Lions select their quarterback of the future in the first-round in first pre-season 2026 NFL mock draft

The Detroit Lions have their quarterback in Jared Goff, and he's going to be their guy until at least 2028 unless he's showing at that time that he's still one of the top quarterbacks in the league. In 2023, they took Hendon Hooker in the third round, and there was some thought that maybe he could be the Goff successor, but it was more likely that he could top out as a premium backup. The Lions are pretty likely to cut him on Tuesday.

Kyle Allen won the backup job this year, but he's not likely to be a long-term solution or the future guy. The Lions are still going to be on the lookout for that. Our draft experts here at AtoZ Sports are already putting out mock drafts for the 2026 NFL Draft, and College Football editor Travis May has selected a quarterback for the Lions in the first round . He's taken LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier with the 28th pick. Here's his reasoning:

"Garrett Nussmeier found immediate success in his first full season starting for the LSU Tigers in 2024 as he amassed over 4000 yards and 29 passing touchdowns last fall. He needs to improve on his efficiency and cut down on the turnovers (12 interceptions), but he certainly looks like a potential first-round QB.

This may seem like a strange selection for the Lions, but their roster is already championship caliber. They make a luxury pick here to lock in their future at quarterback–drafting one that actually looks a whole lot like Jared Goff. Both were high-volume passers with decent efficiency and mobility questions heading into their final seasons. Goff took a big leap that earned him first-round capital. Nussmeier can do the same."

Like May said, bringing in a first-round quarterback might feel crazy, but the Lions ensure a few different things here. They can have a premium backup to Goff right away, and they can also ensure that in a few years, when Goff might be done in Detroit, they have a young quarterback ready to go. It's a very similar situation to what the Chiefs did with Patrick Mahomes and Alex Smith and what the Packers did with Jordan Love and Aaron Rodgers. There's nothing wrong with having a guy waiting in the wings.