Getty MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA - JANUARY 11: DeVonta Smith #6 of the Alabama Crimson Tide warms up prior to the College Football Playoff National Championship game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Hard Rock Stadium on January 11, 2021 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
The Detroit Lions have a choice to make in about a month’s time in terms of what to do in the 2021 NFL Draft, and some new updates are coming in as it relates to what could happen next.
Mock draft season is about to take its turn into the final stretch, and as a result, there’s going to be no shortage of opinions about what the team will do now that they have addressed several needs in free agency. As usual, one such person not shy about sharing their opinion is ESPN’s Mel Kiper.
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In a new ESPN Insider piece, Kiper revealed his third mock draft, and had the Lions selecting a familiar player in wideout DeVonta Smith from Alabama. Smith captured the Heisman Trophy for his work on the field last season, and Kiper sees a big play gene ready to burst out for him in the Motor City.
Kiper wrote:
“The Lions’ projected starters at wide receiver? New signings Tyrell Williams and Breshad Perriman. There’s not much else behind them, with Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones Jr. both signing elsewhere. I would say this pick is likely going to the best wideout on the board, and Smith would be a tremendous choice. The Heisman Trophy winner doesn’t have the biggest frame (6-foot-1, 175 pounds), but you shouldn’t underestimate him. He is one of the best route runners I’ve scouted, and he beats any corner put in front of him. Detroit is clearly rebuilding, so I also wouldn’t be surprised if it trades down to pick up more draft capital.”
Kiper clearly likes the Lions to go after a wideout to be able to sustain their offense, so it will be interesting to see if they do that when all is said and done.
Kiper Previously Had Lions Trading Pick
Kiper referenced the Lions trading down if not taking a wideout, and that's what he had the team doing last time around. In his previous update before this one, Kiper didn't have the Lions making the seventh selection, but instead spinning it off to the San Fransisco 49ers, who come up to grab quarterback Trey Lance.
2. Falcons (via Jets): QB Zach Wilson
7. 49ers (via Lions): QB Justin Fields
9. Patriots (via Broncos): QB Trey Lance
11. Giants: WR Jaylen Waddle
The great @MelKiperESPN‘s latest mock draft is up and for the first time in 38 years, he includes trades.
Here's where the prediction really gets juicy, though. After trading the seventh pick to the 49ers, the Lions select linebacker Micah Parsons with the 12th pick as well as collect a significant draft haul for doing so. The trade has them grabbing pick 12, a 2021 second-round pick and potentially even a 2022 first-round pick from San Francisco according to Kiper.
Kiper has the Lions trading down and adding Parsons at 12 🤔
In terms of fit, Parsons could be a good one for the Lions given the fact that he has some elite grading according to Pro Football Focus. The Lions might not want to select him with the seventh pick, but if they could trade back and gain some extra assets that would seemingly be a huge move for the team and their rebuild. It’s hard to say whether John Lynch would give up a first rounder for 2022 in such a deal, but quarterback desperation can make teams do funny things.
While Kiper has the Lions taking Smith this time around, it’s clear he’d still prefer the team make a trade if at all possible. The conditions for that could certainly still exist.
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Smith’s Stats and Fit With Lions
The reigning Heisman Trophy winner made a great case to take home the award with a huge performance against Notre Dame, putting up 130 yards and 3 touchdowns. Nearly every single catch Smith made was of the highlight reel variety and he looked like an NFL wideout already making plays in the bowl game. Many have connected Smith to where Detroit could pick, and given the talent drain that could play out at wideout with the team, adding a talent like Smith high in the draft has to be enticing for the Lions given his production while in school. With 3,750 yards and 43 touchdowns in college, he is an elite talent, and could make sense as it relates to Detroit depending on how high they select and what they determine the biggest need to be.
In this case, Smith makes extra sense for Detroit given what they need at wideout for the future. Kiper seems to see that, which is why he was the pick in the end in this latest mock draft.
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Mel Kiper Reverses Course on Lions Plans Within Latest Mock Draft