The Lions Grab Upside WR Kendrick Law

By Shane Hallam | Updated on Sat, Apr 25 2026 7:19 PM UTC

The Detroit Lions selected Kentucky WR Kendrick Law in Round 5 of the 2026 NFL Draft. A top recruit out of high school, Law opened his college career at Alabama. He managed only 33 catches over three seasons there, even as the Crimson Tide went through a relatively underwhelming stretch at WR. A transfer to Kentucky this past year brought career highs across the board: 53 catches, 540 yards, and 3 TDs. The catches and yards led the team, although his 21.1% dominator rating ranked just 31st among 49 WRs at the Combine. Law was a short-range maven for the Wildcats, registering a 3.4-yard average target depth. 36 of his 53 catches (68%) came behind the line of scrimmage. Law was excellent with the ball in his hands, though, forcing 14 missed tackles and averaging 9.5 yards after catch per reception. That latter mark ranked fourth among 270 FBS WRs with 50+ targets last year. Law helped his case at the Combine, earning a 9.60 Relative Athletic Score at 5’11 and 203 pounds. His game needs a lot of refinement, but the athleticism and open-field ability gives Law a chance to develop into a starting slot receiver in the NFL.

What They're Saying

Draft Sharks Rookie Guide: “The move to Kentucky finally brought career highs in catches (53), receiving yards (540), and TDs (3). But the production came in a narrow role built on screens and quick-hitters. That left Law with an average target depth of just 3.4 yards. The bigger question is whether he can expand the route tree enough to become more than a gadget option.”

2026 Fantasy Football Impact

Law enters a Lions room that certainly has talent.

Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams are locked into their roles. Second-year WR Isaac TeSlaa earned a role for 2026 as well. They also signed WR Greg Dortch.

Law could be a developmental WR who excels after the catch, especially after losing Kalif Raymond to the Bears.

Law won’t have redraft value on this depth chart.

Dynasty Impact

Law will likely be a reserve WR for the long term on the Lions. If he does showcase enough development, there could be a chance of Law cracking fantasy relevancy down the line.

Ultimately, he should be a late round rookie draft pick and only in deep leagues where you can stash Law for multiple years.

Shane Hallam, Writer

Shane has over 20 years of experience creating content and playing every fantasy football format, including redraft, dynasty, devy, C2C, IDP, CFF, and more. He is a multi-year winner of $500 dynasty leagues on the FFPC and a King's Classic Champion. Shane utilizes deep film and scheme study to enhance his fantasy performance. He led the industry in 2024 preseason Kicker Rankings and ranked second in preseason QB Rankings. He also ranked eighth in preseason IDP rankings.