Once upon a time (last season), the Lions had four first-round picks on their offensive line. Is it time to go back to the well?
Mel Kiper Jr. thinks so. In his first mock of the year, ESPN's longtime draft expert projects the Lions to draft Penn State guard Olaivavega Ioane No. 17 overall.
It would be Detroit's first time taking an offensive lineman in the first round since Brad Holmes drafted Penei Sewell seventh overall with his first pick as Lions GM. The other first-round picks on last season's line were center Frank Ragnow, who has since retired, left tackle Taylor Decker, who is pondering retirement himself, and guard Kevin Zeitler, who left as a free agent.
In Kiper's mock, the first two offensive linemen off the board were tackles Francis Mauigoa from Miami (third overall) and Spencer Fano from Utah (sixth). Ioane was the first interior offensive linemen off the board.
Ioane played mostly left guard at Penn State, where the Lions could afford to bring in some competition, some right guard and a smattering of snaps at center. As Kiper notes, the Lions "took guard Tate Ratledge in Round 2 of the 2025 draft, but there are still issues on the interior."
"The Lions were 31st in pass block win rate at 55.5%. With all their skill on offense, that has to be fixed," he says. "And while taking a guard in the first round isn't the most exciting pick, Ioane is extremely talented. Jared Goff would appreciate Ioane's ability to sustain blocks and that he hasn't given up a sack since 2023. And Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery will love the way Ioane gets to the second level and moves defenders out of rushing lanes."