I did medical reports on 120 prospects during the pre-draft process which you can find in my archive here on Lions Wire. There were many players who had moderate-to-high medical concerns that could have led to a slip in the draft. The Lions stayed on the safe side with all their draft selections, but other teams were willing to take on higher risk for the potential of higher rewards.
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Let's review the outcome of some of those higher-risk prospects with an excerpt from my 2026 NFL Draft Medical Red-Flag Results:
Jermod McCoy,CB: 10/10 concern - 4th round, #101 overall to Raiders
- The biggest fall of the draft was McCoy, who was a concern throughout the pre-draft process due to a knee that has already undergone a cartilage patching procedure. Both his short and long-term abilities are uncertain.
Caleb Banks,DT: 10/10 concern - 1st round, #18 overall to Vikings
- Banks surprisingly went higher than expected despite his multiple recent foot surgeries. As written in my NFC North Draft Roundup, the Vikings interim-GM may be willing to roll the dice for a short-term jackpot.
Francis Mauigoa,OT: 9/10 concern - 1st round, #10 overall to Giants
- Mauigoa went in the early 1st despite a spinal disc issue. He was the second OT taken behind the medically-clean Spencer Fano. It will be interesting to see if he ends up needing a disc surgery at some point.
Ahmaad Moses, S: 9/10 concern - Undrafted, unsigned
- A post-combine spinal fusion has Moses still unsigned after the draft. Once he recovers from the surgery (likely later this year), he may get a tryout if he chooses to continue his career.
Devin Moore, CB: 8/10 concern - 4th round, #114 overall to Cowboys
- Projected to go in the mid-rounds, Moore’s history of groin surgery, shoulder surgery, concussion, and back injuries didn’t scare off the Cowboys. The Lions had a suspected Top-30 with Moore probably to evaluate all those issues.
Mikail Kamara, EDGE: 8/10 concern - Undrafted, signed with 49ers
- Bilateral shoulder surgeries, among many other injuries, may have caused Kamara to slide out of the draft.
Jalen Hunt, DT: 8/10 concern - Undrafted, signed with Jaguars
- Age, knee, foot, and many other issues were of a significant concern for Hunt. The Lions had a Top-30 with him and may not have cleared him medically - instead drafting two lower-concern DT’s (Skyler Gill-Howard, Tyre West) in the late rounds.
Jalen Catalon, S: 8/10 concern - Retired from football
- Catalon retired pre-draft likely related to multiple major injuries including shoulder surgeries, knee meniscus, and ACL.
Caleb Downs,S: 7/10 concern - 1st round, #11 overall to Cowboys
- Downs had a potential knee concern that didn’t bother the Cowboys, who took a couple big risks in the draft. Jerry Jones earned his wealth taking big risks, and his draft philosophy seems consistent with his business philosophy.
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This article originally appeared on Lions Wire: NFL Draft 2026 Recap: Red Flag Prospect Outcomes