The celebrated draftnik duo of Mel Kiper Jr. and Todd McShay of ESPN offered up a dual mock draft of the top 10 picks for the 2021 NFL Draft. And the pair went in decidedly different directions with the Detroit Lions pick.
The Lions are currently sitting at No. 9 overall despite being just one game out of the final Wild Card spot in the NFC. Players the two both had gone before the Lions pick during the broadcast portion of the mock and not the written one, to give a perspective of the player pool that is already drained:
Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence
Ohio State QB Justin Fields
Oregon OT Penei Sewell
Penn State LB Micah Parsons
LSU WR Ja’Marr Chase
Alabama WR DeVonta Smith
Florida TE Kyle Pitts
Kiper was adamant the Lions need a wide receiver and offered up a trio of Chase, Smith and his teammate Jaylen Waddle. With Chase already off the board and Smith also off McShay’s board, the choice would be Waddle. Kiper also mentioned Minnesota’s Rashod Bateman, a playmaking wideout.
McShay opted for Zach Wilson, the fast-rising quarterback from BYU.
“Let’s get the Lions their quarterback of the future to build around under a new coach and GM. Wilson is special,” McShay concluded.
In the published piece, this was the consensus pick. It’s worth noting that Kiper insisted he rates North Dakota State QB Trey Lance higher than Wilson.