All eyes are on New York Town, the place the Disney NFL Draft is true across the nook. This four-day sports activities fan competition will happen July 16–19, 2026, and can characteristic one of the vital biggest-name characters being drafted to sign up for professional soccer groups.
When you neglected it, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and Mickey Mouse introduced the Disney Fan Draft 2026 closing week by way of video name. The blockbuster match might be held right through Fans Fest NYC on Thursday, July 16, 2026. Right through the draft, Goodell and sports activities journalist Taylor Rooks are set to “reimagine a cherished sports activities custom via an unmistakably Disney lens.”
The Disney NFL Draft revel in will deliver in combination one of the vital best names in sports activities for a can’t-miss birthday celebration of fandom. Fans Fest NYC may even play host to the Disney Fan Zone, that includes unique products, immersive reports, plus surprise-and-delight moments.
Whilst little or no is understood in regards to the 2026 Disney NFL Draft, if we give it the seriousness it merits, it’s secure to think that the development will reflect the true 91st NFL Draft held in Pittsburgh in April 2026. It could best be truthful if the Disney Draft adopted the similar order as the actual one.
Right through the true NFL Draft, the Las Vegas Raiders held the primary total pick out and, as extensively anticipated, decided on Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza. For individuals who are unfamiliar with soccer however have opted to learn this put up for some reason why, Mendoza is the clean-cut, humble and hungry Hoosier (non-derogatory). He’s the archetype pocket passer, drawing favorable comparisons to Detroit Lions QB Jared Goff.
With the primary pick out within the Disney NFL Draft, the Raiders will keep on with that playbook and pick out Mickey Mouse. He exams the entire identical containers, and offers them a quarterback with lots of the identical strengths. Even supposing the Raiders didn’t want lend a hand within the passing division, Mickey Mouse is the kind of crew chief and locker room presence that you simply can’t move up. He’s very clearly the consensus #1 pick out.
There are a large number of different selections earlier than we get to the Detroit Lions at #17, however who cares about the ones.
Many of the selections additional up the board are easy, anyway. Goofy, Pluto, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, and Oswald are all long past. And also you higher consider the Browns are grabbing Jar Jar Binks at #9. In the meantime, we’re listening to rumors that the Jets have pastime in buying and selling as much as clutch Forky. Even supposing some conflicting stories counsel they’ll attempt to draft Dino-Rama, which isn’t a personality in any respect and now not exists, however whats up, it’s the Jets! (Phrase is they’ll attempt to use their 2d rounder on Rapid & Livid Supercharged.)
Groups with competent entrance workplaces may even pick out previous, so it’s secure to mention that a large number of the highest ability they’d be focused on is long past through the seventeenth variety. Detroit most commonly wishes lend a hand at the o-line and secondary, however the Lions aren’t getting Beast, Genie, Chernabog, Baymax, or Hercules in that spot. Jack Jack would possibly nonetheless be at the board, however I’m no longer certain that he’s a excellent tradition are compatible. (There are persona issues…I’ll simply depart it at that.)
Accordingly, right here’s my pitch for the Detroit Lions achieving slightly and creating a daring pick out: Figment.
Figment doesn’t have the call cachet as one of the vital large call gamers. He doesn’t have a movie franchise, streaming display, or perhaps a top of the range theme park enchantment. In spite of all of this, he’s a high-ceiling participant with doable to be the sleeper of the draft even because the seventeenth variety.
I’ll admit that not one of the mock drafts have Figment coming off the board this early. However that’s best as a result of there inexplicably aren’t any mock drafts for the Disney NFL Draft. (You’re slipping, Mel Kiper.)
If the analysts at ESPN or WalterFootball or no matter weren’t asleep at the task…and in the event that they knew who Figment used to be within the first position…I’m assured that they’d have him on the best in their ratings.
Figment is the prototypical two-way ability. The most obvious comparability is Travis Hunter, the huge receiver and cornerback who the Jacksonville Jaguars traded up to choose 2d in closing 12 months’s NFL draft. The Jags despatched a ton of draft capital to the Browns to get their man, making Figment at #17 appear to be a comparative thieve.
Frankly, evaluating Figment to Travis Hunter is a failure of creativeness. No offense to Hunter, who has super upside, however Figment is extra just like the Shohei Ohtani of soccer. Even this is an irony.
As is clear from the top of his enchantment(s), Figment has worn a large number of hats. He’s extremely adaptable to any state of affairs and adept at the whole thing; he’s fueled through creativeness and powered through the speculation bag.
Figment is possibly best possible in comparison to a QB with the accuracy of Drew Brees, arm power of Josh Allen, and mobility of Randall Cunningham. He additionally has the huge receiving ability of Calvin “Megatron” Johnson, and strikes of Barry Sanders.
That’s simply at the offensive facet of the ball, which isn’t in point of fact the place the Lions want lend a hand within the first position. (Even supposing a few of us skeptics wouldn’t thoughts having intensity in the back of Goff.) On the identical time, the choice of accidents the Lions have suffered within the closing couple of years would make a plug-and-play athlete like Figment valuable.
Admittedly, Figment received’t lend a hand shore up the offensive line, so the Lions should deal with that in different places within the draft. I’m rather assured Winnie the Pooh will nonetheless be there in the second one, and he has misleading athleticism. If no longer, Pete or Smelly Pete will have to each be there, and are excellent suits regardless of their ages. (Which is okay. The Lions are in win-now mode!)
Figment might be immensely treasured on protection since he can, uh, fly.
Just right good fortune with the air assault with Figment floating round again there as protection. Detroit’s secondary is in an excellent worse place than it used to be again in April, due to the entire Terrion Arnold, ahem, incident. Even earlier than that, I’m no longer satisfied the Lions did sufficient this low season to handle deficiencies of their protection.
This brings us to any other essential level, which is that Figment is a brilliant are compatible for the Lions.
Dan Campbell regularly stresses tradition guys and grit, and Figment has each in spades. His sense of childlike-wonder and innocence would make him a perfect addition to the locker room, particularly since one in all their now ex-players is most likely responsible of kidnapping and theft. Drafting Figment can be a excellent path correction on that entire debacle.
There’s additionally the unassailable incontrovertible fact that Figment is the kind of pick out that’s catnip for Brad Holmes. Whilst I admire him taking part in it slightly more secure on this 12 months’s precise NFL draft, in the event you inquire from me, Holmes used to be a bit too conservative, overcorrecting from his earlier competitive method to pass with a number of secure selections that more than likely would’ve been to be had later.
Don’t get me fallacious, I love Blake “The Tank” Miller (no longer his precise nickname, however it will have to be) and respect that he’s the complete opposite of injury-prone. On the identical time, we didn’t see a lot boldness from Brad this 12 months. Choosing Figment would repair that, as a quintessential “let him prepare dinner” pick out.
If all of that isn’t sufficient to persuade the Detroit Lions that Figment is their straight forward selection with the seventeenth variety, how about this: vending doable.
Figment lovers are fervent. Maximum NFL executives would salivate on the prospect of a participant who may just transfer as many jerseys as Messi or MJ or Mahomes. The ones are rookie numbers.
Figment commanded an 8-hour line for a popcorn bucket, and just lately bought out a host of $45 bubble wands. Has any NFL participant, previous or provide, ever achieved that?! Didn’t assume so.
Suffice to mention, Figment is a generational ability who’s a day-one starter with transformational energy (literal and figurative) for whichever crew selects him. Maximum groups will put out of your mind him because of the loss of studio synergy and underwhelming enchantment, however the sky’s the prohibit on his long term potentialities.
The overall wildcard right here that Figment brings with him is his lovers. Identical to the Lions trustworthy who’ve caught round for the reason that darkish days of Rod Marinelli, Matt Millen, a revolving door of quarterbacks and an 0-16 season, we Figment lovers are a unique breed. A rabid breed. We will be able to pass to the ends of the earth to fortify anyplace Figment calls house, whether or not or not it’s one of the crucial worst-rated sights at EPCOT or Ford Box.
By no means has there been one thing extra glaring than the Detroit Lions drafting Figment with the seventeenth pick out on the Disney NFL Draft. Smartly, there was something: Josh D’Amaro and Neil Patrick Harris pronouncing a brand new Adventure Into Creativeness with Figment and Dreamfinder on the 2026 D23 Expo.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
The place do you assume Figment will pass within the Disney NFL Draft? Is he a thieve for the Lions at #17? Will have to he pass previous, or fall later given the present state of his enchantment? If Figment isn’t a first-rounder, is that this any other signal that Disney must reimagine Adventure Into Creativeness? Do you settle or disagree with our overview? Any questions? Listening to from you is part the joys, so please percentage your ideas within the feedback!
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