Detroit Lions 7-round mock draft: Things get interesting at No. 32, and a wide receiver conundrum (2024)

The Senior Bowl has come and gone. Matthew Stafford and the Rams are Super Bowl champs. It’s time to dive headfirst into the offseason.

Leading off, it’s our first attempt to run through an entire seven-round Lions mock draft (with no trades), just to see how the board might fall and what it all could mean for GM Brad Holmes. We used The Draft Network’sMock Draft Machine for this exercise.

Nick Baumgardner: OK, so we (mostly) know what the Lions’ draft order will be. So, for the first time, let’s go through it together and see where we wind up. Obviously, these next few months are just massive for Holmes and the Lions. The opportunity in front of them is why they traded Stafford. It will be, to date, the biggest chance this regime has had to make a truly sizable impact on the roster.

So, do we have a specific game plan? Are we still just trying to find the best player we can at every stop? Are we crossing our fingers and hoping like hell?

Chris Burke: For the most part, I think it still should be a best-player-available approach. But having gone through a couple of these on my own for … fun? … I can tell you that my mind definitely is drifting toward the defensive side of the ball for this draft. The Lions still have needs on offense — an X receiver, another tight end, maybe a starting guard or quarterback. Above all that, though, I’d argue that they have to keep adding athleticism and versatility on D.

What’s your strategy, as of mid-February?

Baumgardner: Football season’s over, so it’s mock-draft-for-fun season, people! I tend to agree with this approach and I think it’ll be what the Lions end up doing. Of course, we won’t be able to completely figure out the quarterback piece until draft day. Holmes and coach Dan Campbell aren’t going to tip their hand on that.

I do think the move is to load the team up as best you can at this year’s draft and then consider a quarterback in 2023. We’ve talked about this a lot: There are some really impressive top-line prospects next year and the Lions will have draft capital to make a move if they want to. In theory, they could build their backbone this year (on top of what they drafted a year ago) and have a team ready for a quarterback by the start of 2023.

In theory and in reality are two different things, though. So, let’s see how this goes.

Round 1, No. 2

Baumgardner: You mentioned defense as a priority and I think we’ve all long thought about this slot as an either-or between Michigan’s Aidan Hutchinson (the No. 1 player on Dane Brugler’s updated Top 100 NFL Draft board) and Oregon’s Kayvon Thibodeaux. Have you changed your thoughts on that front? Among those two edges, who would be your pick?

Burke: We probably owe it to the conversation to at least mention Kyle Hamilton again, right? Safety might be in the worst shape of any position on the Lions’ roster right now (with or — especially — without Tracy Walker), and Hamilton has the look of an elite NFL playmaker. He’d be the other one in the mix, for me. I don’t think they would go O-line again; I don’t think David Ojabo or Jermaine Johnson or the other edges have jumped into the Thibodeaux-Hutchinson range.

As for those two, it still feels like it would be hard to go wrong. My lean is Hutchinson because he profiles as a better edge setter/run defender early, on top of what he can do as a pass rusher. You?

Baumgardner: I think it’s pretty similar to the situation a year ago. I look at this pick and ask: Which guy can give the Lions the absolute most, by himself, without help? And that’s Aidan Hutchinson. His frame, build and overall toolbox as a player is deeper than Thibodeaux’s. He could turn into an elite run defender and pass rusher while also maintaining the ability to float and cover. I think Thibodeaux has the goods to become an elite pass rusher and a guy who can cover — will he also be an elite run defender?

Hutchinson checks more boxes in one package. On top of that, Campbell won’t find a better personality fit for what he is trying to build with this franchise. To be able to stack Penei Sewell and Hutchinson back-to-back as locker-room/on-field pillars is pretty damn good. I don’t think the Lions will be able to pass that up.

Hamilton’s probably No. 2 in this discussion for me, to be honest. Thibodeaux is No. 3. I would also absolutely listen to any and all trade offers. But sticking here and drafting Hutchinson would not upset me.

The pick: Aidan Hutchinson, edge, Michigan

First round: No. 32

Burke: I know we’re talking about Hutchinson or Thibodeaux as a foundational piece for this franchise but this is where the 2022 Lions draft really starts to get interesting. How does Holmes handle this turn at the end of Round 1/start of Round 2? Would he consider moving these picks — either combining them to go up for someone (like a quarterback) or even unloading that 32nd selection for more 2023 draft capital?

For our purposes here, let’s say the Lions stick. Which prospects are you looking at to close out the first round?

Baumgardner: The Detroit Rams did the Lions no favors here, as the Nakobe Dean Sweepstakes ran out at No. 29 on my mock machine. And this is why the Rams making a run strains this a bit: There are a bunch of guys down here that might slip to the Lions at 32 (Dean, Chris Olave, Jahan Dotson, other wide receivers, maybe one of those quarterbacks) — but also maybe not. I’ve been obsessed with Dean at this spot for months but I just don’t know if he’s going to be available.

I still like the idea of loading up on defense here if it’s the right player. Otherwise, this is where the Lions focus on trying to find a versatile receiver who can be an X in Detroit. Is there another area I’m missing? Any corners here that interest you?

Burke: As I said, I’ve run through this a handful of times now. And I keep landing on a wide receiver-safety swing, one way or the other. Just looking at the board, those positions seem to be where the value is.

That said, I’m also looking at quarterbacks Desmond Ridder, Sam Howell and Carson Strong still being available, as well as Senior Bowl MVP Perrion Winfrey. Having spent the week down in Mobile, are you any more or less convinced that the Lions take a quarterback this year?

Baumgardner: Unless it’s Malik Willis (or maybe Kenny Pickett), I’d say less convinced. And it feels like Willis and Pickett are going to be off the board by 32. So as you noted earlier, this feels like the spot to move back up if you want to do that. But there’s a lot of value at this spot and I like your idea of making sure we take care of both safety and wide receiver right here.

At safety, Penn State’s Jaquan Brisker, Georgia’s Lewis Cine and the duo from Baylor are all on the board — they’re not all going to be gone by the time Detroit drafts in Round 3. But if the Lions love a safety (or a receiver), take him right here. I like that plan, unless someone like Dean or Ahmad Gardner falls magically into Detroit’s lap.

Which brings me to my next question: Your favorite safety and receiver in this window?

Burke: I agree with you on the quarterbacks, first of all — I’m more convinced they will like Willis but much less convinced they’ll have a shot at him.

Before we pick, can I get your abridged scouting report on another safety and local product, Daxton Hill? Because he looks like he’ll be an option, too.

Baumgardner: Absolutely, yeah. He actually went off my board at No. 21 to New England and while I have questions about his game right now, the appeal of Hill is obvious — he’s extremely fast and he does have some positional versatility. He could be a free safety, a nickel or even perhaps a corner in the right system. His straight-line speed is as good as anything you’ll see in this draft.

In terms of physical tools, everything but height is exactly where it needs to be. He’s very young, however, and has a long way to go with his overall consistency. Which is why, for me, someone like Cine usually ends up higher on my safety list. He’s a full-package safety who can help fit the run and set the back end.

But … if the Lions are getting another year of Aaron Glenn and Aubrey Pleasant? Then Daxton Hill sounds a lot better to me.

Burke: OK, let’s lock in someone at 32. I’ll vote Brisker, with a receiver at 34.

Baumgardner: Brisker is an athletic beast who could do an awful lot for Detroit. More positional versatility. I’d actually be worried, even though we’re only waiting one pick, that we’d lose him if we don’t take him right now.

The pick: Jaquan Brisker, S, Penn State

Round 2, No. 34

Baumgardner: So after that long wait, have you changed your mind on a receiver? Or are we still looking for an X here?

Burke: I’m a little conflicted, to be honest. On my Mock Draft Machine, at least, USC’s Drake London and Purdue’s David Bell are still there — those are your X receivers, and London definitely fits that prototype. But Penn State’s Dotson is also available, plus there’s a ton of depth down the board behind them.

Also on the board? Ridder and Howell. And Winfrey. Help.

Baumgardner: I’m not sure there’s a receiver I absolutely love right here. Especially after we saw a bunch of guys have good weeks in Mobile, you can make the case (yet again) to sit and wait on a receiver.

We’ve clearly spent too much time around Brad Holmes.

So I agree that we wait. There should be some really nice options in the third round. But you could literally do anything right here and add value. I even have Boston College guard Zion Johnson still on my list. I wouldn’t advocate for taking a guard this high — but I also wouldn’t be mad about it. Alabama linebacker Christian Harris is still here. And Winfrey — man alive, he had a good week at the Senior Bowl. This would also be an interesting spot for a corner.

Now that I’ve dumped my purse on your table … thoughts?

(Several minutes pass …)

Burke: This is taking me some time, sorry. I’m just staring at the board — there are a lot of options I feel good but not great about, which leads me to believe Holmes might shop this pick. But since we’re staying put and selecting, I keep landing on Harris, Damone Clark, Quay Walker and the linebacker corps. Is this too early? I’ll put it back in your hands for the selection.

Baumgardner: My fallback was going to be Auburn cornerback Roger McCreary (who is gone), so I will vote linebacker here. I don’t think Clark will be available in Round 3 (or Harris). I vote for Clark, who had a nice week at the Senior Bowl and would be the type of run-fitter with speed the Lions need.

Burke: Works for me. They definitely need another potential starter in that group.

The pick: Damone Clark, LB, LSU

Round 3, No. 66

Burke: Going to shorten up the clock so we can get through the rest of these picks. My board here still shows a bunch of useful receivers: North Dakota State’s Senior Bowl hero Christian Watson, Memphis slot Calvin Austin, Western Michigan’s Skyy Moore, Georgia’s George Pickens. This might be the place to get Amon-Ra St. Brown some help.

Baumgardner: I’m also showing South Alabama’s Jalen Tolbert, which isn’t likely, but who knows. Receiver is tricky. I do think this illustrates, though, that we were right to wait. Watson is an X receiver out of Central Casting who can also play some Z. I love it.

Burke: A little recency bias, probably, because he just dominated that entire week in Mobile. But how often can you fall into a physical 6-foot-5 receiver with potentially sub-4.5 speed? Gotta do it.

The pick: Christian Watson, WR, North Dakota State

Round 3, No. 97* (*projected comp pick)

Baumgardner: Two things intrigue me here: TE2 and cornerback. Not necessarily in that order, but depending on who’s available. What does the board look like?

Burke: Well, I’m noticing linebackers like Chad Muma (who I don’t think actually makes it to this spot), JoJo Domann and Channing Tindall available, so I’m already rethinking our choice at No. 34.

For the spots you noted, the top cornerbacks listed are Houston’s Marcus Jones, Oregon’s Mykael Wright, Nebraska’s Cam Taylor-Britt and Cincinnati’s Cobe Bryant. And Bryant just put on a show himself at the Senior Bowl. Several tight ends, as well — UCLA’s Greg Dulcich is my favorite there.

We’re very much in “no wrong answers” territory here, so grab your favorite prospect.

Baumgardner: Cincinnati’s secondary was awesome last season and Bryant was a dog throughout that entire run. He’d fit in perfectly with what Detroit wants to do defensively and he’s tough enough to compete for a job right away.

The pick: Coby Bryant, CB, Cincinnati

Round 5, No. 176* (*projected comp pick)

The pick: Cade Mays, OL, Tennessee

Baumgardner: Mays was a five-star athlete in high school who many thought would be a tackle, but fit best as a gigantic (6-4, 324), mauling guard. Could be the perfect right-side eventual replacement for Halapoulivaati Vaitai.

Round 6, No. 179

The pick: Tyler Allgeier, RB, BYU

Burke:The Lions really like Jamaal Williams, so how about adding a productive back from the same hometown (Fontana, Calif.) and same college? Allgeier is one of the more underrated players in this draft class. He’s a 220-pounder who was the most productive yards-after-contact back in the country over the past two seasons.

Round 6, No. 218* (*projected comp pick)

The pick: Connor Heyward, TE/FB, Michigan State

Baumgardner: The Lions need more from the TE2 spot, which Heyward could provide. His value as an H-back in the run and pass game within this offense could be very cool if the Lions go here. He’s a unique prospect who would need a specific role, which is something Detroit could provide.

Round 7, No. 240

The pick: Nephi Sewell, LB, Utah

Burke:May as well give your foundational offensive tackle (and his family) reason to smile, right? This would be a solid late-round pick on football merits, too, because Sewell should be able to carve out a role on special teams — his versatility might help him develop into more.

Burke: So, Nick, how’d we do here? Final thoughts?

Baumgardner: Well, we screwed up our third pick, but other than that, not too bad. Clearly we should’ve waited on a stack linebacker, as we both kept noting draftable fits for at least two more rounds, and maybe more. Which makes me think the second or third pick could be one of those coveted luxury selections where you just get weird and take the best guy regardless of position.

Maybe we should’ve taken the guard! Your thoughts?

Burke: Just to add on there — Clark is a perfectly fine player and fit for this defense, but linebacker value carried on for another 75 picks. As I said when we were making that selection, I felt stuck. The wide receivers we really would have wanted — Chris Olave, Garrett Wilson, Jameson Williams — all were off the board. We weren’t feeling the remaining quarterbacks. So, I would have tried to trade out if we were making deals.

Overall, though, we checked off a bunch of needs and absolutely accomplished our goal of making the defense more athletic. Circling back to give the offense a little depth at the end felt like the right call, too.

Baumgardner: I think we found four starters for the defense in the first half of the draft. And while I wish we would have waited on linebacker, I agree on Clark and count him as a starter there. If the Lions leave Friday with three or four no-doubt starters on defense, that’s an absolute win. I think this run showed me there might be more draft depth than I originally thought in some of Detroit’s need areas, which could give Holmes more flexibility to mess around some. That could be fun.

(Top photo of Jaquan Brisker: Rich Graessle / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)