Insider Reveals Lions Mock Draft That Targets 'Dan Campbell' Player

The Detroit Lions have been linked to many offensive tackles in the early wave of mock drafts released.

ESPN NFL insider Peter Schrager spent the week at the owners meetings in Arizona learning as much as he could about the upcoming NFL Draft.

His 32 picks are based on what he has heard from extensive talks with those in league circles, as opposed to who he believes each team will target at each slot.

He recently released his first 2026 NFL mock draft, and the Lions target Penn State Nittany Lions guard Olaivavega Ioane.

As Schrager explained, "I'm not sure there's a more "Dan Campbell" player in this draft than Ioane. He's 6-foot-4 and 320 pounds, and he plays with a mean streak. Ioane didn't give up a single sack and was an All-American last season at Penn State. Nice fit on the interior for the Detroit line."

At the scouting combine, the talented lineman expressed the team that ends up choosing him is going to land an aggressive player.

"You're going to get a competitive player out of me, an aggressive player," he said. "Mentality and being the most physical guy out there. "Just have to come out and be physical. That's the biggest part to it. Just have to come out and be physical. That's the biggest part to it.

"Especially as a guard, you have to have to have that mentality of moving someone from point A to point B."

Part of the reason Detroit's coaching staff will gravitate towards Ioane is his competitiveness and physicality at the point of attack.

"You're going to get a competitive player," Ioane said. "When I go out there on the field, I'm an entirely different person. You're going to get a competitive player out of me, an aggressive player. Mentality and being the most physical guy out there."

Many NFL scouts project the 6'4, 320-pound lineman as a Day 1 starter with a high ceiling. He has drawn early comparisons to Quentin Nelson.

His arm length (32 3/4) is not ideal for the guard position, but his fundamentals and consistent technique have resulted in his draft stock elevating the past couple of months.

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