NFC North NFL Draft Preview, Part 2: What the Lions and Vikings Need Most in the 2026 NFL Draft

Detroit enters the 2026 NFL Draft trying to keep the edge it still has in the trenches and in the division hierarchy. Minnesota goes into it trying to chip away at that with a roster that has more holes than its record suggested last season.

Detroit Lions: This Draft Has To Hit on the Next Wave

Detroit goes into this draft with a roster that can still win the division.

The problem is that some of the veteran pieces that helped get them here are gone, and the Lions need to come out of this weekend with players who can keep the line strong and keep the pass rush from becoming too dependent on Aidan Hutchinson. That starts up front.

They have been tied heavily to tackles for a reason. Spencer Fano (offensive tackle, Utah), Monroe Freeling (offensive tackle, Georgia), and Kadyn Proctor (offensive tackle, Alabama) all fit the profile of players who can step in and hold up physically right away. If they miss there, the ripple effect shows up everywhere. The run game changes. Protection breaks down faster. The offense loses some of what made it hard to deal with.

Edge is not far behind. Hutchinson is going to draw the attention. That is not changing. If the other side does not win, teams will keep sliding protection his way and live with the result. Keldric Faulk (edge, Auburn) and Akheem Mesidor (edge, Miami) are the types of players who at least give Detroit a second presence that offenses have to account for.

General manager Brad Holmes has been consistent about how he handles this. He is not going to force a pick just because of a hole on the roster. If the player is not there, he will pivot. That is how they built this team in the first place.

That approach works when you have depth. It gets tested when you are counting on younger players to take over real snaps on a team trying to win now.

Minnesota Vikings: Fixing the Spots Opponents Hunt First

Minnesota has enough talent to stay competitive on a given Sunday. That part is not the issue. The issue is that too many of the spots that matter most still come with a question attached, and against the best teams, those are the spots offenses and defenses go looking for first.

Safety is the clearest example. Brian Flores asks a lot from that position. It is not just about range or tackling. It is about communication, disguise, timing and making sure the coverage structure does not crack before the ball is even snapped. Harrison Smith has held that together for a long time, but the Vikings cannot keep drafting like that; the answer is not going to sit there forever.

That is why Dillon Thieneman (safety, Oregon) keeps coming up. He can run, he can tackle, and he gives Flores the kind of flexibility that changes what the defense can show before and after the snap. Emmanuel McNeil-Warren (safety, Toledo) is a different type of player, but he offers some of the same appeal if Minnesota wants more size and movement ability on the back end.

The middle of the defensive line is another spot where the roster still feels more hopeful than settled. The Vikings have young players there, but they still need more size, more power and more ability to keep the pocket from staying too clean. When that spot loses, everything behind it gets harder. Linebackers get climbed on. The quarterback steps up. The whole defense starts playing on the wrong side of the rep.

Kayden McDonald (defensive tackle, Ohio State) makes sense for exactly that reason if he is in range, and the same goes for other interior players who can hold up physically while still offering some life as rushers.

Center does not get discussed the same way, but it matters just as much. The Vikings can patch the position for now if they have to. That is different from solving it. In this offense, the center has to communicate, move, reach and stay alive in pass protection against interior pressure.

Sam Hecht (center, Kansas State) and Logan Jones (center, Iowa) both fit because they bring intelligence and movement traits that actually match what the scheme asks for. That is the kind of pick that might not get much attention on draft night, but it can settle a position for years if they get it right.

There is also a speed element missing from the offense that shows up every time the Vikings try to create explosive runs. Since Kevin O’Connell arrived, they have not produced enough of them, and that is part of why a player like Demond Claiborne (running back, Wake Forest) is interesting later on. He gives them a chance to turn a crease into a real gain instead of a routine one.

Because the Vikings already have enough good players, the unresolved spots stand out more, especially against teams that can punish them. They have the picks to address it. Now they need those picks to turn into starters.