As the Detroit Lions wrap up their preseason Saturday, college football is back on the calendar - and so is the work of the team’s scouting department.
Week 0 won’t offer the full buffet that arrives once the season gets rolling, but there are still a few prospects worth putting on the board early. Last year, this same kind of look ahead pointed Lions fans toward Keith Abney and Jimmy Rolder more than six months before the NFL Draft.
This time around, one of the biggest names to circle is Florida State receiver Hykeem Williams. He’s part of a draft class with plenty of headline wideouts, including Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith, Rutgers’ KJ Duff and Alabama’s Ryan Coleman-Williams, but Williams has the kind of size and upside that can push him into value territory for Detroit.
At 6-foot-6 and 230 pounds, with a background in swimming and baseball, Williams brings a rare frame to the position. He put up seven touchdowns on 39 catches over two seasons at USC before moving to Florida State, where he broke out for 1,000 yards and six more scores.
His season begins against New Mexico State, and the 7 p.m. EST kickoff should give viewers a chance to see him before the game gets out of hand.
On the defensive side, TCU tackle Markis Deal-Din-Mbuh is one of the top interior linemen taking the field Saturday. He’s trying to get back to the form he showed in 2024 at Washington State, when he posted six sacks. After returning to his home state in 2025, he finished with two sacks, though the film still suggests more than the numbers show, which is often the case for interior defensive linemen.
The preseason accolades have already followed. Din-Mbuh was named first team All-Big 12 and landed on multiple award watchlists.
At 6-foot-3 and 300 pounds, he fits the mold of a traditional rush defensive tackle more than a pure run plugger, and his pass-rush production backs that up. TCU opens at noon EST in Dublin against Bill Belichek’s North Carolina team.
That matchup also puts UNC tight end Jelani Thurman on the radar. Thurman spent multiple years at Ohio State and caught seven passes in 2025, but his calling card has been blocking - the kind of trait Detroit would value. He transferred to North Carolina for 2026 to help his pro outlook, and he has two years of eligibility left, though a strong season could change that.
Thurman checks the size box at 6-foot-6, 250 pounds. With the recent injury to Sam LaPorta, tight end may become a need sooner rather than later for Motown, and Thurman gives the Lions another name to study in a more advanced role. He’s also been compared to Caden Prieskorn, the Ole Miss tight end Detroit signed after he went undrafted in 2025.
Another player to keep tabs on is USC defensive tackle Jaden VanSumeren, a familiar name for Lions fans after his years at Michigan State. The Bay City native drew praise for his leadership at Big Ten Media Days, something that stood out to head coach Lincoln Riley, and he enters 2026 with a chance to build on his reputation as a disruptive run defender.
VanSumeren said during Media Days that he had thought about testing the draft waters and talked it over with his brother, Philadelphia Eagles fullback Ben VanSumeren, before deciding another year in college would help his stock. With a more talented defense around him at USC, he has a cleaner path to improving that draft outlook when the Trojans open against San Jose State.
For a Group of Six name, Memphis edge rusher J’Mond Tapp is the one to know. He erupted last season with 7.5 sacks and 62 total pressures at Southern Miss before following coach Charles Huff to Memphis. His 91.1 pass-rush grade ranks among the best of all returning players in college football, sitting in the same neighborhood as first-round pick Reuben Bain Jr. and Lions second-round selection Derrick Moore, who graded at 92.4.
Tapp has the burst and acceleration that jump off the screen, and he also held up well against the run, finishing 2025 with 41 stops, per PFF. There are still questions because of his limited proven production at Texas and Arizona State, where he logged only 126 snaps and seven total pressures.
Even so, he looks like the most complete EDGE player in the Group of Six this season, and his year begins with a 10 p.m. EST trip to UNLV.
In Other News...
Former Lions CBs NFL Future Is Now Hanging On A Serious Case
The Seahawks have taken a chance on Terrion Arnold, the former Lions cornerback who was released by Detroit after kidnapping and armed robbery charges surfaced. Seattle signed him officially this week, but the move comes with an obvious catch: Arnold will be placed on the NFL commissioners exempt list, so he can remain around the team in meetings and collect pay, even though he cannot practice or play.
Arnolds football future is now tied directly to what happens away from the field, with his legal case still moving through the courts. A scheduled appearance on October 5 looms as the next key date, and until then the Seahawks are left navigating a roster decision that carries far more uncertainty than usual. [Read more 🡒]
Lions Suddenly Have A Linebacker Opening Joe Bachie Can Seize
Damone Clarks season-ending injury during training camp left the Lions with a sudden opening at linebacker, and Joe Bachie has quickly moved into the conversation as a possible answer. Detroit values experience and flexibility in that spot, and Bachie brings both, which is why his name has surfaced so quickly as the team looks for a way to steady the group before the games start to matter.
Dan Campbell has already made clear he likes what Bachie can do and the role he can fill, which only adds to the sense that this is a real opportunity rather than a camp afterthought. The next step is simple but important: Detroit will keep evaluating his preseason reps to see whether he can turn that trust into the kind of fit the Lions need with Clark out. [Read more 🡒]
Josh Dobbs Just Changed The Lions Backup QB Conversation
Josh Dobbs gave the Lions something to think about in the preseason finale, turning in a sharp outing when roster battles were on the line and the depth chart was still being sorted out. He completed 15 of 19 passes for 128 yards and two touchdowns, the kind of efficient work that can steady a backup quarterback conversation and make a team feel better about its insurance behind Jared Goff.
Luke Altmyer also got on the field, but his day was harder to argue for after turnovers complicated his case. The same game offered a promising push from running back Jacob Saylors, who rushed for 100 yards and helped himself in the fight for a roster spot, leaving the Lions with a few encouraging performances and a few decisions still hanging in the balance. [Read more 🡒]