What was the Lions’ best pick in the 2026 NFL Draft?

PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - APRIL 24: Former Detroit Lions Calvin Johnson waves during Round Two of the 2026 NFL Draft at Acrisure Stadium on April 24, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images) | Getty Images The dust has settled on the 2026 NFL Draft, and you’ve either had a night to sleep on it, or a night to grind highlights of all of your favorite team’s pick. I won’t tell you which of those I did.

The Detroit Lions made a total of seven selections over the weekend , adding to their offensive and defensive lines, their linebacker room, their secondary, and threw in a unsuspecting wide receiver there. It’s hard for me to tell what the fan reaction is in the moment while pushing out a ton of coverage, so I wanted to kick off our Question of the Day with a very simple one: What was the Lions’ best pick in the 2026 NFL Draft? My answer: The easy answer is Blake Miller, the Lions’ first-round pick.

With the way the board had fallen and given the Lions’ needs, walking away with a first-round offensive tackle made the most sense for this team. And given that every team in the league seemingly knew Detroit wanted an offensive tackle, getting one without spending extra draft capital and landing the tackle that arguably fit them the best, will likely give them the best 2026 season of this class, and has all sorts of grit should be considered a major win. But if we want to go beyond the chalk answer, I imagine most will select cornerback Keith Abney, the first of the Lions’ two fifth-round selections.

Abney was widely considered a Day 2 prospect, so to get him outside of the top-150 (157) feels like a wild success. In Detroit, he’ll bring long-term starting potential to the nickel position while also potentially adding depth on the outside. In an offseason where the Lions lost fan-favorite Amik Robertson, they may have somehow found his replacement in the fifth round.