Getty Drake London celebrates a score for USC in 2021 against Colorado.
The Detroit Lions need weaponry perhaps most of all as they begin to ponder what their biggest needs are pushing toward the 2022 NFL offseason.
This year, the draft might seem to be devoid of playmakers, especially at wideout. Even though that is the case, it doesn’t change the fact that there are some players who could become studs at the position with the right amount of time and development. A new mock draft lands the Lions one of these players who could make a quick impact for their offense.
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Recently, Pro Football Focus analyst Michael Renner put together a new mock draft update and had USC wideout Drake London going as the pick to the Lions with selection 24 in the first round. That pick was acquired in a deal with the Rams last offseason for quarterback Matthew Stafford.
With the first pick in this mock, to nobody’s potential surprise, the Lions went with Michigan pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson. London’s selection is the intriguing one, however. In recent mocks, the Lions have gone with defense and then quarterback. This selection represents a departure from that and a shift to wideout. Could Jared Goff’s monster game in Week 13 have had an impact on this? It’s possible that folks realize the Lions may not want to prioritize quarterback in what could be a down year for the position.
London’s 2021 season was cut short by an ankle injury, but the production in his college career in limited time shows a definite upside for the player and someone who could be athletically gifted in a big way. Teaming London back up with the surging Amon-Ra St. Brown could be a huge win for the offense.
London’s College Stats & Highlights
There is no question a healthy London is one of the more explosive athletes in the upcoming draft and a player worthy of consideration for the Lions in the first or second round. London had a sparkling career in college with 2,153 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns in four seasons played. A look at the highlights shows an explosive down field threat who can make tough catches look easy:
London had a bad break in 2021, or he might very well have worked his way into the conversation to be an early pick. Perhaps the Lions can score themselves some luck and nab a player that could end up playing a huge role for their offense a bit further down the board.
Lions’ Biggest 2022 NFL Draft Needs
If the Lions manage to secure the top selection in the draft as it’s looking like they might, there’s a multitude of ways they could elect to go with the pick given the unique needs of the roster. The team’s defense needs playmakers up front to rush the passer along the defensive line, and could also need depth on the back end at cornerback. Offensively, the Lions have a major need for a big time pass catching wideout to help their down field attack on offense. As always, quarterback is going to be a position to watch near the top of the draft, especially considering the early struggles of Jared Goff with the Lions in 2021.
The good news for Detroit? They also have the first-round pick of the Los Angeles Rams by virtue of the Matthew Stafford trade for this year and next year, and figure to gain multiple compensatory selections for 2022 so some serious building can occur for the roster if the team manages to secure the top overall pick. Obviously, there is no shortage of needs for the team to ponder with all of their selections next year.
Detroit has a chance to get much more intimidating on offense and defense next year, and if the team were to take this approach by nabbing a player like London, that could be huge for them in terms of rebuilding the roster quicker.