Getty T.J. Hockenson greets Roger Goodell after being picked by the Lions.
The Detroit Lions had yet another lost weekend on the field, but the silver lining was the fact that once again, the team is on the move in the standings for the 2021 NFL Draft.
This week, following an ugly loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers which felt like rock bottom, the Lions were able to move up with some positive results ahead of them in the draft order. From outside of the top 10, the Lions have now climbed to the seventh overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.
In recent weeks, the Lions have been firmly outside of the top 10, but with this news, it’s clear the team is on the move in a big way. Obviously, the draft standings are very fluid right now, and it’s possible if the Lions see Houston, Atlanta, the Bengals and Eagles all win in Week 17, they will climb to the third overall pick should they also lose. Perhaps more realistically, the Lions could climb into the top five with only a few more losses from the group just ahead of them.
Regardless, if the Lions lose in the final week of the season, they can sit back and watch how far they might move up in the order.
Lions Draft Results
The Lions have had mixed results out of their last few drafts. In 2017, they landed linebacker Jarrad Davis, who’s arguably been a bust in the team’s defense. In 2018, center Frank Ragnow was selected and he has given the team some beef in the middle of the line and been a consistent player. 2019 brought tight end T.J. Hockenson, who is morphing into a solid weapon for the offense. Last year, the Lions selected cornerback Jeff Okudah, and his rookie season in Detroit was marred by injury and inconsistency.
Overall, Detroit has seemed to be boom or bust in the first round under their previous regime, so finding some consistency will be a huge goal for the Lions moving forward no matter what position they target.
Lions Biggest Needs for 2021 NFL Draft
Regardless of where the team picks this coming spring, the Lions should be wide open when it comes to the 2021 draft thanks to the fact that they’ve addressed a ton of spots on both offense and defense recently within their selections. One of the most obvious spots of need would be the defensive line given Detroit’s constant lack of a consistent pass rush. The team could also use more young depth at the cornerback spot given the struggles there in relation to depth that have been greatly aided by injury. On offense, the Lions could use another young wideout, and while they might seem set at quarterback, there could always be a significant challenge to that moving forward given changes in direction of the front office which could lead to a change at that position. There also figure to be plenty of elite quarterbacks to be found within the top 10 where Detroit could select.
Detroit will have plenty of big draft decisions to make in the coming months, and the biggest question that will persist revolves around who will be making these picks and who the coach to lead them ends up being.
The pick keeps improving by the day for the future brain trust in Detroit, which is the good news for the team.
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