Still in need of DT depth, draft offers Lions more run-stuffers than pocket disruptors
Allen Park — When considering how an NFL team will approach the upcoming draft, you have to look beyond the immediate roster needs. Each selection should be viewed as a four-year investment. Therefore, we must weigh the bigger picture with each possible choice.
Heading into the 2026 NFL draft, we’re going to take a position-by-position look at Detroit’s roster, focusing on areas where the team might add talent in the event. Today, we’ll look at defensive tackles.
Current roster: Alim McNeill, Tyleik Williams, Levi Onwuzurike, Tyler Lacy, Mekhi Wingo, Chris Smith, Myles Adams
Short-term need: 5/10
Long-term need: 8/10
Analysis: Heading into the draft, defensive tackle isn’t an immediate concern. McNeill is a workhorse, primed to bounce back a second season removed from a torn ACL. He’ll be complemented in the starting lineup by Williams, last year’s first-round pick, who effectively replaces DJ Reader.
In terms of depth, it’s a little more shaky. Onwuzurike is an inside-outside option, who can spell McNeill as a 3-tech, while also logging some snaps as a big end. However, Onwuzurike is a bit of a question mark after missing all of the 2025 campaign with his own ACL injury.
The fourth spot is presently up for grabs between a handful of options who have seen playing time for the Lions at some point in the past two seasons.
The long-term outlook is a little more complicated. The Lions will be seeking a second-year jump from Williams, but he’ll definitely be here beyond this season. Meanwhile, Onwuzurike, Lacy, Smith and Adams will be playing on deals that expire at the end of the campaign, while Wingo — who spent much of last season as a healthy scratch — remains a difficult projection with his uniquely small frame.
Then, there’s McNeill. He’s entering the second season of a lucrative four-year extension he signed during the 2024 season, but it would be presumptive to guarantee he remains on the roster next season.
Ideally, he returns to form and makes the decision to keep him an easy one. But if he’s not impactful this season, his release would clear nearly $15 million off the books for the cap-strapped franchise in 2027. It’s a situation that merits monitoring.
It’s also why we can’t rule out the team drafting a defensive tackle earlier than initially considered.
Paths in the draft
This draft isn’t loaded with impact 3-techs. Instead, this crop of prospects is heavy on run-stuffers, no pun intended. That outlook isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but Detroit will be hard-pressed to find interior pass rush in the event.
Clemson’s Peter Woods, who could easily be on the board at No. 17, where Detroit is slated to pick in the first round, probably has the highest ceiling as a backfield disruptor. However, it’s not like he was stuffing the stat sheet the past three seasons, with just 5.0 sacks and 61 total pressures in 35 games.
On the off chance Woods slid to Detroit in the second round (No. 50 overall), it would be far easier to justify. That scenario is highly unlikely.
The other interior option in the first-round mix — just not necessarily for Detroit — is Williams’ former Ohio State teammate Kayden McDonald. The 327-pounder leads the parade of mammoth run defenders, as long as you’re good with his only pass-rush contributions coming from occasionally pushing an opposing guard into the quarterback’s lap.
Detroit could certainly use another run-stuffer to split time with Williams, but that’s too rich a price. They’d more likely be looking in the later stages of the draft for that role.
The Lions did reportedly bring in Southfield native Caleb Banks for a pre-draft. The Florida standout is firmly in the draft’s Day 2 conversation, but he's coming off a foot injury that required surgery last month. His pass-rush production at 330 pounds is impressive, with 53 pressures across the previous two seasons. With that kind of impact, and a uniquely large frame that includes 35-inch arms, he’s the type of player worth the injury risk if it comes with a decent discount.
Among some Day 3 names of interest are Cincinnati's Dontay Corleone, a 340-pound mountain in the middle, or upside plays in South Carolina’s Nick Barrett or Southeastern Louisiana’s Kaleb Proctor.
The latter is undersized at 6-foot-2, 290 pounds, but has adequate arm length, outstanding athleticism and impressive pass-rush production, albeit against lower-level competition.
In terms of UDFA targets, don’t be surprised if the Lions try to bring in Corleone’s Cincinnati teammate Jay Hunt. He’s a Michigan native who is unlikely to be drafted as a seven-year college player with an injury history, but he has a good frame and plus athleticism that could help him push for a practice squad job.