Dan Campbell of the Detroit Lions.
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A report about the Detroit Lions' ideal No. 17 draft pick is out, and it shows that Dan Campbell and company mean business.
Dan Campbell and the Detroit Lions have work to do in the NFL offseason, and when the 2026 NFL draft happens from April 23 to 25, they’ll have a chance to put the final touches on their 2026-27 roster. Now, a report has surfaced that points to the Lions targeting a certain player with their No. 17 pick that makes too much sense.
The Detroit Lions have nine picks in the 2026 NFL draft, according to team research, and their first is in round one with that No. 17 selection. The team was awarded a fifth-round compensatory pick in this year’s draft, No. 181 overall. Compensatory picks are decided by a formula going off the prior year’s free agents.
So, when it comes to this year’s draft, people are paying extra attention to that first-round selection. Will the Detroit Lions go with a offensive stud or a defense kingpin for their No. 17 pick?
Detroit Lions Are Narrowing In on 1 Player in the First Round of the NFL Draft, Report States
According to a Wednesday, April 1 report from Tony Pauline of Essentially Sports, Detroit has “zeroed in on” Alabama offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor, who’s a player that would have to be selected in the first round. Pauline says that people in-the-know have given him inside information that the team is centering in on the defensive player.
“Those I’ve spoken with believe the latest Proctor ends up in the draft is the 17th pick, presently owned by the Detroit Lions,” he states in the piece. “They need a left tackle after releasing Taylor Decker, and Proctor gives them an option, along with Penei Sewell, the 2021 first-round pick who was a star at Oregon on the blind side before moving to right tackle after the Lions drafted him in 2021.”
Pauline adds, “More than anything, the Lions want to run the ball and hope to extend Jahmyr Gibbs before the season starts. They believe the combo of Sewell and Proctor would be a dominant run-blocking duo.”
Leaked Early Draft Pick Already Getting Props for Being a ‘Brute Force’ on the Field
According to research from Pro Football Focus, Proctor allowed nine pressures and one sack in the last eight games of his 2025-26 season with Alabama. In a Friday, April 3, feature for SideLion Report, Brad Berreman gives this possible draft choice a glowing review.
“Proctor may best project to right tackle at the next level, and that would not mess with the Lions’ apparent plan to move Penei Sewell to left tackle,” he states in the feature. “If they think Proctor can play left tackle, then Sewell would be able to stay at right tackle.”
He adds that with this pick, “the Lions could create quite the tackle duo with Sewell and Proctor as they look to have one of the best offensive lines in the league again.”
To say that bringing Proctor on is a strong enough move that it could actually make the Lions have one of the “best offensive lines” in the NFL again is significant. Having a strong tackle duo is perhaps just what the Detroit Lions need to become real contenders again in the NFC North and overall league.