The Lions exercised the fifth-year option on Jameson Williams, which is for the 2026 season. Leading up to the draft, SI's Albert Breer wrote that "some in NFL circles believing [Williams] could be traded." Antonio Williams led Clemson in receiving across the board (75/904/11) in 2024, added 7/101/1 rushing and became the fourth Clemson player since 2000 to throw, catch and run for a touchdown in the same season. Much of his sophomore season was wiped out by injury, but he also led Clemson in receiving yards as a true freshman in 2022 as well.

The younger brother of D.J. Uiagalelei has been impactful since arriving in Eugene. The 6-foot-5, 270-pound pass rusher recorded 10.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and even one interception last season alone. Jordan Burch, Jamaree Caldwell and Derrick Harmon are gone from that Ducks defensive line. The future lies in the hands of talented prospects like defensive tackle Bear Alexander and Uiagalelei.

The Lions surprisingly did not draft an edge rusher until the sixth round this year (Ahmed Hassanein). Aidan Hutchinson played only five games last season (broken leg), but he was still the only Lions player with more than four sacks. Howell -- who could be a big riser in this class -- can help. He spent much of 2024 behind Shemar Stewart and Nic Scourton but starred in the Las Vegas Bowl, finishing with a sack and an interception.

Best Pick: I love second-round guard Tate Ratledge. He will compete to start at right guard right away. He's a nasty player, who fits their offense perfectly.

Worst Pick: I think taking defensive tackle Tyleik Williams in the first round was a bit high. He plays a lot like Alim McNeil, who they have on their roster. There were better options in my book.

The Skinny: This isn't a draft that I loved, which is a departure from their recent drafts. Williams is a good player, but was that really a need? Why not an edge? Third-round receiver Isaac TeSlaa is a project who didn't do a lot in college and they traded up to get him. Fifth-round guard Miles Frazier has starting experience.

Top needs entering the draft: Edge rusher, guard and linebacker

I had the Lions taking an edge rusher in Round 1 in all four of those mock drafts I mentioned. Twice it was James Pearce Jr., then it was Oluwafemi Oladejo, and finally it was Donovan Ezeiruaku. Part of that is because of the value -- there are really solid pass rushers to be had late in Round 1, where Detroit was poised to make its first pick. Part of that is because it's a severe need for this roster. Aidan Hutchinson led the Lions in sacks last season, racking up 7.5, doing so in just five games. When he broke his leg in mid-October, the pass rush struggled the rest of the season; no other player had more than Za'Darius Smith's four sacks.

Oladejo and Ezeiruaku were both on the board at No. 28, as was Mike Green. Yet, Detroit looked elsewhere, taking defensive tackle Tyleik Williams. He can fire into the backfield as a run stopper, but he lacks pass-rush juice (2.5 sacks in 2024). I had him ranked 44th overall and sixth among DTs in the class, though we watched four interior D-linemen get taken before the Lions' first-round pick. I'm not worried about the value. I'm more concerned with the missed chance to find Hutchinson a running mate on the edge.

The edge rusher didn't come on Day 2, either. The Lions tackled a need, though. They traded up from No. 60 to No. 57 to take guard Tate Ratledge. He's going to fit nicely in Detroit and push to start at right guard (Christian Mahogany and Kayode Awosika are the main competition). The trade up cost the Lions their fourth-round pick, but they had a hole. Miles Frazier -- their fifth-rounder -- will also provide depth. He is a top-10 guard and just missed my top 100 overall.

The lone edge rusher selected by Detroit was Ahmed Hassanein in Round 6. He's productive, with 22 sacks, 97 pressures and 33.5 tackles for loss over the past two seasons. He's just touching the surface of what he can be. It's just not the splash I was expecting.

Detroit's most questionable move, though, was trading up from No. 102 to No. 70 to take receiver Isaac TeSlaa. Good player, but he was ranked No. 149 overall on my board. I count 12 receivers ranked above him who were still available -- and nine of them still would have been there at the Lions' original slot. To make the aggressive move up the board, Detroit forked over two 2026 third-rounders.