu’s strengths are in pass protection. As Brugler points out, he’s a terrific athlete but isn’t a dominant run blocker the Lions typically target for their offensive line. That being said, if the Lions opt to keep Lomu at left tackle (assuming Taylor Decker retires or as Decker’s replacement), his pass protection skills will be their highest priority. While Lomu could very well be OT3 in this class, I am also keeping a close eye on Alabama left tackle Kayden Proctor, whom Brugler projected to come off the board a few picks later. Proctor is stylistically a better fit for the Lions, and is also a super athlete, especially for his size (6-foot-7, 360). The hang-up for most analysts with Proctor is that he’s still raw for an offensive tackle, and some teams are rumored to want to push him inside to guard. Additionally, while they aren’t getting the hype of the other offensive tackles in this class, I’ve also been intrigued by offensive tackles Monroe Freeling (Georgia) and Caleb Tiernan (Northwestern). If the Lions wanted to look at edge rushers, Brugler had two selected in his mock draft after the Lions pick: Cashius Howell (Texas A&M), who is a dynamic pass rusher but has questions surrounding his run defense, and Akheem Mesidor (Miami), who is stylistically an ideal fit for what the Lions look for in their edge rusher opposite Aidan Hutchinson, and has been raising his stock throughout the College Football Playoff. See More:

I know for a long time many of you have been wanting some written version of our mailbag ever since we started doing those as a weekly podcast. It’s been something I’ve tried to bring back multiple times, but ultimately just haven’t found the time to be able to do. This offseason, however, I think […] I know for a long time many of you have been wanting some written version of our mailbag ever since we started doing those as a weekly podcast. It’s been something I’ve tried to bring back multiple times, but ultimately just haven’t found the time to be able to do. This offseason, however, I think I may have found a solution. Starting Thursday, January 15 at 12 p.m. ET, I will be holding what I am calling “office hours,” where I will be in the comment section of this weekly post answer your Detroit Lions questions for around two hours. I will try to get to as many questions as I can possibly get to in the time period, and maybe even engage in some back-and-forth discussions. If there’s a question that necessitates a little more research, I may come back to the post later that day or a few days later to respond to the questions. The best part about this? With SB Nation’s new notification system, you’ll be notified right away when I respond to your question, whether it’s during “office hours,” or a day or two later. If you aren’t already, make sure you have a free Pride of Detroit account to participate. Here’s how to do that: Join the conversation! Sign up for a user account and get: Fewer ads Create community posts Comment on articles, community posts Rec comments, community posts New, improved notifications system! That’s it! That’s all you need to know. You can start filling the comment section up with questions if you’re not able to join us during office hours, and I’ll start providing my answers right around Noon on Thursday. See More:

Note: Before we get into this week’s mailbag, a message for site commenters. We’re going to try something I’m calling “Office Hours” between 12 p.m. ET and 2 p.m. ET on Thursday, January 15. This will be an opportunity for you to ask any questions in the comment section of a future article, and I’ll […] Note: Before we get into this week’s mailbag, a message for site commenters. We’re going to try something I’m calling “Office Hours” between 12 p.m. ET and 2 p.m. ET on Thursday, January 15. This will be an opportunity for you to ask any questions in the comment section of a future article, and I’ll do my best to answer as many as possible. I know there has been a yearning for a written mailbag for years now, and this could be a solution that fits my work schedule better. Look for the official post on the front page coming soon. This week, the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers departed with their long-time head coaches. Mike Tomlin produced a 193-144-2 record over 19 years with the Steelers. John Harbaugh went 180-113 over 18 years heading the Ravens. But Tomlin was just 8-12 in the postseason and won a single Super Bowl. Harbaugh was 13-11 in the playoffs, and also only earned one Super Bowl ring. Dan Campbell is nowhere close to where these iconic coaches have been, but there is already a growing worry that the Lions may find themselves in a similar purgatory. They’re good enough to produce good records and win divisional titles, but not good enough to win a Super Bowl. There is a believe that as teams continue to hang out in that “competitive but not elite” space, it gets harder and harder to eventually get over the hump. You rarely have a top-10 draft pick, the core of your players get expensive, and it becomes hard to fire anyone, because the team always seems so close. So what can the Lions do to avoid purgatory? That’s one of our topics of discussion on this week’s Midweek Mailbag podcast. We discuss what Dan Campbell needs to do to avoid complacency, but also have a broader conversation. Specifically, would you take the Steelers’ and Ravens’ success over the past two decades? Have the dynasties of the Chiefs and Patriots made it look like winning multiple Super Bowls is easier than it actually is? Is being competitve year-in, year-out (like the Steelers and Ravens) still the best way to compete for a Super Bowl? Erik Schlitt and I debate that and answer a whole lot more of your questions on this week’s episode. Here are some other topics of discussion: Who should the Lions be grooming internally to be the future offensive coordinator? With so many coaching openings, could we see more trades so new coaches get “their guys”? Is Ben Johnson the first of many in a Dan Campbell coaching tree? Linebacker talk: How did LB coach Shaun Dion Hamilton do? Is Malcolm Rodriguez the replacement for Alex Anzalone? How will Jack Campbell’s expensive fifth-year option impact his likely contractx extension? Do the Lions love their homegrown guys too much? What to do at backup QB? Could the Lions have done more schematically to help out their inexperienced offensive line? Check out the full podcast in the player below or on whatever podcast platform you prefer by searching “Pride of Detroit.” You can also catch the show over on our YouTube page. Part 1 is here, Part 2 is here. There is some extra conversation there, including—Dan Orlovsky as the next Lions OC???? See More:

The Detroit Lions now have a sixth offensive coordinator candidate made public. According to Ian Rapoport, the Lions have put out a request to interview Arthur Smith, the offensive coordinator for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Smith was a long-time coach within the Tennessee Titans organization. He started as a defensive quality control coach with the team […] The Detroit Lions now have a sixth offensive coordinator candidate made public. According to Ian Rapoport, the Lions have put out a request to interview Arthur Smith, the offensive coordinator for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Smith was a long-time coach within the Tennessee Titans organization. He started as a defensive quality control coach with the team in 2011, worked his way up to offensive line and tight ends coach before become the team’s offensive coordinator in 2019-20. Those two seasons, the Titans produced the 10th and fourth-highest scoring offenses in the league, spearheaded by quarterback Ryan Tannehill and running back Derrick Henry. In 2019, Tannehill led the NFL with a 117.5 passer rating and 9.7 yards per attempt. In 2020, Henry led the NFL in rushing yards with 2,027. Smith was then hired to be the Atlanta Falcons’ head coach, where he failed to replicate his success with the Titans. The Falcons never finished higher than 17th in points scored in his three seasons, and the Falcons went just 21-30 under Smith—producing a 7-10 season in all three years. Since then, he’s served as the Steelers’ offensive coordinator for the past two years. Pittsburgh ranked 16th in points scored in 2024 and 15th in 2025. With Mike Tomlin out as Steelers head coach, Smith’s future is uncertain. UPDATE: Per Steelers reporter Nick Farabaugh, Smith still has one year left on his contract with the Steelers, meaning Pittsburgh could block this interview request, but the team is not likely to do so. This coaching cycle, Smith has been requested for two head coaching interviews: for the Cardinals and Titans jobs. You can check out the entire list of the Lions’ offensive coordinator candidates—as well as any other potential coaching changes coming for the Lions with our 2026 tracker. Join the conversation! Sign up for a user account and get: Fewer ads Create community posts Comment on articles, community posts Rec comments, community posts New, improved notifications system! See More:

Eagles Question of the Day: What was your least favorite moment of the Eagles’ 2025 season? Head over to The Feed and weigh in with your answer and explanation! Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles news and links … Can the Eagles trade A.J. Brown, simply from a financial perspective? – PhillyVoiceIf Brown is traded […] Eagles Question of the Day: What was your least favorite moment of the Eagles’ 2025 season? Head over to The Feed and weigh in with your answer and explanation! Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles news and links … Can the Eagles trade A.J. Brown, simply from a financial perspective? – PhillyVoice If Brown is traded this offseason before June 1, the Eagles would incur a dead cap charge of $43,515,106. Worded another way, he would count for $43,515,106 on the Eagles’ cap in 2026, while playing for another team. If the Eagles simply kept him, Brown would count for 23,393,497 on their 2026 cap, and, you know, he would be playing for the Eagles. (The dead cap charge would still be $43,515,106 if he’s traded after June 1, but $27,161,609 of it would count toward the 2027 cap.) That’s about as far as some will get in terms of the feasibility of trading him. Michael Ginnitti of Spotrac pointed out that it would be the fourth-largest single-season dead cap hit in NFL history. So that’s it. Untradeable, right? Nah. “Dead cap” is not a term that should scare Eagles fans. […] Conclusion: Trading Brown would put a dent in the Eagles’ 2026 cap, but there are long-term benefits, and probably a short window in which Brown can attract a high draft pick in return. So, yes, financially, they can afford to trade him. Biggest questions facing Eagles as they enter 2026 offseason – NBCSP What will happen with A.J. Brown? Without knowing the context, this would seem like a pretty stupid question. A.J. Brown is a 28-year-old receiver who has over 5,000 yards receiving in his first four years in an Eagles uniform. He’s a great player in his prime, under contract for the next few seasons, and Howie Roseman isn’t in the business of trading away great players. But … there’s obviously more context needed in this situation. Brown was frustrated throughout this season and it’s fair to wonder if a change of scenery for the Pro Bowler might be necessary. Although, it does seem like Brown and quarterback Jalen Hurts are in a better place these days. “A.J. and I have talked,” Hurts said at locker cleanout day. “We’re in a good, great place.” Brown was not seen Monday as the Eagles cleaned out their lockers and he declined to speak to reporters after the playoff loss the previous day. We haven’t heard from Brown publicly in over a month, so it’s hard to know what he’s thinking. Eagles offensive coordinator search reportedly has 2 names at the top of the list – BGN The Dolphins had an above average offense in 2022 and then one of the NFL’s best in 2023 before McDaniel’s units declined over the next two seasons. While dealing with injury issues along the way, starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa regressed and ultimately got benched by the end of 2025. Despite his struggles in Miami, other teams still seem interested in hiring McDaniel as a head coach; he’s received multiple interviews in that capacity. He’s also reportedly interviewed for the Detroit Lions’ offensive coordinator opening. At first glance, Jalen Hurts doesn’t seem like a natural fit for McDaniel’s schematic styling. But the Eagles could be thinking that McDaniel will adjust to a new quarterback. The OC Search – Iggles Blitz Daboll has experience with Sirianni and Jalen Hurts. That could help him fit in with them. Daboll was an assistant with the Patriots when they won multiple Super Bowls. He spent a season at Alabama and they won the national title. He then spent four years coaching Josh Allen from rookie project to superstar QB. Daboll was tough and demanding, but got the best out of his star player. He then got the Giants job. Daboll produced a good season in 2022, but struggled otherwise. While Daboll isn’t an X’s and O’s guru, he’s been able to produce some good offenses. The Bills were top three in scoring in two seasons. The Giants were 15th in 2022. The Giants were better on offense than the Eagles this past season despite having a rookie QB, rookie RB and some role players. Daboll is a fiery coach and good leader. Would another strong personality be a good fit on the offensive side of the ball? That’s a fair question. Bowen: After the most heinous blown opportunity in Eagles history, you have a right to your anger – PHLY As we lift our gaze toward an offensive coordinator search, and away from the still-glowing embers of the conflagration that was the 2025 Eagles, I want to assure you of one thing. You have every right to be furious. There are those who are tut-tutting the wave of fan outrage that followed Sunday’s 23-19 Wild Card playoff loss to the San Francisco 49ers. I will not be joining that chorus. Entitled fanbase? Nah. In 2024, through February 2025, you watched the most dominant championship team in the history of the city. (If you wanted to argue ‘83 Sixers, I wouldn’t say you’re crazy, but in terms of a closing statement, I’d also say there has never been anything like Super Bowl LIX in our sporting history.) The Eagles then went back to work with ALL OF THE KEY ELEMENTS OF THAT TEAM INTACT, something else that has been unheard of around here, and that certainly was not the case the other time the Eagles won the Super Bowl, in 2018. The result? Eleven and seven, ultimately, out of the playoffs after resting starters in the regular season finale, eliminated by a team that was missing its only two defensive stars, that

The Giants are historically inept, especially in recent years, but it seems they finally made a good decision and have landed John Harbaugh as their next head coach. Terms of a deal are still being ironed out, but initial expectations will keep Harbaugh in New York for five years. Harbaugh is also bringing offensive coordinator […] The Giants are historically inept, especially in recent years, but it seems they finally made a good decision and have landed John Harbaugh as their next head coach. Terms of a deal are still being ironed out, but initial expectations will keep Harbaugh in New York for five years. Harbaugh is also bringing offensive coordinator Todd Monken with him, despite the coordinator interviewing for other positions around the league. Monken was a name that had been of interest for the Eagles, at least among fans, but now the team will have to look at other options — of which, there are many. The new head coach will be a huge asset for Jaxson Dart heading into his second year, and will be able to do more with that team than we’ve seen the past decade. Thankfully, Harbaugh will still be working with Giants GM Joe Schoen, so the chance of them continuing to make poor decisions is still pretty high. See More: Philadelphia Eagles News

The 2026 College Football Hall of Fame class, which features 18 player inductees and four coaches, has two very familiar names for Detroit Lions fans. As announced by the National Football Foundation on Wednesday, both Lions legends Herman Moore and Ndamukong Suh will be inducted later this year. At the University of Virginia, Moore put […] The 2026 College Football Hall of Fame class, which features 18 player inductees and four coaches, has two very familiar names for Detroit Lions fans. As announced by the National Football Foundation on Wednesday, both Lions legends Herman Moore and Ndamukong Suh will be inducted later this year. At the University of Virginia, Moore put up explosive numbers for the Cavaliers. He led the ACC for three consecutive years in yards per reception, and in his last two season, he totaled 90 catches for 2,038 yards and 23 touchdowns. He finished 1990 as a consensus All-American, and placed sixth in Heisman voting. Moore parlayed that college career into being a first-round draft pick—10th overall—in 1991. As a Detroit Lion, he became a three-time First-Team All-Pro, a four-time Pro Bowler, led the NFL in receptions twice, and he currently remains second on the Lions’ all-time list of receiving yards with 670 catches for 9,174 yards, and 62 touchdown. In 2018, Moore was inducted into Detroit’s “Pride of the Lions,” their ring of honor for alumni. Moore offered this public statement on Wednesday in reaction to being part of the 2026 College Football Hall of Fame class: As for Suh, he was an absolute terror for opponents when playing as a Nebraska Cornhusker. From 2008-09, Suh produced a ridiculous 161 tackles, 36.5 tackles for loss, 19.5 sacks, and three interceptions—two returned for touchdowns. In his final season, Suh finished fourth in Heisman voting, was named most outstanding defensive player, Defensive Player of the Year, and consensus All-American. When drafted by the Lions with the second overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, Suh made an immediate impact, becoming a First-Team All Pro and being named Defensive Rookie of the Year. Though his career in Detroit would only last five years, he still finished with 238 tackles, 66 tackles for loss, and 36.0 sacks. Enjoy some Suh highlights from college: The official induction ceremony for the 2026 College Football Hall of Fame will happen on December 8 in Las Vegas. See More: Detroit Lions News