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Breaking down what the Lions’ depth chart looks like before the 2026 NFL Draft, the defensive goals for the draft seem clearer than ever

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Mike Payton | Last updated Apr 7, 2026 10:47 AM ET

The 2026 NFL Draft is just 17 days away, and before you know it, things are going to look a lot different for the Detroit Lions.

Before we get there, let’s take one more look at the Lions’ depth chart before then and see what’s changed in the last couple of weeks, where the Lions added more help to their secondary.

Offense

LWR	Isaac TeSlaa	Jackson Meeks
RWR	Jameson Williams	Tom Kenndey
SWR	Amon-Ra St. Brown	Greg Dortch	Dominic Lovett	Mail Cunningham
LT	Larry Borom	Giovanni Manu
LG	Christian Mahogany	Miles Frazier	Ben Bartch
C	Cade Mays	Seth Mclaughlin
RG	Tate Ratledge	Juice Scruggs	Michael Niese
RT	Penei Sewell	Devin Cochran	Colby Sorsdal
TE	Sam LaPorta	Tyler Conklin	Brock Wright	Zach Horton	Thomas Gordon
QB	Jared Goff	Teddy Bridgewater
RB	Jahmyr Gibbs	Isiah Pacheco	Sione Vaki	Jacob Saylors/ Jabari Small	Kye Robichaux

There have been some changes on offense as well. The Lions have invested heavily in having a competition at guard. I think some see Bartch as a potential starterm but he has a ways to go to get to that point, and I’m not sure he can beat out Christian Mahogany or Miles Frazier.

It’s crazy that this team has six running backs right now. The expectation is that RB2 is Isiah Pacheco’s job to lose, but don’t rule out Sione Vaki making that competition a hard one for the veteran. I’m not really sure where Saylors, Small, and Robichaux fit in at this time.

Defense

LDE	Aidan Hutchinson	Ahmed Hassanein
NT	Tyleik Williams	Myles Adams	Chris Smith
DT	Alim McNeill	Levi Onwuzurkie	Mekhi Wingo
RDE	D.J. Wonnum	Tyler Lacy	Payton Turner
WLB	Malcolm Rodriguez	Damone Clark
MLB	Jack Campbell
SLB	Derrick Barnes	Trevor Nowaske
LCB	Terrion Arnold	Rock Ya-Sin	Nick Whiteside
SS	Brian Branch	Christian Izien	Avonte Maddox	Dan Jackson
FS	Kerby Joseph	Chuck Clark	Thomas Harper	Loren Strickland
RCB	D.J. Reed	Khalil Dorsey
NB	Roger McCreary	Ennis Rakestraw

The Lions’ secondary is just stacked with players right now. 15 players in that room, and it’s going to be an all-out competition to see who gets to start in some areas and who makes the 53-man roster in others.

There are obvious concerns about both Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph at the start of the season, but Chuck Clark and Christian Izien, mixed in with Thomas Harper, are a sneaky good group if Detroit has to go that way. Right now, I think the Joseph stuff is a little blown out of proportion and wrapped in misinformation. I expect him to be there at the start of camp until I don’t see him or am told otherwise.

So, as we go into the 2026 NFL Draft, the goals seem obvious on defense. It’s all about the defensive line, and maybe throw in a linebacker. It’s hard to see the Lions picking any cornerbacks or safeties with that group, but you never know.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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