For the second time in this year's draft, Brad Holmes and the Lions have moved up the board. This time for a wide receiver: Kentucky's Kendrick Law.
The Lions selected Law in the fifth round on Saturday, No. 168 overall, after trading up 13 spots by sending picks Nos. 181 and 213 to the Bills.
Law is a smaller, quicker receiver who operated mostly out of the slot in his lone season at Kentucky after transferring from Alabama. He caught 53 passes for 540 yards and three touchdowns last year, with most of his receptions coming near the line of scrimmage and almost all of his yards coming after the catch. He shows home run speed with the ball in his hands.
there's a dozen of these types of WRs in this class
Branch, Burks, etc.
but Kentucky's Kendrick Law can really scoot and is a tough tackle. Wouldn't be surprised if he outperforms a few of the names ranked above him pic.twitter.com/32cRUpl2bV
— Josh Norris (@JoshNorris) April 2, 2026
"I know I can stretch the field and I feel like that's something that the Lions will every day get to see from me. ‘Hey, this guy is not only just a medium-type guy, package-type weapon, but he's also a vertical threat. We can use him down the field, we can use him intermediate or we can use him in range.’ That's what kind of guy I feel like I am," said Law.
On special teams, the 5'11 Law returned kicks and played frequently as a gunner. Given his profile, he figures to compete for a spot on Detroit's roster with Dominic Lovett, a seventh-round pick last year. Law's Relative Athletic Score highlights elite explosiveness.
The Lions' No. 4 receiver and top return man is slated to be free agent acquisition Greg Dortch, who signed a one-year deal with Detroit this offseason. Down the line, that job could go to Law or Lovett, a competition that figures to heat up in camp this summer.
