The NFL offseason has been one full of topsy-turvy moves that may leave you trying to remember where everyone went to. The Detroit Lions were relatively quiet in the free agency market, opting to re-sign most of the players from last season, rewarding them for their hard work. With DJ Chark being the most prominent outside name signed to Detroit, Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell are building their team from the draft.
With the combine wrapped up and pro days continuing, teams are bringing in players they may want to get an up and personal look at with their 30 prospect visits. At this point, teams should have a general idea of what their draft board should look like.
Unlike last year, where you could’ve written the number one overall pick in pen right at the beginning of the season, there is no clear-cut prospect destined as the top selection this year. Instead, with the Jacksonville Jaguars selecting for the second consecutive year, the Lions destiny lays in the hands. From our brother site, Draft Wire, Luke Easterling hands in his latest three-round mock, starts by giving the Jaguars, a hometown favorite in Aidan Hutchinson, leaving the Lions with a complicated situation.
Easterling notes with the plethora of talent available, the Lions might look to trade down, but it takes two to tango. So perhaps a team gets eager and jumps up for a quarterback or one of the top tackles, but in this mock, they stay put and take a player who has surged up draft boards and maybe in the running as the top player selected, Georiga EDGE Travon Walker.
Travon Walker has been a popular choice for the Lions with his strong athletic showing from the combine and superior versatility. He is equally effective anywhere on and off the line. Some may point to his minimal production at Georgia, but he fits perfectly in what the Lions will be looking to accomplish on defense due to his athleticism.
With the Lions’ second first-round selection, Easterling has the Lions grabbing one of the most versatile players in the draft and happens to be in their backyard, safety Daxton Hill. He has shown he line up anywhere in the deep part of the field, in nickel and as a blitzer. Between him and Walker, they could make a strong 1-2 combo that could leave defenses confused on the defensive alignment due to the wide array of assignments he can accomplish.
Heading into the second round, the Lions grab a do-it-all receiver in Jahan Dotson from Penn State. Dotson can line up anywhere, giving the Lions flexibility on their offensive alignments, but with his top speed, crafty route running, and separation, the Lions could use more outside where they sorely lacked a receiver of his caliber last year and should help Jared Goff.
Shifting back to defense, Montana State linebacker Troy Andersen is the selection and should immediately help the middle part of the field. Coming into college as a quarterback, Andersen is still learning the position, but his instincts are second to none because of his intelligence on the offensive side of the ball. He processes sideline-to-sideline speed and has superior athleticism and urgency to make an impact quickly.
With the compensatory selection, we continue to retool the defense with the newer name most of us haven’t seen before in Tenneessee cornerback Alontae Taylor. You should get familiar with him because he screams a solid fit in the Detroit: defensive playmaker, high character, and swagger. He has strong athleticism that allows him to play in any system and a fluid hip to stick with receivers. He may tend to gamble too much, leaving plays on the field, but he is there when the ball is thrown more often than not.
The Lions needed some desperate need on the defensive side, and through this mock, they attacked every facet of that area. The input of talent with intelligent and athletic players could help the Lions compete not just this season but build those cornerstone players for the long haul.