An early look at mock drafts, getting to know prospects slotted to Lions, and weighing options against team's top offseason needs
With the NFL’s scouting combine less than a month away, and the full NFL draft order days from being set, mock season is in full bloom.
Let’s get an early feel for some of the prospects who are being slotted to the Detroit Lions with the No. 17 pick in April’s draft.
The list
● ESPN/Miller — Keldric Faulk, Edge, Auburn
● ESPN/Kiper — Olaivavega Ioane, G, Penn State
● NFL.com/Zierlein — Zion Young, Edge, Missouri
● NFL.com/Jeremiah — Akheem Mesidor, Edge, Miami
● FoxSports/Brooks — Caleb Lomu, Utah, OT
● CBS/Renner — Mansoor Delane, CB, LSU
● PFF/Sikkema — Akheem Mesidor, EDGE , Miami
● The Athletic/Baumgardner and Dochterman — Caleb Lomu, OT, Utah
● Yahoo/McDonald and Tice — Caleb Lomu, OT, Utah
● The Ringer/Kelly — T.J. Parker, Edge, Clemson
● Draft Network/Melo — Monroe Freeling, OT, Georgia
● Sporting News/Iyer — T.J. Parker, Edge, Clemson
The prospects
In alphabetical order
Mansoor Delane, CB, LSU
Consensus Big Board rank: 11th
Listed at 6-foot, 190-pounds, Delane finished up his college career with the Tigers after three seasons with Virginia Tech. He intercepted at least one pass each of his four seasons, finishing his college career with eight picks and 27 pass defenses.
Sticky in coverage, he allowed just 40% of throws his direction to be completed in 2025 for 165 yards and zero touchdowns, resulting in a paltry 31.3 passer rating when targeted.
Primarily an outside option, he logged nearly 2,000 snaps on the perimeter, compared to fewer than 400 in the box or the slot.
Keldric Faulk, Edge, Auburn
Consensus Big Board rank: 15th
A hulking edge defender at 6-foot-6, 285 pounds, Faulk is more of a pocket condenser than sack artist, making him an ideal closed end. After racking up a career-best 7.0 sacks in 2024, that tally dipped to 2.0 last season. In terms of pressures, he averaged nearly 32 across three seasons with the Tigers.
Putting his size and plus length to good use, he’s steady against the run. Eighty of his 109 tackles resulted in an offensive failure.
Faulk is comfortable operating on both sides of the line and has the bulk to slide inside on obvious passing downs. He aligned as a defensive tackle more than 50 times last season.
Monroe Freeling, OT, Georgia
Consensus Big Board rank: 33rd
After serving as a backup most of his first two seasons, seeing action at both right and left tackle, Freeling took over the starting blindside job toward the end of the 2024 campaign and earned second-team all-conference honors in 2025.
A tall, long prospect who is listed at 6-foot-7, 315 pounds, Freeling was impressive in protection last season, allowing 21 pressures and 3.0 sacks in 363 pass-blocking snaps.
Olaivavega Ioane, G, Penn State
Consensus Big Board rank: 19th
A unique talent who has taken snaps at all five positions along the offensive line during his time at Penn State, Ioane built his reputation as the draft’s top interior lineman primarily slotted at the left guard spot for the Nittany Lions.
Ioane has a prototypical build for the position, listed at 6-foot-4, 325 pounds. He didn’t allow a sack his final two years, trimming the pressures surrendered from 17 in 2024 to just four last season.
Caleb Lomu, Utah, OT
Consensus Big Board rank: 23rd
A two-year starter, Lomu played all but a handful of snaps at left tackle for the Utes. He showed steady growth as a pass protector during his college career, allowing just eight pressures and zero sacks last season, although he did commit four penalties.
The run game, from technique to attitude, are still a work in progress, but he offers developable traits and a good frame (6-foot-6, 308 pounds) that has room to carry more weight.
Akheem Mesidor, Edge, Miami
Consensus Big Board rank: 30th
The 6-foot-3, 265-pounder spent six years in college, starting at West Virginia before transferring to Miami in 2022. That’s going to put him on the older side for a prospect. He turns 25 in April.
Mesidor’s production took off in his final season for the Hurricanes. His 67 quarterback pressures were more than double his previous best, resulting in 12.5 sacks working across the line from Rueben Bain, who many expect to be selected in the top 10 this April.
Complementing his pass rush, Mesidor is considered an outstanding run defender, and nearly every scouting report you’ll find highlights his relentless motor.
T.J. Parker, Edge, Clemson
Consensus Big Board rank: 26th
Following an 11.0-sack campaign in 2024, some preseason projections had Parker as a top-10 talent in this draft class heading into this season. However, he wasn’t able to replicate the production, finishing with 19 tackles and 5.0 sacks in 12 games this past year.
Like most of the edge defenders being slotted to the Lions in these mocks, Parker’s calling card is power. He’s physical at the point of attack, allowing him to bull tackles into the pocket and set a firm edge against the run.
Zion Young, Edge, Missouri
Consensus Big Board rank: 44th
Starting at Michigan State, Young transferred to Missouri ahead of the 2024 campaign and saw his production take off as a senior last season.
Possessing an excellent frame at 6-foot-5, 265 pounds, he plays with good power, steadily improved against the run through his college career, and took his pocket disruption to new heights in 2025, tallying 56 pressures to go with 6.5 sacks in 13 games.
Notably, 16.5 of Young’s 42 tackles came behind the line of scrimmage.
Detroit’s top-five offseason needs
We acknowledge these needs are likely to shift based on what the team accomplishes in free agency. But as things currently stand, here are the areas the Lions need to address the next few months.
Center
While there’s a lingering possibility the team will try to shoehorn Tate Ratledge into the role, they’d be better off allowing him to stick at right guard, where he’s unquestionably more comfortable.
Graham Glasgow held down the fort following Frank Ragnow’s retirement, but the veteran’s performance was predictably inconsistent. Whether he’s released by the team or opts for retirement, he’s probably played his last snap for the Lions.
Unless Detroit thinks Ioane has center potential, there isn’t another prospect meriting a look in the first round. Guys like Auburn’s Conner Lew, Florida’s Jack Slaughter and Iowa’s Logan Jones could be Day 2 options.
Offensive tackle
After Ragnow waited until June to announce his retirement, expect the Lions to request a little more heads up from Taylor Decker so that they can better emphasize how to address the tackle situation.
If Decker chooses to play another season, the long-term need persists, but isn’t as pressing. Regardless, if the Lions can land a prospect they love early in the draft, they shouldn’t hesitate to pull the trigger. That might bode well with someone like Lomu or Freeling, where it wouldn’t be ideal to throw them into the fire on Day 1.
Edge
The Lions have been on the hunt for a running mate for Aidan Hutchinson since selecting the superstar with the No. 2 pick of the 2022 draft.
Al-Quadin Muhammad provided impressive pass-rush production last season, but he’s scheduled to be a free agent this March and turns 31 years old during the offseason. Even if he’s retained, it’s more of a short-term solution.
In terms of what the Lions have traditionally looked for opposite Hutchinson -- a pocket crusher who is reliable against the run -- all the names listed above make sense.
Safety
Detroit entered last season with what could easily be argued was the league’s best safety tandem. A year later, there’s far less certainty. Kerby Joseph missed most of last season with knee pain, with fears it might be career-altering. Meanwhile, Brian Branch, who is entering the final year of his rookie contract, will likely miss the start of the season after tearing his Achilles in early December.
Detroit can fall back on Thomas Harper, a young player who performed well as an injury replacement, while looking to re-sign a cheap veteran like Avonte Maddox to round out the depth chart. However, if concerns about Joseph’s long-term future linger, drafting a longer-term solution should be on the table.
Lions general manager Brad Holmes landed Joseph and Branch on Day 2 of their respective drafts, which might be a sweet spot to spin the wheel again.
Cornerback
Despite an injury-riddled sophomore season, the Lions are still all-in on Terrion Arnold, while veteran DJ Reed is likely to remain in the fold for at least the next two seasons.
It’s the nickel spot where there’s less certainty, given Amik Robertson is headed toward free agency and former second-round pick Ennis Rakestraw has yet to prove he can stay healthy through his first two seasons.
Clearly, given the rate of injury at the position, there’s always a need for quality depth. However, using a first-round pick on the position, even if a player like Delane slide to Detroit, doesn’t seem like the best use of resources.
Honestly, I'd be pretty annoyed if the Lions took a corner in the first. Feels like too many resources are being used at that spot lately. Not to say the pick would be bad or anything, just feels like there's more pressing needs and equitable talent at other spots.
The most fascinating scenario to me is what if Caleb Downs slips down the draft board because safety is one of those positions not as valued normally in the draft. He could be insurance for Kerby/Branch or allow the Lions to utilize more 3 safety looks. Man, the thought of Branch (if he can return close to form) and Downs on the field at the same time sounds great because they are both great against the run.