The Detroit Lions slipped in the NFL draft standings after their win this week, and a big worry for the fanbase has suddenly become late-season victories perhaps compromising the team’s draft position down the stretch.
Many are fretting the fact that the Lions might find a way to lose out on a stud player such as Michigan’s Aidan Hutchinson if they fall too far down the draft order. The good news? Fans might not even have that to worry about if a recent mock is any indication of how things may play out next year.
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A recent mock draft courtesy of Yahoo Sports! and Eric Edholm provided the first look at what a potential second-overall selection could look like for the team. Edholm had the Lions still picking up Hutchinson even though the Lions had slid into the second spot of the draft.
As Edholm writes, the Lions could be in a great position with either Hutchinson or Kayvon Thibodeaux. As he said, Hutchinson is as close to a JJ Watt-level prospect as a team could get, and that could make for a solid defensive front given what Detroit already has on the roster.
Further down with pick 24, Edholm had the Lions coming away with USC wideout Drake London. As Edholm wrote, the Lions do have a wideout need even as they have found Amon-Ra St. Brown and Josh Reynolds late this season. London is a player he calls “tantalizingly raw” who has ability but struggled with injury, meaning he could become an intriguing pickup for a Detroit team still looking for playmaking help.
Either way, in this first mock, the Lions don’t seem to have lost much even though they pulled off a late-season upset.
Lions Moved Down Within Draft Order Following Week 15
Detroit’s 30-12 win in Week 15 has come with the positive of a ton of praise for the franchise, their players and the team’s head coach Dan Campbell, but has come with the drawback of slipping one spot in the standings when it comes to the first-overall pick in the draft.
As Tankathon.com showed on Twitter following the outcome of the Detroit and Jacksonville teams, the Lions have now flip-flopped in the standings with the Jaguars and are sitting in position for the second-overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft.
Is there a chance of the Lions gaining back control of the top pick? Perhaps, because the Jaguars play the New York Jets in Week 16 before finishing with the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts. The Lions play Atlanta, Seattle and Green Bay to finish out the season.
No matter if the Lions end up picking first or second, they will be likely to get a difference maker who could move the needle in future seasons just like this mock draft shows.
Lions’ 2022 NFL Draft Primer
Detroit will continue to use the draft as the biggest way to build their roster. If the Lions manage to secure the top selection in the draft as most will hope they can do, 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 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.
It could be a bright future for the Lions if they hit on these picks and build the roster, and that’s true no matter who they end up with.
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