Open thread: What positions should the Lions avoid with their first pick?

We’ve seen the Detroit Lions and Brad Holmes go against the grain many times, but which positions should they absolutely avoid with their first pick?

Draft week has arrived, and we don’t have long until we can finally put the endless speculation behind us and get some real answers. With the Detroit Lions owning the 29th overall pick (for now), that opens up a lot of different paths they could take with their first pick. Could they trade up or down? What positions will they target if they stand pat late in the first round? Last year’s draft class taught us an important lesson that general manager Brad Holmes is not afraid to go against the grain, so your guesses are as good as anyone’s.

Today’s Question of the Day is…

What positions should the Lions avoid with their first pick?

My answer: Well, you can rule out kicker, punter, long snapper and quarterback for starters. Aside from that, I think most other positions are on the table for Detroit.

After selecting Jahmyr Gibbs in the first round of last year’s draft, I think you can pretty much rule out the Lions selecting a running back early, too. Montgomery is set to be a free agent in 2026, but they could technically find a way out of that contract early. I just don’t see why they would, with how important he was to the Lions’ offense last year. If the Lions take a RB, it’s probably going to be on Day 3.

Tight end and off-ball linebacker are the other two positions I’d avoid if I were the Lions. You can probably spot a trend here. These are the three positions the Lions addressed with their first three picks last year. Unless the Lions have Brock Bowers falling into their laps, I don’t think the value is really there, and they have a very good TE room right now. Bowers is listed as a TE but could line up all over the field, including as an “X” receiver, so he could be a tremendous help to the offense. It’s very unlikely he will be available by the time the Lions are picking, however.

The Lions are also very deep at the linebacker position right now. They typically only deploy two linebackers on the field at a time, and they have three very capable options in Alex Anzalone, Jack Campbell and Derrick Barnes. It’s more likely you see the Lions selecting a LB later in the draft, because you can never have too much depth at LB, and special teams help is always needed.

Your turn. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.