In Draft Wire’s latest 2020 mock draft, they have the Detroit Lions targeting three potential defenders, all at serious positions of need.
With every loss, the Detroit Lions (3-6-1) fan base interest in the 2020 NFL Draft grows. The latest updated draft order has the Lions picking 10th overall putting them in an excellent position to land another quality player and to the surprise of no one, that person plays on defense.
Our brother site Draft Wire has been knocking out draft content year-round and in their latest 3-round mock draft, not only do they have the Lions drafting defense in all three rounds, but they have paired the team with the same first-rounder in consecutive weeks.
With the 10th pick in the 2020 NFL draft, the Detroit Lions select:
Javon Kinlaw, DT, South Carolina, 6-5, 308
Here is Luke Easterling’s explanation for pairing Kinlaw with the Lions:
“Matt Patricia’s defense needs more help across the board in the trenches, making this pick a choice between the best value at defensive tackle or on the edge. In this scenario, Kinlaw’s incredible athleticism and limitless upside give him the nod.”
A 2-gapper who will primarily line up at the 3-technique, but can spend time at the 1, 4i, and 5-techniques. Kinlaw’s game is drenched in length and power which makes him an elite run defender, but he also possesses more pass-rushing skills than he is given credit for.
Lions Wire’s own Jeff Risdon has compared Kinlaw to the Pro Bowl version of Shaun Rogers because “they play with a similar style and destructive athletic dominance on the interior”.
With pick 42 in the second round, Easterling has the Lions selecting:
Yetur Gross-Matos, EDGE, Penn State, 6-5, 265
So you want a pass rusher, right? Well, Gross-Matos is a supreme athlete who has the size/length of Romeo Okwara combined with the positional versatility of Trey Flowers — both can also line up on the edge and at the 3-technique.
Gross-Matos is still raw in a lot of areas but he has a loaded toolbox and the potential to develop into an impact player.
With enough length and power to set the edge, Gross-Matos would fit like a glove in the coach Matt Patricia’s defensive scheme, while his pass-rushing ceiling would potentially fill a major hole in the Lions defensive front.
With pick 74 in the third round, Easterling has the Lions selecting:
Lavert Hill, CB, Michigan, 5-11, 181
The Lions stay local here, grabbing the Detroit Martin Luther King high school product. The Lions need help at corner and Hill fits the scheme profile as a multi-year starter in Michigan defensive coordinator Don Brown’s aggressive man coverage defense.
Hill is very aggressive and attacks the ball with ferocity, which often leads to pass breakups and interceptions in coverage. In the video clip below, Hill shows his natural instincts to locate the ball at the same time as the receiver, then stacking the route to give him an angle on the ball. Just textbook stuff from Hill here:
That’s as good as you can do it.
Hill’s size does leave something to be desired in this scheme, but he has the identical measurements as Justin Coleman and offers the same ability to play in the slot and on the outside.
