The Detroit Lions Podcast

Receivers Slide, Tackles Rise Three weeks out from the NFL Draft in Pittsburgh, the Detroit Lions Podcast unloaded bold calls that reshuffle needs and tiers across the NFL. The headline is blunt. No wide receivers will be selected in the top 10. Arnold Tate profiles as a strong number two, but without J Jr. speed or Amon-Ra Saint Brown’s middle-field wins. Jordan Tyson’s talent pops, but a crucial workout and injuries cloud his range. The trench market takes the lift. Hatten Proctor is pegged for the top 10 and could be the first or second offensive tackle taken. He is a specimen with workable tape. If he is gone early, the Detroit Lions avoid that decision at 17. At the top, the show framed Ryan Mendoza to the Raiders as the early chalk, then flipped with a bolder claim: Las Vegas will not take Ford Mendoza after signing Kirk Cousins today. Quarterback Chess at 32 The quarterback twist comes at the back of round one, but in the 2026 draft. The call: Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson goes 32 overall. Not to Seattle. That slot gets traded. The logic is twofold. A team jumps to 32 to lock the fifth-year option and to shut down overnight bidding from clubs holding picks 33 and 34. Simpson needs work and starts, but the projection has the NFL making the move and Simpson becoming the second quarterback off that board. Safety Run Shapes Lions at 17 The secondary drives the night between 10 and 20. Three safeties go in that window: Caleb Downs from Ohio State, Dylan Spielman from Oregon by way of Purdue, and Emmanuel McNeill Warren from Toledo. Consensus boards slot McNeill Warren around 26, but the tape and the body in person say upside. Vikings chatter points hard to Spielman at 18, echoing past Minnesota tells. If Caleb Downs is on the board at 17 and the Detroit Lions pass, the fallback must be special. One First-Round Fall Utah offensive tackle Campbell Holmes is forecast outside round one. It is a contrarian call, and it lands with weight in a class where tackles crowd the top half. If Holmes slips, the board compresses for teams chasing linemen in the 20s. That could push another safety or corner toward 17 and test the Detroit Lions’ resolve if the run hits earlier than expected. #detroitlions #lions #detroitlionspodcast #nfldraft #pick17 #nowidereceiversintop10 #arnoldtate #jordantysonworkout #hattenproctortop10 #offensivetackleboard #tysimpsonat32 #fifth-yearoption #safetyrun10-20 #calebdowns #dylanspielman #emmanuelmcneillwarren #vikingspick18 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tackle Tops Detroit’s To-Do List Draft month opened with a narrow focus. The Detroit Lions Podcast zeroed in on offensive tackle as the biggest hole on a strong roster. Jeff Risdon and Chris agreed the priority is clear. Detroit would love more bendy edge Rodgers, but history says that is not a typical target. The path to improvement runs through the offensive line. Manu Freeling at No. 2: Movement and Power Chris has Manu Freeling as the number two overall player on his board. The traits drive the grade. Rare size to NFL caliber power. Nimble in space. Explosive off the ball. On screens and climbs to the second level, the movement pops. He does not wander and miss second-level targets. The issues are not physical. They are reps and time. Jeff summed it up. What is wrong is inexperience, not ability. In a class light on blue chip talent, Freeling’s package at left tackle stands out. That blend at a premium spot anchors the ranking. Hatten Proctor’s Profile and the 17 Question Chris stacked Hatten Proctor eighth overall. The sell is simple. He is a very large man around 350 pounds with supreme length. He is ready from a strength perspective. The anchor holds. He generates torque in the run game. He will not match Freeling or Maui Noah in speed to the second level, but his movement at that size is impressive. He is only 20 years old. The upside window is wide. Rushers need time to run the arc around him because the frame is so big. Three and a half seconds can pass before contact lands on the quarterback. That matters. Jeff asked if Proctor will last to 17. The answer may come fast on draft night. The panel agreed the range is tight for a tackle with that profile. Inside the Draft Gradebook Tool Chris also previewed his Draft Gradebook project. It is an archive of over 1,500 independent scouting reports from the 2021 class through 2026. It features an AI search and archetype searches. Type in “bendy edge Rodgers” and pull every match. He has around 170 prospects logged for 2026 and aims for about 250 by draft time. A free preview is live this week. Draft day mode adds best available, a draft tracker, biggest deals, and team hubs so fans can follow every pick in one place. For Detroit Lions fans, that means clearer context when the board starts moving at offensive tackle. #detroitlions #lions #detroitlionspodcast #2026nfldraft #monroefreeling #kadynproctor #scoutingreports #blakemiller #lionsdraft Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ragnow Bonus Dispute Hits the Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions asked Frank Ragnow to repay part of his signing bonus after he stopped playing last season. He is no longer with the team. He tried to return around Thanksgiving but was not physically able to do it. The amount sought is not public. The move ignited a firestorm around the NFL and inside the fan base. The team’s position is clear. A contract was signed. The terms were not fulfilled. The franchise believes in setting precedent. The Lions have followed this policy before, including with Calvin Johnson and Barry Sanders. Deterrence is part of the logic. If a player leaves early, the team can ask for money back. That is the business case the Detroit Lions are leaning on. Optics, Player Reactions, and Free Agency Fallout The optics are ugly. Even if the policy stands, it looks petty and cheap to many. That perception matters. Players see it. Agents see it. In a tight market, one bad vibe can send a free agent to another city. Alex Anzalone bristled at it. Quandre Diggs spoke up too. Diggs has always said he loved Detroit. His tenure ended when Matt Patricia shipped him out, and he flourished after. He called this move a bad look. That sentiment travels around the NFL, and it sticks. The Detroit Lions do not want to be viewed as doing their own guys dirty. The calculation is cold. Save some money now and risk losing goodwill later. The Detroit Lions Podcast framed it squarely: perception could be the difference when a prominent free agent chooses between Detroit and Team X. Leverage, Policy, and What Players Can Do TJ Lang cut to the core. If you want to protect your money, make the team release you. You lose leverage when you retire. That is the hard line of NFL contracts. Once you retire, the club can pursue bonus payback under its policy. If the team releases you, it cannot. Rod Wood made it known the Lions are seeking repayment. Dave Burkett reported it. The policy predates this regime. It ties back to the same stance used with Sanders and Johnson. The Lions see consistency. Many see a needless wound. Frank Ragnow’s situation is complicated. He gave what he could. He tried to come back at Thanksgiving. He could not. Now the team wants money back, and the blowback is real. The Detroit Lions want to enforce standards. The rest of the NFL is judging the standard they chose. #detroitlions #lions #detroitlionspodcast #frankragnow #signingbonusrepayment #chuckclark #dametriouscrownover #nflfreeagencyperception #lionsfanreaction Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Campbell’s stance on Sewell and the line Dan Campbell used the NFL owners meetings in Arizona to make one thing clear. He is open, even preferential, to moving Penei Sewell from right tackle to left tackle. That headline changes how the Detroit Lions approach the spring. Sewell will excel wherever he lines up. There are zero worries about his performance. The context matters. The Lions might have a new left guard this year. They do have a new center in Bates Mays. That is a lot of change in the middle of an elite unit. Continuity counts. Fewer moving pieces usually help. Campbell’s view suggests the staff is comfortable reshaping the front to fit the bigger plan. Right tackle reality and draft ripple Brad Holmes, in last week’s sit-down, essentially anointed Larry Borom as the starting right tackle without using the exact phrase. As of today, it is hard to see anyone else opening Week 1 on the right side. His contract is for one year, so the long term is still open. But the near term points to Borom. That alters draft calculus. Detroit does not have to take a tackle at 17. They can wait. The second round now looks more viable for a tackle. Trading around to target a value pocket makes sense. It also cools interest in left-tackle-only prospects. Caleb Holmes fits that bucket. Caleb Lomu was an early favorite there if 17 had been earmarked for offense. With Sewell at left tackle and Borom on the right, profiles shift. Blake Miller, a natural right tackle who looks ready to start, fits the current board better, whether at 17 or later. Edge talk at 17 and board shaping Holmes also discussed the edge group, with DJ Oneum in the mix. That points the first-round lens back to defense. The instincts about Kendrick Small at 17 feel firmer after this week. If it is not Falk, there is still a clean case for TJ Parker. Akeem Mesa remains in the conversation. The picture is not final, but the tiers are clearer. Yesterday’s mock draft on the Detroit Lions Podcast explored trade paths and explained the logic through each move. Today’s update tightens that logic. Sewell to left tackle. Borom trending at right tackle. A deeper tackle board available after the first round. Edge rising at 17. That is how the Lions can attack April. It is a plan that fits Campbell’s comments and the current roster structure. Short term clarity. Long term flexibility. The kind of balance good teams use to stay good. #detroitlions #lions #detroitlionspodcast #dancampbell #peneisewellatlefttackle #larryborom #bradholmes #nflownersmeetings #levionwuzurike #djwonnum #josiahtrotter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mock Draft 3.0 on the Detroit Lions Podcast put trades on the table. Jeff Risdon charted plausible moves and a first round that ends with Clemson edge TJ Parker in Detroit. The approach targeted value, added picks, and stayed aligned with how the Detroit Lions build their defense in the NFL. Trade Down with Houston Reshapes Round 1 At No. 17, a deal with the Houston Texans set the tone. Houston offered No. 28, No. 69, and a 2027 sixth-round pick. Detroit sent back No. 17, No. 157, and a 2027 seventh. The trade-value math favored Detroit. The aggressive team usually pays about a 10 percent tax to move up, and this one fit that pattern. Houston used the move to grab Clemson defensive tackle Peter Woods. Detroit slid to 28 and took TJ Parker, Edge, Clemson. The board cooperated. The drop secured extra capital without losing the preferred profile at edge defender. Why TJ Parker Fits Detroit's Front Parker matches what Detroit wants across from Hutchinson. He plays power to speed and can flip it to speed to power. He is a little smaller than the typical prototype, but his style answers that. He had a down year in 2025. Even so, last August and early September mock drafts often projected him as the first defensive player off the board. At the combine, he explained the dip with poise. He did not bury Clemson’s coaching. He handled it diplomatically. That maturity reads well in Allen Park. Value matters here. Risdon liked Parker at 17, but he liked him more at 28. He likes almost any player more at 28 than at 17. Landing the same target at a lower slot while pocketing No. 69 and a future asset checks boxes for roster building. How the Board and Process Shaped the Pick Reider Falk was gone at 21 to the Steelers. On the clock at 28, options included Vaki Reader, Max, and Blake Miller. Those names fit areas Detroit could weigh. This mock projects what the Lions would do, not a personal wish list. The "what I would do" edition comes closer to draft weekend. The process mattered. Player availability was cross-checked on multiple simulators without using their trade engines. The exercise aimed for plausible outcomes. Houston’s current needs made their jump for defensive line make sense. They have upgraded three starting offensive line spots and still need one more, but defensive line looms larger. Detroit capitalized on that urgency, then found a clean schematic fit in Parker at 28. #detroitlions #lions #detroitlionspodcast #nfl #mockdraft3.0 #t.j.parker #clemsonfootball #blakemiller Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices