Lions NFL Combine Watch: Rising Defenders & QB Among Best Potential Fits

The 2022 NFL Combine is set to get underway on March 1, and the Detroit Lions are one of the teams that will be the most interested teams given their 10 draft picks for this coming year.

Detroit has the chance to play a major role in how this year’s NFL draft plays out with their two picks that come early and late in the first round. With those picks, the team hopes to find a pair of starters that can play a major role for the team during the 2022 year and beyond.

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What players should the Lions be watching closest when all is said and done? Here’s a look at some of the top names to remember as workouts get set to go on the field from Indianapolis this week.

Georgia LB Nakobe Dean

The Lions need linebacker assistance in the worst way this coming season, and Dean is one of the top players in the draft. Detroit will have to hope he doesn’t perform too well during the event so that they might get a shot at him later in the first round. Dean had a solid career with the Bulldogs putting up 168 tackles, 7.5 sacks, 2 interceptions and 7 passes defended to go with 3 forced fumbles. The tape shows what an explosive athlete he is:

Will some of those traits be on display for teams as well as Detroit to cement his first-round status, or will Dean slide down the board and perhaps look like more of a second-round pick? This could be an important watch this week for the Lions’ hopes of improving one of the weakest spots on their entire defense.

Cincinnati CB Coby Bryant

Detroit’s defensive back group battled and played well most of the 2021 season in spite of plenty of limitations, but the time has come to perhaps beef it up again this offseason. Finding a few diamonds in the rough could be a good idea, and Bryant could be one of those guys.

The Lions coached him at the Senior Bowl, so they will likely be watching to see what plays out with Bryant this week, especially given what he has done statistically to this point. In his career with Cincinnati, Bryant put up 170 tackles and 9 interceptions. Here’s a look at his tape:

Again, the Lions will be hoping Bryant can stay under the radar a bit, because he’s a good scheme fit for Detroit and could be the perfect player to help them turn things around and add more depth on the back end. Remember this name as workouts go on this week for defensive backs.

Michigan DE Aidan Hutchinson

Early on, the debate for the Lions as it relates to Aidan Hutchinson vs. Kayvon Thibodeaux up front has centered around potential against production. Seeing who shows the most athletically this week will be important, which is where Hutchinson could close any potential gap for a team like Detroit.

This year, Hutchinson put together a stellar regular season with 14 sacks, 58 tackles and 2 forced fumbles. He looked like one of the best defenders in college football throughout the second half of the season and was a problem for whatever teams have lined up against him thus far:

Production was never the issue for Hutchinson, but athleticism might be. This week, he can cement himself as a player that is firmly in play for the Detroit pick with a quality week of work. Between him and Thibodeaux, the Lions should be watching Hutchinson just a bit closer as a result.

Liberty QB Malik Willis

Quarterback is seemingly the one wild-card spot for the Lions in the draft. They could avoid the position altogether, or they could look at striking on a player they like either late in the first-round or with the 34th selection in the draft, providing one is around. Willis might be one of the top prospects in the draft, and the Lions just coached him in the Senior Bowl. Seeing if he can generate some good momentum in Indianapolis will be huge for Detroit.

Thus far this year, Willis has been no slouch with the numbers either, putting up 27 touchdowns to just 12 interceptions with 2,857 yards passing through the 2021 season. Here’s a look at some of his tape:

Willis showed flashes during the Senior Bowl, and if he can boost that performance with a good week, he might very well be in play for a team like Detroit that has a sneaky need for a signal-caller. No doubt all quarterbacks should be monitored by the Lions this week, but Willis might be the most important one.

USC WR Drake London

The Lions did pretty good with the last wideout they tapped from the Trojans during the draft, and would likely love a shot at a dynamic deep threat like London. As he proved in college, London is the kind of player that can break a game with 2,153 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns in four seasons played.

A look at the highlights shows an explosive downfield threat who can make tough catches look easy:

London had a bad break in 2021 with regards to injury, so seeing how he looks is going to be very important. Without injury, he might very well have worked his way into the conversation to be an early pick. With a good week, he could once again work his way up the board.

The Lions will have to be all-eyes to see if a player that could make sense in the late first round is able to stick on the board.

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