LIONS MOCK draft

I can’t lie you guys, I’m not a big mock draft gal. And to continue with full transparency, it’s

because I simply don’t tend to follow the careers of very many collegiate football players outside of

those playing on my favorite team (GO BLUE!) or for our rivals (teams that shall not be named). Of

course, each year come draft time, I start to do some research, read up on prospects, Lions’ visits, other

mock drafts, etc. But I typically subscribe to the belief that we, to put it plainly, just don’t know! We just

don’t. Year in and year out we see draft “busts”, players that surprise us once they get out onto the

field, and those that fade into that sort of “whatever happened to *insert name here*” group, so on and

so forth.

I digress. And anyways, all that said, I did a mock draft! (LOL). Although I actually completed

three separate mocks, the one I’m sharing with you below is the one in which I kept it simple and stayed

put in the Lions current draft order. I kind of loved how the board fell. Here’s how it went. Be nice to me:

1. Round 1, Pick 6:

Will Anderson Jr., Edge, Alabama

This one felt like a no brainer to me with Anderson Jr. still on the board. In my opinion, the Lions’ most immediate need in this year’s draft is on the defensive line, and Anderson Jr. is one hell of an addition. According to CBS Sports’ prospect profile, Anderson Jr. finished his college career second ALL TIME in Alabama’s program history in tackles for a loss with 62 and sacks with 34.5. He had 17.5 sacks in the 2021 season alone! A two-time unanimous first-team All-American and two-time SEC Defensive Player of the Year, what’s not to like?

2. Round 1, Pick 18:

Bijan Robinson, RB, Texas

Maybe the board fell TOO well in this mock because as pick number 18 rolled around, the best running back in the draft was still available and I HAD to bite. PFF has Robinson ranked as “the best running back prospect” to enter a draft since they started grading college football in 2014. Woah! With D’Andre Swift hoping to show that he can stay healthy entering a contract year and Jamaal Williams heading to the Saints in free agency, Robinson could make some serious waves and be a part of the foundation the Lions are trying to build alongside David Montgomery in the running back room.

3. Round 2, Pick 48:

Calijah Kancey, DT, Pittsburgh

Again, I’m sitting at pick 48 in my mock simulator thinking, “How is Kancey still on the board”? And can the board fall this way in real life, please?! The Lions will need all the help that they can get along the defensive line and Kancey is legit. He led the nation in tackles in 2022. Plus, Brad Holmes seems to feel a certain affection for fast Pitt interior defensive lineman (*cough, cough Aaron Donald*). And speaking of Aaron Donald, Kancey’s 4.67 40 time is the fastest for any DT since Donald’s in ’03. Small world, huh?

4. Round 2, Pick 55:

Cody Mauch, OT, North Dakota State

Albeit the offensive line for the Lions is without a doubt one of their strongest points, I went OT here with the mindset, “let’s keep it that way”. When researching prior to this mock, I was surprised to read in a Pride of Detroit article (by Erik Schlitt) that outside of Frank Ragnow, every interior offensive lineman is on an expiring contract. *Nervous laughter*. Mauch is an interesting prospect that would have some developing to do in the league, but he did rank Top 5 in production score, athleticism score and total score among offensive tackles at the combine according to NextGen Stats. He was also voted First-Team All-American in 2022.

5. Round 3, Pick 81:

Marvin Mims Jr., WR, Oklahoma

While I don’t necessarily see wide receiver as a huge need for the Lions, my gut says they still take one with Amon-Ra St. Brown due for an extension (and a big one at that, which will mean another receiver on a rookie contract couldn’t hurt), Marvin Jones Jr. only on a one-year deal, and Josh Reynolds potentially not a piece of the future. While Mims Jr., to be frank, isn’t my favorite receiver in the draft, I went with the “best player available” strategy here. And the way my board fell, Mims was the guy. With some development and strength training, his lateral quickness could make him a nice complementary piece.

6. Round 5, Pick 152:

Jay Ward, S, LSU

You’ll notice I went with DBs with both Lions’ fifth round picks. This is a good class for defensive backs, and I think we’ll see some late round gems. According to Ward’s draft profile on NFL.com, his versatility makes him more likely to become a future NFL starter. I took him here because a rookie year under the current vet DBs in the Lions’ locker room (Cam Sutton, Emmanuel Moseley, C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Tracy Walker and crew) has got to be one of the better starts a rookie could hope for. Albeit, I could have easily switched the order of this and the next pick and probably should have.

7. Round 5, Pick 159:

Riley Moss, CB, Iowa

This dude has played a ton of football throughout his college career! According to PFF, 2,606 snaps in 5 seasons to be exact. Add to that his 11 interceptions since 2018 and you’ve got yourself a ballhawk. Moss is great at the catch point. With some work under the veteran Lions defensive backs, and as long as he can stay healthy, Moss could develop into a real NFL talent.

8. Round 6, Pick 183:

Cam Jones, LB, Indiana

I’m taking a chance here. In my opinion, the Lions could use some depth at linebacker, but I wasn’t overly thrilled with the options left on the board. However, I do think Jones has a ton of potential and Brad Holmes likes himself a late round linebacker (see: Malcom Rodriguez). Now, while Jones’ combine was nothing to write home about, there’s something to be said for him being a three-time team captain at Indiana. And, many draft profiles, including that of NFL.com, have been complimentary of his ability to be patient, correctly recognize plays and make strong tackles.

9. *Drum roll please* Round 6, Pick 194:

Dorian Thompson-Robinson, QB, UCLA

The moment many that have been reading this article have been waiting for- a quarterback! Now listen, in the couple other mocks I completed, I played around with trade scenarios and quarterbacks a bit earlier (I took Hendon Hooker in the 3 rd in one). But, in this specific draft, I went with an intriguing prospect with the team’s last pick. Yes, I do believe there’s a need to address quarterback. And yes, I do think that it’s very likely the Lions will do so in this draft, possibly even first. But, here we are in Rachel’s make believe draft where she prioritized the other holes first. So, sorry to those that think this is wild, but Thompson-Robinson does have quite a few attributes I think the Lions may like, above average mobility being one of them. The ability to put additional stress on defenders by running outside of the pocket is something we haven’t seen in Detroit…ever? Or so it feels. Thompson-Robinson boasts 28 career rushing touchdowns and according to NFL.com is a very accurate passer in quick game and possession throws. The draft profiles that I’ve perused list weaknesses that seem surmountable and certainly that are not unique to just him. One thing I believe about this coaching staff whole-heartedly is that they will push to get the best from each and every player put in front of them. So, what the hell, why not?

• Rachel