The first former Michigan football player is off the board in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Derrick Moore, a senior captain for the Wolverines, was selected by the Detroit Lions on Day 2 with the No. 44 pick in the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft. The Lions sent pick Nos. 50 and 128 (a fourth-rounder) to the New York Jets for the pick. Moore, a 6-foot-4, 255-pound edge rusher was one of the most effective Wolverines in 2025, recording 30 tackles (including 10½ for loss) and 10 sacks to go with three pass breakups, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.
That included a three-game stretch in the middle of the season – against Washington, Michigan State and Purdue – in which he had two sacks in each game.
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“He one of the hardest working guys in the building,” fellow defensive lineman Tré Williams said of Moore last fall. "One of the best leaders I’ve ever been around, and somebody who, from what I’ve known, has really grown up into that role. He might not have always been that, but for the nine, ten months I’ve been here, he’s been the epitome of a Michigan man.”
The Baltimore native broke onto the scene in Michigan's 2023 College Football Playoff season, when he appeared in all 15 games at edge rusher and also contributed on special teams and made 34 tackles (with six for loss) plus five sacks, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery (returned for a touchdown), four quarterback hurries and two pass breakups.
Moore is the sixth former U-M defensive lineman taken in the past three NFL drafts.
The Wolverines produced a pair of first rounders in Mason Graham (Cleveland Browns) and Kenneth Grant (Miami Dolphins) in 2025 along with third-rounder Josaiah Stewart (L.A. Rams). The year prior, Kris Jenkins (Cincinnati Bengals) was selected in the second round while Jaylen Harrell (Tennessee Titans) went in the seventh round.
Tony Garcia is the Michigan beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at apgarcia@freepress.com and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan football LB Derrick Moore drafted by Detroit Lions