Getty Aidan Huchinson on the stage during the 2022 NFL draft.
The Detroit Lions put the finishing touches on the 2022 NFL draft on Saturday afternoon, and with the work complete, folks can finally begin to think about how to rate what the team did.
So far, the experts seem to love what the Lions were able to pull off over the three days. When folks mention the top drafts in the league, Detroit’s name keeps coming up routinely as one of the best for this year.
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First, FanSided’s Matt Lombardo put out a tweet, and as he aptly put it, he thought that the Lions managed to lap the competition along with a select few other teams during the 2022 draft. His list included Detroit amongst some of the best of the best in league circles.
It wasn’t just Lombardo who liked the team’s draft, though. Pro Football Focus analyst Austin Gayle singled out the Detroit draft as one of his top ones of the weekend.
My favorite 2022 NFL Draft classes:
💥 Atlanta Falcons
💥 Kansas City Chiefs
💥 Baltimore Ravens
💥 Detroit Lions
💥 New York Jets
💥 Philadelphia Eagles
Add it up and a few of the bigger names in the analyst industry believe Detroit’s class has been very impressive to this point. As a result, they may have enjoyed one of the best drafts in the league for this year.
Analyst: Lions’ 2022 Draft ‘Franchise Altering’
After witnessing the heavy lifting early by the Lions during the all-important days one and two of the draft, analyst Jordan Schultz believes that the team is taking on the look of having a draft which becomes franchise-altering for the team.
Early on day three, Schultz took to Twitter to make a proclamation about where the Detroit draft could be headed. As he said, he believes what the team has done has been significant enough to change the course of the team’s history to this point in time.
#Lions have had a franchise-altering draft. They’ve also signaled a commitment 2 Jared Goff, which we discussed these last few weeks as a real possibility for them.
Skill position talent is 💯
D’Andre Swift
Amon-Ra St. Brown
DJ Chark
Jameson Williams
Josh Reynolds
TJ Hockenson
“Lions have had a franchise-altering draft. They’ve also signaled a commitment to Jared Goff, which we discussed these last few weeks as a real possibility for them. Skill position talent is 100. D’Andre Swift, Amon-Ra St. Brown, DJ Chark, Jameson Williams Josh Reynolds, T.J. Hockenson,” Schultz tweeted.
Detroit building around Jared Goff as Schultz hypothesizes is interesting, as that has been a controversial decision point for the fanbase to debate this offseason. The moves, though, do seem to indicate a level of comfort with Detroit’s quarterback from the decision makers. The team didn’t rush to a quarterback early on and instead looked to fill other more pressing needs with solid players.
In the end, Detroit’s moves could be seen as franchise altering as well, which would be something to note for the team and their future.
Lions 2022 NFL Draft Recap
The Lions have been enjoying perhaps their second straight strong draft in the last few years. On Thursday night, Detroit started strong with defensive end Aidan Hutchinson from Michigan, who will be a slam-dunk fit for the defense as well as a hit locally given he grew up in town. After that, the Lions traded up for wideout Jameson Williams, who should add a dynamic element to their offense. Day two brought the team some more defensive help with gritty and classy Josh Paschal, who may also have a future in acting. Super athletic safety Kirby Joseph closed out the day, and should contend for a role quickly in the Motor City on a needy defense. During day three, the Lions added Virginia Tech tight end James Mitchell, Oklahoma State linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez, Jackson State linebacker James Houston and Arizona State cornerback Chase Lucas.
Safe to say this haul is going to be praised in a big way by many of folks in the coming days, and could lead to some major winning in Detroit coming soon.
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Analyst: Lions ‘Ran Circles’ Around Competition During 2022 Draft