This is the danger zone of the draft.
Picks 17 through 20 typically belong to teams that hovered around the playoff picture — competitive enough to matter, flawed enough to be exposed. And in 2026, that description fits this group perfectly.
The Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings, Carolina Panthers, and Green Bay Packers (whose selection now belongs to the Dallas Cowboys following the Micah Parsons trade) all enter draft weekend with real expectations — but also very real roster pressure points.
These aren’t teardown teams. They’re close.
But “close” in the NFL can mean very different things. For some, it’s about fixing a defense that couldn’t get off the field in January. For others, it’s about offensive consistency, depth in the trenches, or long-term answers at premium positions.
This range is often where teams must decide: double down on a strength or patch a weakness?
With veteran contracts maturing, cap flexibility tightening, and playoff windows narrowing, these selections carry more urgency than rebuilding picks at the top of the board. Miss here, and you stay stuck in the middle. Hit, and you’re hosting a playoff game next January.
In this batch, we break down:
- The biggest roster holes for each franchise
- Contract situations and future cap implications
- Which positions should be prioritized for veterans and rookies
- Potential fantasy football implications
These teams are close enough to contend — but not complete enough to coast.
Up next: the Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings, Carolina Panthers, and the Dallas Cowboys (via Green Bay’s selection).
Salary cap contract information provided by Spotrac.
- Fantasy Football Research & Advice
- Fantasy Football Expert Rankings
- 2026 NFL Mock Drafts
- Fantasy Football Trade Tools
- NFL Team Needs: Raiders, Jets, Cardinals, Titans (2026)
- NFL Team Needs: Giants, Browns, Commanders, Saints (2026)
- NFL Team Needs: Chiefs, Bengals, Dolphins, Cowboys (2026)
- NFL Team Needs: Falcons, Ravens, Buccaneers, Colts (2026)
- NFL Team Needs: Lions, Vikings, Panthers, Packers (2026)
- NFL Team Needs: Steelers, Chargers, Eagles, Jaguars (2026)
Pick 17: Detroit Lions
Team Needs: OT, EDGE, LB, DT, CB, RB
2026 Free Agent Key Losses:
RB David Montgomery, LB Alex Anzalone, EDGE Al-Quadin Muhammad, CB Amik Robertson, DT Roy Lopez, OT Taylor Decker
2026 Free Agents:
- QB: Kyle Allen
- WR: Kalif Raymond
- TE: Anthony Firkser, Shane Zylstra
- OL: C Graham Glasgow, G Kayode Awosika, G Trystan Colon-Castillo, RT Jamarco Jones
- EDGE: Marcus Davenport, Josh Paschal, Tyrus Wheat (RFA)
- DL: D.J. Reader
- LB: Grant Stuard, Zach Cunningham, Ezekiel Turner, Trevor Nowaske (RFA)
- CB: Avonte Maddox, Jalen Mills, Arthur Maulet, Dicaprio Bootle
- S: Daniel Thomas
2027 Free Agents:
- RB: Jahmyr Gibbs (CLUB), Isiah Pacheco, Jacob Saylors (ERFA), Jabari Small (ERFA)
- WR: Malik Cunningham (ERFA), Jackson Meeks (ERFA), Greg Dortch, Tom Kennedy (RFA)
- TE: Brock Wright, Sam LaPorta, Zach Horton (ERFA), Thomas Gordon (ERFA)
- OL: RT Larry Borom, RT Colby Sorsdal, RT Devin Cochran (ERFA), OT Mason Miller (ERFA), C Seth McLaughlin (ERFA), OG Juice Scruggs
- EDGE: Ahmed Hassanein (ERFA)
- DL: Tyler Lacy, Chris Smith (RFA), Levi Onwuzurike,
- LB: Jack Campbell (CLUB), Malcolm Rodriguez, Damone Clark
- CB: Khalil Dorsey, Nick Whiteside (ERFA), Rock Ya-Sin, Roger McCreary
- S: Brian Branch, Loren Strickland (RFA), Thomas Harper (RFA), Christian Izien
- ST: Jack Fox, Hogan Hatten (RFA), Jake Bates
Center Frank Ragnow’s retirement before the start of last season caused a ripple effect that negatively impacted the blocking upfront. The Lions were in such a bad spot that they tried to get him to come back out of retirement, but he suffered a hamstring injury that eliminated any chance of return.
OT Taylor Decker dealt with injuries as the season progressed (also mulling retirement). He was already released.
34-year-old IOL Graham Glasgow is a potential cut candidate in the final year of his deal (also released). Guard Christian Mahogany also got hurt in 2025. Dan Skipper retired (joined the team as an OL coach).
Detroit got ahead of the free agency center craze by signing Cade Mays. OT Larry Borom also signed with the Lions as OT3 (one-year deal).
RB David Montgomery also remains a potential salary cap cut candidate. Holmes was non-committal on his return to the team in 2026, as they look to get on the positive side of the salary cap. We got a report that said Monty wanted “out” on March 1st, but the Lions RB disputed the claim.
But Monty was probably just keeping things close to the vest…as he was subsequently dealt to the Houston Texans for a fourth-round pick, a seventh-round pick and OL Juice Scruggs.
Drew Petzing is stepping in as the Lions new offensive coordinator after serving in that role for the last three seasons in Arizona. Petzing’s addition is a clear nod to getting back an effective rushing attack that wasn’t as effective in 2025 for Detroit.
Jahmyr Gibbs will remain the focal point, but another RB filling Monty’s void is a real possibility if the team moves on. James Conner and Jerome Ford could be some cheaper replacement options for ‘Knuckles.’ The Lions could also select a bigger back in this year’s draft.
Interestingly, they went with a different route…signing former Chiefs RB, Isiah Pacheco. The 5-foot-10 and 216-pound RB doesn’t exactly profile as a carbon copy of Monty. Injuries have hurt Pacheco’s production over the last few years. He suffered a fractured fibula in Week 2 and was placed on IR on September 18, 2024. MCL sprain last year. The 26-year-old is under four yards per carry in back-to-back seasons. He’s not super used as a receiver nor used at the goal line.
- 2025: 3rd-worst elusive rating
- 2024: Worst elusive rating.
So Gibbs 1.01? Now that he has a clear path to red-zone touches. I think there’s a legitimate case to be made if it’s only Pacheco and a bigger rookie RB vying for touches in the Lions’ backfield. Pacheco just seems like nothing more than a handcuff to Gibbs, unless he proves he past the injuries. It’s also just a one-year deal.
I did note that last season, it did look like Pacheco was starting to turn the corner…before he got banged up again.
Weeks 6-8 (including Week 6 versus the Lions), Pacheco averaged 4.3 YPC. Per Next Gen Stats, he hit a season-high four explosive runs of 15 MPH. Against? The Lions. Clearly, Pacheco’s Week 6 performance versus Detroit’s defense had some influence on this signing. I think I’d need some positive reports about Pacheco’s return from injury before taking stabs on him in early best ball drafts.
Defensively, the team has been gutted by injuries in the last two seasons. More CB depth is a must with Amik Robertson/Arthur Malet/Rock Ya-Sin potentially gone as free agents. Rock Ya-Sin will return on a one-year deal.
But it’s possible they still want to upgrade this position with guys like Terrion Arnold and Ennis Rakestraw plagued by injuries. Roger McCreary is limited as a slot cornerback.
Another pass rusher opposite Aidan Hutchinson is also a big need. If they don’t draft a tackle in Round 1, I presume it’s because they have an EDGE rusher ranked very highly on their draft board.
Al-Quadin Muhammad‘s 12 sacks are hitting the open market (signed with Tampa Bay). Another DT also makes some sense with three guys from last year all hitting FA (Lopez, Reader). They signed D.J. Wonnum to a one-year deal. Levi Onwuzurike signed a 1 year, $1.25M contract extension.
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