‘My Guys’ in the 2026 NFL Draft

How do I define ‘my guys?’ Good question – there is no rhyme or reason to it, they are just normally prospects that I am much higher on than other people. It could be an athletic trait I fall in love with, or their style of play, the scheme they play in, the way they move or a combination of any of the above. I’ll let you come up with your own definition for them, but in the meantime, here are some of ‘my guys’ in the upcoming 2026 NFL draft.

Before we get started, let me introduce myself – I’m Paul, and I've been a Lions fan for well over a decade now, after following the NFL from afar beforehand. As many of you will be able to relate to, for most of my Lions fandom, the draft was our Super Bowl, and I became absolutely obsessed with it. I spend far more time than I care to admit watching prospects throughout the year, I started putting my board together for this year’s draft after the 2025 NFL Combine! After a bit of badgering over beers and wings while watching the Rams game, Matt and the boys at Roar of the Lions have given me an outlet, and I am very grateful. However, no one is more grateful than my Wife who no longer has to listen to me drone on about player X or the depth at a position. With all that said – let's get on with it.

Kyle Louis – Linebacker – Pittsburgh

One of my favourite players in this class, in any recent class for that matter. He’s a game wrecker and a player that offences have to account for. Over the last two years, he has 179 total tackles, 10 sacks, 2 forced fumbles and 6 interceptions. He was No.65 on Bruce Feldman’s Freak List after recording a top speed of 21.34 mph, broad-jumping 10’3’’ and doing 40 chin-ups in one go.

Louis’ best trait in my eyes is his man coverage skills, he has the change-of-direction to eliminate Tight Ends and Running Backs in the passing game and with that top-end speed can run with some Wide Receivers too. He is also no slouch when playing zone coverage, he’s incredibly light on his feet and seems to be able to diagnose the route concept quickly, these attributes lead to him triggering on the ball before the receiver knows anything about it. The other way he impacts the pass game is through his blitzing which he times so well and is honestly just too quick for Offensive Lineman, it honestly looks like he teleports at times.

Now, playing the run is where he will get his most detractors. Listed at 6’1’’, 220lbs he is on the small side, even by today's standards, 10 years ago he would have been a Safety, in fact that’s where Mel Kiper has him listed. Many believe he will not be able to play the run in the NFL because he cannot take on blocks. I agree to an extent, he can’t handle the size and power of a climbing Guard or Tackle, but he is aware of this, so he doesn’t try to. Instead, he uses his superior agility to dodge and slide around the block allowing him to make plays on the ball carrier. There are obviously some pros and cons to this technique but give me a Linebacker that makes plays any day!

I think Louis would be a great fit for the Lions as Alex Anzalone’s replacement in that WILL LB role especially if Defensive Coordinator, Kelvin Sheppard is still insistent on playing three linebackers nearly all the time in 2026. I have a mid-second round grade on Kyle Louis compared to the PFF consensus board where he is No.180 overall. He will be at the Senior Bowl next week.  

Olaivavega ‘Vega’ Ioane – Guard – Penn St

I love me some trench play, OL/DL is by far my favourite positions to scout. Listed at 6’4’’, 323lbs Ioane was built in a lab to play guard in the NFL. He was named All-American and All-Big Ten first team Guard this year. I am sure a lot of you reading this have, like me already completed 148 different mock drafts and would have seen Ioane consistently get picked in the 1^st round and you’re probably asking, ‘how much higher than that can you be on him, Paul?’ Well, I currently have him graded as my No.9 overall player compared to No.22 on the consensus board.

Here's why; not only is he an ideal size to play Guard in the NFL, he also has the movement skills to do so, especially in pass protection. He has really solid base and strong anchor meaning he rarely get moved back, he also has an iron-like grip to sustain blocks. On the odd occasional that he does get moved back or his hands do get swiped away, the thing that impresses me most about his game is how quickly he can reset both his hands and his feet regain control of the D-lineman.

Although Ioane is very good in the run game as a whole, thereare occasions he reaches over his toes and overbalances, therefore slightly losing control. I think this is a very coachable flaw in his game and when he gets his run blocking right, he’s a mauler.

Ioane was occasionally put in motion, lined up in the slot then crashing in to be the lead clocker for one of the two great Running Backs Penn St had in Nick Singleton and KaytronAllen, this again shows his athleticism.

If the Lions still intend on moving Tate Ratledge to Centre or just want to upgrade on Christian Mahogany, then there is no better option in this class than Vega Ioane. He seems to meet the character standards too – there was a video of him jumping over a fence to help a struggling Penn St staff member push an equipment trolley up a slope.

Dillon Thieneman – Safety - Oregon

One thing I did not disclose in my opening to this article is that I am in fact and Oregon fan, so there was always going to be a Duck on this list. But my love of Thieneman’s game has nothing to do with homerism, I have been incredible high on ‘DT’ since his true freshman season at Purdue and I was ecstatic when he transferred to Eugene this time last year. He is No.16 on my board and No.49 on the consensus.

I genuinely don’t think there is anything this man cannot do. During his career he has played as a single high Safety, dual high Safety, box Safety, slot Cornerback, Linebacker and most recently the hybrid ‘robber’ role that the like of Kyle Hamilton, Brian Branch and Caleb Downs are known for.

At 6’1’’ and 205lbs he has good size and length to play anywhere in the secondary. His instincts and explosiveness give him the range to play single high, his superb tackling technique and physicality allows him to be a success in the box too. He’s the type of player that Quarterbacks will have to find before snapping the ball, then find again after the snap. Over his three years of college football, he notched up 302 total tackle, 13 pass break ups and 8 interceptions.

With the Lions safety room being a massive question mark going into the 2026 season with Brian Branch not expected back until late October/early November at best, and the unknown condition of Kerby Joseph’s knee, this could well be a position that General Manager Brad Holmes looks to add to, and Thieneman could play either role in this defence.

Miles Kitselman – Tight End – Tennessee

This will be a quick one – listed at 6’5’’, 255lbs Kitselman is more traditional Tight End known best for his blocking. I was particularly impressed with his hand placement and leg drive in the run game. He is also very solid in pass protection.

Although he has very limited production as a receiver (48 receptions, 554 yards & 6 touchdowns over the last 2 season, I believe there is a very good all round TE to be had on day three here. Part of his lack of production is due to the Volunteers offensive scheme, which is either a run, or a bomb 40yards downfield, very little in between.

To me, Kitselman just looks and moves like an NFL Tight End and I think his best football is ahead of him. The Lions’ lack of depth at the position showed down the stretch in 2025 and with the hiring of ne Offensive Coordinator, Drew Petzingwho likes to run a lot of 13 personnel, this is a room that we really need to add to. I am actually a lot closer to consensus on Kitselman than I thought I’d be, 134 compared to 144.

Colbie Young – Wide Receiver – Georgia

Every year I fall for a big X-type receiver. This year’s winner is Colbie Young, coming in at 6’4’’ and 215lbs this is a big boy! He had limited production this year with 26 receptions, 358 yards and only 1 touchdown but after watching the tape, I don’t understand why.

He possesses pretty good acceleration off the line, this paired with his long strides mean Cornerbacks must respect his long speed so often give him plenty of cushion. But then you see the ability to decelerate on a dime creating acres of separation on hitch routes.

The only drawback I see to his game currently is the lack of a diverse route tree, I’m sure if it was his lack of ability to run other routes, or just was he was asked to do. At Georgia he mainly ran gos, posts, corners, and hitchs, so very vertical tree. If he can add some routes across the middle of the field, then he could become a Quarterback’s best friend. I currently have him ranked No.92 overall whereas PFF must have never watched him, he is ranked 317^th there.

He's not really a player the Lions will target, having our top thee receivers in place and much, much bigger needs to address first, by the time Brad Holmes even considers a Wide Receiver in the class, Young should be long gone.