8. T Blake Miller, Clemson

The nice thing about having a versatile All-Pro player like Penei Sewell is his ability to play both right and left tackle, which gives the Lions a lot of flexibility. Miller played a ton of right tackle with 54 college starts under his belt. He started every game Clemson played in his entire four-year career. Miller is athletic and moves well in space. The fact that he was a high school wrestler shows up in his game. He broke the Clemson record for career snaps from scrimmage, playing 3,778 offensive snaps over 54 career games (all starts) from 2022-25.

9. TE Kenyon Sadiq, Oregon

If Sadiq is still on the board at No. 17, there’s a good chance he’s high on a lot of draft boards. The thought of a player with Sadiq’s explosiveness and 4.39 speed at 6-foot-3, 241 pounds in a 12 personnel package alongside Sam LaPorta, Jahmyr Gibbs, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams is scary to think about. Sadiq will be a matchup nightmare for defenses because of his size and speed combo.

10. DT Kayden McDonald, Ohio State

Holmes could double up on interior defensive tackle talent with back-to-back first-round picks if McDonald is the best player on the board. There’s no such thing as having too many good defensive linemen, as the last two Super Bowl Champions Seattle and Philadelphia can attest to. McDonald emerged as an All-American in his first year as a starter for the Buckeyes and is considered the top interior defender in this class. He had 84 combined tackles the last two seasons in Columbus, and the Buckeyes allowed 3.0 yards per carry or fewer in both seasons with McDonald front and center on defense as a key reserve in 2024 and a starter in 2025.

Wild Card pick: LB Jacob Rodriguez, Texas Tech

Most draft analysts give Rodriguez a late first or second-round grade. That was the same case for Jack Campbell coming out of Iowa in 2023. The Lions liked Campbell and took him at No. 18 and received some criticism at the time. He’s since become one of the top linebackers in the game, earning All-Pro honors in 2025. Rodriguez is the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and had elite production on way to also winning the Bronko Nagurski Trophy (nation’s top defender), Lombardi Award (nation’s top lineman/linebacker), Bednarik Award (nation’s top defender) and Butkus Award (nation’s top LB). He recorded 128 tackles, 11.0 tackles for loss, six passes defended, four interceptions and seven forced fumbles last season. He could step right in and compete for the open WILL spot.