Detroit Lions Medical Mock Draft: High-risk edition 1.0
Like to gamble? Here are high-risk, high-reward selections.
The Lions have become all too familiar with injuries the past couple seasons. If those injuries have not ruined your outlook on life, then you are likely an eternal optimist who will love this high-risk mock draft.
The following players are chosen from my NFL Draft Medical Report page, and have a moderate to high medical concern level. Those concerns will cause them to slip in the draft. That means a team willing to take on the health risk can get them much later in the draft than otherwise. If the gambles pay off, it could result in a Super Bowl. If the gambles go bust, then the next draft may be picked by a new GM.
Click on each player name for their full medical report. Age in parentheses is at start of the 2026 season. Included is the medical concern level from 0 (no concern) to 10 (major concerns).
ROUND 1: Akheem Mesidor, EDGE (25) - 5/10
Foot surgery, elbow, age
Mesidor’s age is a double-edged sword. It might mean he is ready-to-roll right out of the gate, but it also means he has a lot of mileage with a shorter career ahead of him. The Lions decide to resurrect the ghost of Ziggy Ansah with their 1st round pick.
ROUND 2: Gennings Dunker, OG (23) - 7/10
Sesamoid surgery, ankle surgery, shoulder surgery, knee
The Lions become enamored with Dunker’s gorgeous, flowing, orange mullet, and ignore the OR visits for his toe, ankle, and shoulder.
ROUND 3: Caleb Banks, DT (23) - 10/10
3 recent foot surgeries
Possibly the most concerning medical history in the draft falls to the Lions in Round 3, which is also the number of reported foot surgeries that Banks has had in the past 1.5 years.
ROUND 4: Isaiah World, OT (22-23?) - 6/10
ACL January 2026
Buoyed off their success with Jameson Williams’ ACL, the Lions redshirt World for 2026 with the plans of having him start at OT in 2027. They cross their fingers that Jared Goff is still alive then.
ROUND 5: Oscar Delp, TE (23) - 7/10
Active hairline fracture in foot found at combine
The Lions have already drafted three foot problems earlier, so they go for the quadfecta here with Delp. They then immediately place their foot surgeon on permanent call.
ROUND 6: Lorenzo Styles, S (24) - 7/10
Shoulder surgery plus recurrent shoulder issues, age
The Lions are undeterred by recent shoulder surgeries to Terrion Arnold and Ennis Rakestraw, and add another shoulder concern to the secondary.
ROUND 7: Noah Whittington, RB (24) - 7/10
Turf toe, ACL, age
Whittington is still trying to recover from his toe injury. Familiarity breeds comfort for the Lions who are no stranger to chronic toe problems with the recent losses of Frank Ragnow and Taylor Decker.
If the high-risk mock has caused heart palpitations, retreat back to safety with the low-risk edition…