The Detroit Lions may have come much closer to making a blockbuster Day 2 draft trade than anyone realized.
A newly released behind-the-scenes draft video from the New York Giants appears to show Detroit aggressively attempting to trade up early in the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
And if the deal had gone through, the Lions’ draft class could have looked dramatically different.
Giants video accidentally reveals Lions offer
As noted by Jeremy Reisman of Pride of Detroit, the moment came during the Giants’ internal draft room footage released Monday.
As New York prepared to go on the clock with the No. 37 overall pick, general manager Joe Schoen was shown fielding multiple calls about potential trade-down scenarios.
During one conversation, Schoen appeared to reference a package involving Picks 118, 128, and 157.
Those picks just happened to belong to the Lions.
- Round 4, Pick 118
- Round 4, Pick 128
- Round 5, Pick 157
Assuming Detroit also included its No. 50 overall selection in the offer, the Lions were potentially willing to give up four picks to jump 13 spots in Round 2.
That would have been a far more aggressive move than the trade Detroit ultimately made later that night.
Derrick Moore may have been the target all along
The Lions eventually traded up from No. 50 to No. 44 to select Michigan edge rusher Derrick Moore, surrendering only Pick 128 to make the move.
But this latest revelation strongly suggests Brad Holmes may have originally been targeting Moore much earlier in the round.
After the draft, Holmes made it clear how highly Detroit viewed the Michigan pass rusher.
“I will say he was part of that cluster of guys that we were targeting today,” Holmes explained. “He was already at top of mind going up.”
Holmes added:
“Derrick might have been our No. 3 or No. 4 edge rusher, whatever it is, but today, he was our No. 1 for what was available.”
That statement now carries even more weight.
Lions may have avoided costly mistake
Interestingly enough, the Giants ultimately declined Detroit’s apparent offer because Tennessee cornerback Colton Hood remained available at No. 37.
That decision may have quietly worked out perfectly for the Lions.
By staying patient and waiting seven more picks, Detroit still landed Moore while keeping two valuable draft selections that later became linebacker Jimmy Rolder and cornerback Keith Abney.
Both players are already viewed as potential value picks within Detroit’s draft class.
Had New York accepted the trade, neither player would currently be on the Lions roster.
Brad Holmes continues aggressive draft philosophy
One thing this latest revelation confirms is that Brad Holmes remains one of the NFL’s most aggressive draft-day general managers.
The Lions have consistently shown a willingness to move around the board when they identify players they truly believe in.
Sometimes that means moving up.
Sometimes it means waiting things out.
This time, patience appears to have saved Detroit valuable draft capital without costing them their target.
And thanks to one behind-the-scenes Giants video, Lions fans now know just how close things came to unfolding very differently.
Leave a Comment