A NEW ROAR

Hope. The only thing that keeps the Detroit sports fans going as we watch even our most cherished sports teams fall to the bottom of the league tables.

This Lions has been no exception to this rule as we shipped our franchise QB across the states in exchange for a new face of the franchise and future draft capital. If that wasn’t enough, we cleaned out Ford Field by bringing in a polarizing college scout in Brad Holmes from the LA Rams and attracted an extremely talented gang of player coaches lead by none other than former Lions Tight End Dan Campbell. Although they’ve been receiving league-wise praise this offseason, the roster has a vast number of holes to fill, a limited amount of players signed for more than a prove-it year, and limited draft picks organize a competitive squad. That being said, it makes it much harder to be disappointed with so many great options to fill those voids.

Let’s take a look at the direction I believe the lions should go in for the 2021 draft.

Below I will go over the specifics and 2 separate mock drafts including a mock with no trades and a mock with one trade.

DRAFT SPECIFICS

Draft Needs: WR, OT, LB, S, IDL, CB, QB, EDGE

Current Picks: 7, 41, 72, 101, 112, 153

EVB’s MOCK DRAFT (NO TRADES)

Reference: The Draft Networks Mock Draft Machine

ROUND 1 (Picks 1-32)

Best Positional Value: QB, WR, OT

Top Options:
QB – Justin Fields, OSU | Trey Lance, North Dakota State
WR – Ja’Marr Chase , LSU | Jaylen Waddle & Devonta Smith, Alabama
OT – Penei Sewell, Oregon | Rashawn Slater, Northwestern

My Pick 7: Rashawn Slater OT, Northwestern

What are they getting with Rashawn Slater? Projects as a year one starter that could instantly compete and improve the RT position, and dare I say give the lions one of the better o-lines in the NFL? He’s already proved himself against pro-caliber talent (ie. Chase Young) and has a rare combination of strength and quick processing even with a smaller frame.

ROUND 2 (Picks 33-64)

Best Positional Value: OT, G/C, LB, WR, S, Edge

Top Options:
OT – Dillon Radunz, North Dakota State | Liam Eichenberg, Notre Dame
G/C – Landon Dickerson, Alabama
LB – Nick Bolton, Missouri | Baron Browning, OSU | Jamin Davis, Kentucky
WR – Rondale Moore, Purdue | Elijah Moore, Ole Miss | Dyami Brown, UNC
S – Richie Grant, UCF | Jevon Holland, Oregon
Edge – Azeez Ojulari, Georgia

My Pick 41: Dyami Brown WR, North Carolina

What are they getting with Dyami Brown? A WR with deep-ball impact and great ball tracking talent that could push for a starting WR role in the new look Lions offense. His surprising speed could open up some great plays for the lions and allow Jared Goff to air it out when needed.

ROUND 3 (Picks 65-105)

Best Positional Value: OT, LB, CB, S, WR

Top Options:
OT – Spencer Brown, Northern Iowa | Brady Christensen, BYU
LB – Chazz Surratt, South Carolina | Pete Warner, OSU | Jabrill Cox, LSU
CB – Trill Williams, Syracuse | Benjamin St. Juste, Minnesota | Tay Gowan, UCF
S – Hamsah Nasirildeen, FSU | Jamar Johnson, Indiana | Joshuah Bledsoe S, Missouri
WR – Amon-Ra St. Brown, USC | D’Wayne Eskridge, Western Mich | Amari Rodgers, Clemson

My Pick 72: Jabrill Cox LB, LSU

What are they getting with Jabril Cox? A pursuit style linebacker that can play man coverage and help out a desperately depleted linebacker core. He could push for a starting role with his ability to cover high end tight end, running back, and slot receiver talent.

My Pick 101: Joshuah Bledsoe S, Missouri

What are they getting with Joshuah Bledsoe? Bledsoe’s ability to serve as a hybrid safety in the nickel and slot could add versatility to an extremely young and 1-year contract ridden Lion’s secondary. Defeating blocks on the fringe and making strong plays in the run game would be a welcoming skill set.

ROUND 4 (Picks 106-144)

Best Positional Value: S, DL, LB, CB, WR, Edge

Top Options:
S – Talanoa Hufanga, USC | Jamien Sherwood, Auburn | Divine Deablo, Virginia Tech
IDL – Jay Tufele, USC | Tyler Shelvin, LSU | Milton Williams, Louisiana Tech
LB – Dylan Moses, Alabama
CB – Shaun Wade, OSU | Robert Rochell, Central Arkansas | Kelvin Joseph, Kentucky
WR – Tutu Atwell, Louisville | Cade Johnson, South Dakota St. | Josh Palmer, Tennessee
Edge – Hamilcar Rashed Jr., Oregon State

My Pick 112: Kelvin Joseph CB, Kentucky

What are we getting with Kelvin Joseph? A big-bodied CB that could work his way onto the field frequently as an outside corner if he develops under Aubrey Pleasant. His college tape is exciting to watch as he lined up against top 10 pick TE Kyle Pitts and Alabama’s arsenal of weapons.

ROUND 5 (Picks 145-184)

Best Positional Value: WR, CB, IDL, OT, LB

Top Options:
WR – Anthony Schwartz, Auburn | Shi Smith, South Carolina | Dazz Newsome, UNC
CB – Ambry Thomas, UofM
IDL – Marvin Wilson, FSU
OT – Josh Ball, Marshall
LB – Charles Snowden, Virginia | Monty Rice, Georgia

My Pick 153: Monty Rice LB, Georgia

What are we getting with Monty Rice? If you’ve been a lion’s fan through the Matt Patricia era, you understand how poor our linebacking core has been performing. Monty Rice provides some needed depth with an opportunity to be a fantastic special teams player. Easy decision for the last pick of the draft.

No Picks in ROUND 6 (Picks 185-228) or ROUND 7 (Picks 229-259)

 

EVB’S MOCK DRAFT (1 TRADE)

Reference: PFF’s Mock Draft Simulator

Potential Trading Partners & Packages:

DEN Receives: 7
DET Receives: 9, 71, and 191

NE Receives: 7
DET Receives: 15, 46, 120, and 122

PHI Receives: 7
DET Receives: 12, 37, 84

UPDATED DRAFT SPECIFICS

Accepted Trade with DEN

Total Picks After Trade: 9, 41, 71, 72, 101, 112, 153, 191

 

My Pick 9: Rashawn Slater (OT | Northwestern)

My Pick 41: Elijah Moore (WR | Ole Miss)

My Pick 71: Jamin Davis (LB | Kentucky)

My Pick 72: Dyami Brown (WR | UNC)

My Pick 101: Jamar Johnson (S | Indiana)

My Pick 112: Milton Williams (IDL | Ole Miss)

My Pick 153: Benjamin St-Juste (CB | Minnesota)

My Pick 191: Jamien Sherwood (S | Auburn)

Here is how PFF’s Simulator graded my draft (They aren’t high on Rashawn Slater I guess):

 

As you can see the trade opens up the options quite a bit and still fell favorably for the picks I made without trades earlier. We were able to add two more camp bodies that could compete for starting roles. Although I would be happy with my first mock, this second draft allowed us to give Jared Goff a slot and an outside receiver along with some desperately needed interior defensive line depth.

Comment below with how you would grade my draft and questions you may have!

Stay casual until next Tuesday!

EVB

Here are the links to my past mock drafts: 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020