2026 NFL Draft: 12 Lions prospects to watch in National Championship

The College Football National Championship is upon us, as the Indiana Hoosiers take on the Miami Hurricanes on Monday, January 19, 2026, at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN. As expected, both teams have plenty of talent that should intrigue NFL teams, and there are several players who should be on the Detroit Lions’ radar in this upcoming NFL Draft.

In this prospect overview, we’ll highlight a plethora of players who could be selected in the 2026 NFL Draft or priority free agents, while keeping in mind that there are still some underclassmen who have until January 23 to make their decision to jump to the NFL or return to school.

Note: Bolded prospects should be on the Lions’ radar.

Miami Hurricanes

Prospects who could be drafted in Round 1

• Rueben Bain Jr., EDGE (6-foot-2, 277, Junior)
• Francis Mauigoa, RT (6-foot-6, 325, Junior)
• Akheem Mesidor, EDGE (6-foot-2 1/2, 273, Senior)

Bain and Mauigoa could both be off the board before the Lions are even on the clock and are in contention to be the first drafted players at their respective positions. Both represent tremendous schematic fits on the Lions roster, and both should be near or at the very top of general manager Brad Holmes’ draft board.

Bain’s frame won’t match every team’s desires in a first-round edge rusher, but his production and future growth could be enough to override those parameters. For the Lions, he’d be a plug-and-play option opposite Aidan Hutchinson, due to his ability to stop the run and create havoc as a pass rusher.

Mauigoa is one of the most talented and consistent offensive tackle prospects in this draft class and has the positional range to kick inside to guard as a rookie—making him a desirable prospect regardless of whether or not Taylor Decker decides to retire.

Mesidor starts on the opposite edge from Bain, offers a similar skill set, a bit less production, but even more positional range. He’s often left out of the first round conversation because he will turn 25 just ahead of the NFL Draft, but he’s such a good stylistic fit for the Lions that they could consider him in the first round. Mesidor is already committed to attending the Senior Bowl, but with practices expected to start in about a week, it’s not clear whether he’ll participate or simply attend to use the event as an opportunity to start building relationships with NFL teams.

Day 2 (Rounds 2-3):

• Keionte Scott, DB/NB (5-foot-11, 195, Senior)
• Carson Beck, QB (6-foot-4, 220, Senior)

Scott is a nickel-only corner with the upside to play safety, the instincts to make impact plays, and the physicality to make opponents remember him. Aggressive, hits like a linebacker, closes with conviction, and is a more than capable blitzer, Scott is an exciting prospect to watch with top-50 potential.

Beck is likely going to be too rich for the Lions unless they shift their approach to their quarterback room and then trade into the third round.

Day 3 (Rounds 4-7):

• Mark Fletcher Jr., RB (6-foot-2, 225, Junior)
• CJ Daniels, WR (6-foot-1 1/2, 225, Senior)
• Keelan Marion, WR (6-foot-0, 195, Senior)
• Markel Bell, LT (6-foot-8, 345, Senior)
• Anez Cooper, RG (6-foot-6, 347, Senior) — Committed to East West Shrine Game
• James Brockermeyer, C (6-foot-3, 295, Senior)
• David Blay, DT (6-foot-3, 305, Senior) — Committed to East West Shrine Game
• Ahmad Moton DT (6-foot-3, 300, redshirt Junior)
• Mohamed Toure, LB (6-foot-2, 235, Senior)
• Wesley Bissainthe, LB (6-foot-2, 226, Senior) — Committed to East West Shrine Game
• Jakobe Thomas, SAF (6-foot-1, 200, Senior) — Committed to Senior Bowl
• Zachariah Poyer, SAF (6-foot-1, 200, redshirt Sophomore)

My favorite potential Day 3 prospect is Fletcher, a bruising downhill runner with experience in multiple blocking schemes and productive both on the ground and in the passing game. Unfortunately, there are rumors that he may return to school.

While you’re watching Scott, keep an eye on the Hurricanes’ safety duo of Thomas and Poyer. Thomas is a downhill bruiser who can play deep in two-safety shells and as a robber, and would adapt to the Lions’ split-safety scheme quickly. Poyer has the positional range to play both safety spots and in the slot, but is still just a redshirt sophomore and could return to school.

Indiana Hoosiers

Round 1:

• Fernando Mendoza, QB (6-foot-5, 225, Redshirt Junior)

If you’ve had a chance to watch Indiana during the playoffs, you’ve been fortunate to see Mendoza separate himself from the rest of the quarterback prospects and confidently display what the No. 1 overall pick in this draft class looks like. Congratulations, Raiders.

Day 2:

• Carter Smith, LT (6-foot-5, 313, redshirt Junior)
• D’Angelo Ponds, CB/NB, Indiana (5-foot-9, 173, Junior)
• Omar Cooper Jr., WR (6-foot-0, 200, redshirt Junior)
• Elijah Sarratt, WR (6-foot02, 206, Senior) — Committed to the Senior Bowl

Smith is an ascending prospect with the toughness and technique to compete for a starting role early in his career. While he may need a minute to adjust to NFL speed off the edge, his long-term potential could end up making him a value pick in Round 2.

Ponds has a lot of Amik Robertson-like fire to his game and plays much bigger than his size. While he has plenty of outside corner experience, he has the speed/quickness and fearless physicality to start at nickel as a rookie. A true “football player,” Ponds should be a top-100 lock, but could he reach the top-50 at his size/frame? I’m not ruling it out.

With both Cooper and Sarratt holding Day 2 projections and the Lions’ investment at wide receiver, it seems unlikely either would end up in Detroit.

Day 3:

• Roman Hemby, RB (6-foot-0, 210, Senior) — Committed to East West Shrine Game
• Kaelon Black, RB (5-foot-10, 211, Senior)
• Riley Nowakowski, FB/H-B/TE (6-foot-1, 249, Senior) — Committed to East West Shrine Game
• Pat Coogan, C (6-foot-5, 310, Senior) — Committed to East West Shrine Game
• Tyrique Tucker, DT (6foot-0, 302, redshirt Junior)
• Mikail Kamara, EDGE (6-foot-1, 260, Senior)
• Aiden Fisher, MIKE (6-foot-1, 232, Senior)
• Louis Moore, SAF (5-foot-11, 200, Senior) — Committed to East West Shrine Game

Coogan is a fun prospect, and with the Lions in the market for depth at center, he should be on the their radar. He has a bully mentality in the run game, but his athletic testing will go a long way in determining if he can live in a Lions system that leans on athletic offensive linemen to operate their scheme.

Fisher is a highly intelligent and instinctual MIKE linebacker who consistently puts himself in the right position against the run, while also having the speed to get ahead of reach blocks. Like Malcolm Rodriguez, he’s going to get dinged for his size, but he could also fill a similar role as the Lions’ free agent Cowboy.

Like with the Hurricanes’ safeties, Moore is a good fit for the Lions’ split-zone scheme, though he is probably better suited for the free safety role due to his ball skills and range.