The Detroit Lions could draft a new offensive tackle during the first round in the 2026 NFL Draft. Whether or not happens, though, quarterback Jared Goff suggested he feels good about the unit that will be in front of him this fall.
That’s what Goff implied to The Detroit Free Press’s David Birkett at a youth football camp Sunday.
“They’ll be just fine,” Goff told Birkett. “I’m excited to see Penei [Sewell] step into even more of a role in that room being the longest-tenured guy now.”
Penei Sewell could step into a different role on the field as well during 2026. Lions head coach Dan Campbell expressed a desire to move Sewell from right to left tackle this offseason.
The 25-year-old has made first-team All-Pro as a right tackle each of the past three seasons.
Whether or not the Lions make that change could depend on who the team selects in the draft. Detroit owns the No. 17 overall choice in the first round.
The first round of the 2026 NFL Draft will occur on Thursday, April 23.
Lions’ Jared Goff to ‘Miss the Hell out of’ Departed Linemen
GettyDetroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff had one of the best offensive lines blocking in front of him from 2023-24.
The Lions offensive line is going through a significant transition this offseason. The team parted ways with longtime starting left tackle Taylor Decker. Along with Decker, Detroit also released veteran interior lineman Graham Glasgow.
Those departures came a year after All-Pro center Frank Ragnow retired. Goff made clear he will miss those former teammates.
“Those guys were so special of friends and teammates for me,” Goff told Birkett. “It hurts. As a guy that you love those guys, but it’s out of my control obviously, and the team has to make certain decisions, and they did.
“But with that said, I’m excited about the new guys coming in, and Cade as a free agent and Larry and Scruggs and these guys we’ve added. I’m excited. It’ll be great and good competition.”
It sounds as though the new blood along the Lions offensive line could rejuvenate the unit — perhaps even Goff.
The Lions signed center Cade Mays and offensive tackle Larry Borom in NFL free agency. They also acquired interior lineman Juice Scruggs in a trade with the Houston Texans.
Borom has predominantly played right tackle in his NFL career. The Lions could flip Sewell to left tackle and then slot Borom in on the other side.
Campbell told reporters at the NFL annual league meeting at the end of March that Sewell moving to left tackle was on the table.
“We’re ready to do that, if need be. I don’t want to say that right now I’m going to commit to that, but that’s — I mean, we’re ready to do that. … It’s a little bit like riding a bike for him. He’ll be fine,” Campbell said, via The Athletic’s Colton Pouncy. “He’ll bank some reps and be able to do it. He gives us that flexibility.
Pundits project Mays to start at center in Detroit with Scruggs offering depth from the bench.
Will Lions Target Offensive Tackle in 1st Round?
GettyDetroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff addressed the team’s offensive line ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft.
Just because Sewell moves to left tackle doesn’t mean Borom has to start. The Lions could also target a right tackle at No. 17 overall in the 2026 NFL Draft.
In theory, any tackle Detroit added in the draft could start at left tackle, with Sewell staying on the right side. First-round tackles sometimes play right away at right tackle.
But there’s more tackle prospects capable of starting immediately at right tackle, especially in the second half of the first round.
In his 2026 NFL Draft primer, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer argued the Lions will add a tackle upgrade in the first round.
“The Lions’ identity through the first half-decade of the Brad Holmes/Dan Campbell era has run right through the offensive line, and they’re finally at the point now where it’s time to reinvest following the departures over the last year of Frank Ragnow and Taylor Decker,” wrote Breer. “Campbell said at the owners’ meetings that the plan is to flip Penei Sewell to left tackle, which gives the team some flexibility.
“That would make Georgia T Monroe Freeling and Alabama T Kadyn Proctor, if they’re still on the board (and assuming Mauigoa and Fano are long gone), prime candidates and good values for where the Lions are picking.”
Borom is a serviceable starter, so the Lions don’t have to draft a tackle early. But if a prospect they like is available, he would likely offer a better long-term solution.
Selecting at tackle at No. 17 overall would probably make Goff even more excited about the team’s offensive line additions this offseason.
Jared Goff Speaks out on Lions Offensive Line Ahead of 2026 NFL Draft