Justin Madubuike, DT, Texas A&M
One of the unheralded prospects during the season that I fell in love with while getting caught up on film study, Madubuike reminds me a great deal of 2019 No. 13 overall pick Christian Wilkins. I strongly suspect that had Madubuike played at Clemson like Wilkins did, there’s no chance he would be available to the Lions in the second round.
Like Wilkins, Madubuike is a stocky, gap-shooting interior rusher with a phenomenal first step and enough hand combat technique to follow it up. He’s a very impressive, physical finisher against both the run and the quarterback trying to throw. The biggest drawback, and it’s more pronounced than Wilkins’ struggle with the same issue: if he doesn’t win the first battle on a play, the war is almost certainly lost.
If the Lions are using more even-man fronts in 2020 and beyond, Madubuike is a much better fit than he would be having to 2-gap in an odd front. Drafting him would be a big tipoff at the direction of the defense under new coordinator Cory Undlin.