The Prospect That 'Scares The Hell' Out of Lions Draft Analyst

Now that the 2026 NFL Draft is just right around the corner, what the Detroit Lions decide to do, especially early, is being heavily evaluated.

Some pundits believe the team could be among those wanting to trade up. Others believe it might be in their best interest to trade down, in order to land a coveted third-round pick.

Speaking with reporters and draft analyst Jeff Risdon this week, he expressed a player that has been linked to Detroit comes with a certain level of concern.

In many mock drafts, the Lions have been linked to Alabama Crimson Tide offensive lineman Kadyn Proctor.

"To be blunt, I think he's a guard. I think that there are too many instances where he gets beat way too easily by pedestrian pass rushers on film," said Risdon. "And that scares the hell out of me. He does have some fantastic tape as well. It's marrying those and getting the consistency out of it and dealing with the fact that he's -- I don't want to say he's immature, but it's sort of like the world is still new to him. More naivete than anything."

If the Lions take a developmental player along the offensive line, Risdon would prefer it to be Max Iheanachor out of Arizona State.

2026 NFL Draft goals

This year, it will be imperative Detroit is able to get back on track finding prospects. The past couple of years, the team has not the same level of success in the draft that they had from 2021-2023.

"I think you want to come out of this draft with long term solutions at offensive tackle and at edge," said Risdon. "Whatever order they come in, and wherever they come from, that's subject to debate. We'll probably talk about that. But that should be the two priorities. And the other thing is, just increasing competition for the depth spots. There aren't a lot of openings on this roster. There really aren't.

"It's more about can your late-round guys, can they compete with other recent late-round guys and recent free agent acquisitions that are on one year deals and make your team better and improve your special teams, improve your depth overall," Risdon added. "If they come out with a long-term starting tackle and a long-term No. 2 edge to start opposite of Aidan Hutchinson for the next few years, it's going to be really hard to be upset about that."

The latest 'Lone Wolves' podcast features an in-depth interview with Lions reporter, draft analyst Jeff Risdon and examines the tenure of Brad Holmes, what would make the draft successful this year.

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