17. Detroit Lions: Mansoor Delane, CB, LSU
It's going to take more than just one player to come in and get this Detroit Lions team back in contention in the NFC North for the 2026 season, but they are still not far off. Not with that offense.
The Lions need to make absolutely sure they cover their bases in the 2026 offseason, and it starts with Dan Campbell making the right hire for offensive coordinator. Beyond that, the Lions need to upgrade their personnel defensively, which ranked 22nd in the NFL in points allowed this season and gave up 31 passing touchdowns.
18. Minnesota Vikings: Avieon Terrell, CB, Clemson
The Minnesota Vikings have a lot of areas of this roster they could look to address early in the 2026 NFL Draft. The quarterback position isn't going to be one of them, as JJ McCarthy will get another shot, but the running back position has to be considered on the table here as well as pretty much every level of the defense.
Going into the 2025 season, the cornerback position was a major area of concern (on paper) for the Vikings, and Brian Flores was able to mask that in a variety of different ways. Now, however, with the contract of Flores expiring and the potential of a major change in that spot, the Vikings could look to upgrade here and get more playmakers on the back end of that defense.
With Harrison Smith seemingly playing his last game as a Viking as well, you'd have to put the safety position in the mix here as well. The Vikings would have lose Cam Bynum and Harrison Smith in consecutive offseasons. Secondary help is almost a guarantee.