It’s pretty remarkable that we’re entering the week of the 2023 NFL Draft. Before we know it, the draft will be over and we’ll be onto which players fit where. While we wait for that to happen, I reached out to my followers on Twitter and the audience of the Lions Wire. I asked everyone to send me questions about the Detroit Lions and the 2023 NFL Draft. With plenty of great questions, let’s jump into this Monday morning mailbag!
Which players do you love that you absolutely know the Lions won't draft?
Which three players do you love that you absolutely know the Lions won’t draft?
— Kyler Kregel (@kyler_kregel) April 23, 2023
Honestly, it’s a great question because it happens every year. I have a handful of players that I love and the Lions don’t take them. This happens more so on the second day of the draft than anything else. That being said, I love Bijan Robinson from Texas. He’s one of the best players in this class and I think he’d provide an immediate impact for any backfield in the NFL. However, the Lions spent money on David Montgomery and for now, they seem content with D’Andre Swift.
I wouldn’t be shocked if they selected him with the 6th overall pick. Reason being — terrific football player that fits their style of play on offense. Meanwhile, Brad Holmes was with the Rams when they selected Todd Gurley with the 10th overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft. But again, I just don’t see the Lions taking a swing at the running back position in the first round.
Another player that I’ve loved during this draft cycle has been Kansas State cornerback Julius Brents. Talking with him at the Senior Bowl, he’s cerebral with how he watches film and is just another good football player. He’s got great length that he uses to press receivers to the sideline and he’s got some of the quickest feet of any cornerback in the class. The Lions would benefit by selecting him on the second day of the draft. Unfortunately, there’s been no connection of them to Brents from what I’ve been able to gather.
Lastly, can we talk about Matthew Bergeron from Syracuse? He’s a talented offensive tackle with terrific size at 6-foot-5 and 318 pounds. His foot speed needs improving at the next level and that’s why there’s been a lot of talks about a potential move inside to guard. However, he’s got a snatch-trap technique that he tries to use on defenders. He’ll need to become more consistent with it but there’s a lot of tools to work with when you watch the tape of Bergeron.
There’s a lot of buzz surrounding Bergeron right now and it just seems like an unfortunate situation where the Lions might not be able to get him with the 48th overall pick. There’s been some belief that he could be linked to the Buffalo Bills (27th overall) or the Philadelphia Eagles (30th overall) in the first round. At this rate, I think he goes somewhere between picks 27 and 43.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba: chances the Lions draft him and could he coexist with Amon-Ra St. Brown?
I’d love to get JSN at 18, though I doubt he’s available. (And not just because of Jamo.) How do you think he’d co-exist with St. Brown? Can we have an offense with both of them on the field most of the time?
— Alex Lanser (@alex_lanser) April 23, 2023
This is a very good question and Alex even followed up asking about the smaller receivers (Downs, Addison, Flowers, etc) that fit best for Detroit. So I’ll start with JSN and then work my way down the list of receivers. Starting with the Ohio State receiver, he’s talented and very shifty after the catch. His 6.57 second time in the 3-cone drill did him wonders and showcasing that he was healthy really helped him.
One thing for sure is that he’s actually pretty comparable to Amon Ra-St.Brown right now. He can move after the catch (plays faster than timed) but what they can do with pre-snap orbit and jet motions can make an offense tough to figure out. I think we could have both JSN and St. Brown on the field at the same time but I truly don’t think the Lions are going to target JSN. Maybe I’m wrong — we’ll find out on Thursday night.
As for the smaller receivers, I’d just like to say that I love the skill-set of Josh Downs from North Carolina. I’ve very much been a fan of him since November. He’s a smaller receiver at 5-foot-9 and 171 pounds but he plays much bigger. While he won’t do consistently in the NFL, he battles at the catch point and attempts to out-man physical defenders on 50-50 balls.
However, his game translates to being more of a slot receiver in the NFL. Overall, he wins his routes with how he paces himself and I’ve often compared the way he paces his routes to Stefon Diggs. I could see the Lions taking him with the 48th overall pick but I don’t believe Downs will make it that far. Teams in the NFL love him.
Chances the Lions take an RB in the first round and how that would impact the offense?
with the Jamo situation this is what I could see happening. It might have anyway and that is taking Bijan or Gibbs. Both are passing targets and can help while he is out and then be Swift replacement. Could have two RB’s on field at same time.
— Jerry Bissey (@BisseyJerry) April 23, 2023
This is a great point by Jerry and something I thought about during the first question (listed above). Bijan would be a great asset in the Lions passing game for a running back. The Texas coaching staff came out and said he was the best pass-catcher on the team. That could be why Bijan saw close to 70 snaps (per PFF) aligned at wide receiver and in the slot over the last two seasons.
No question about it; the Lions could swing for the fences and take either one of these running backs. It just seems unlikely. One running back I’d keep tabs on is Keaton Mitchell from East Carolina. They brought him in for a top-30 visit, but the interesting backstory on Mitchell is who he was recruited by at East Carolina.
At the time, the head coach of East Carolina was Scottie Montgomery. Prior to being let go in the fall of 2018, Montgomery and his staff had offered a scholarship to Mitchell. Regardless of the coaching changes, Mitchell committed to East Carolina. Fast forward five years and Montgomery is now the Lions running backs coach. I think there’s a connection there.
Who are possible fits for the Lions in the 2nd and 3rd rounds?
Who are possible fits for the Lions in the 2nd and 3rd rounds
— JaRell Respress (@KingRell84) April 23, 2023
Always love the interaction I get from JaRell on Twitter. Great being able to talk Lions football with him. With that, I think there’s quite a few different names because this is the meat and potatoes of the draft. However, I’ll throw two names out there and we’ll see what happens.
For starters, I think the Lions are going to do their best to end up with Wisconsin defensive tackle Keeanu Benton. He had a great week at the Senior Bowl and he’s got an explosive first step. Add in his effort and ability to consistently swipe the hands of the opposition and he seems destined to play as a 3-technique at the next level. I’d love to see Detroit end up selecting him with the 48th overall pick.
Moving onto the next player, I’m going to go a little bit deeper because I’m late to the party. I’ll say Jordan McFadden from Clemson is a player worth monitoring between the 3rd and 4th rounds. While he’s only 6-foot-2 and 303 pounds, McFadden does have 34″ arms and has over 2400 career snaps at both left and right tackle.
This past week I started watching his film and I can’t get enough. He’s patient, keeps his head on a swivel and is able to torque defenders at ease. Moving onto the next level, I believe he’s best suited to play guard, but it wouldn’t surprise me if he could play tackle if a team is in a pinch. The Lions have done their research on him after talking with him at the Scouting Combine, and they brought him in for a top-30 visit. Don’t be surprised if the Lions select him a round earlier than his current projection.
The over/under on trades the Lions make are set at 1 1/2. Do you take the over or under?
The over under on trades the Lions make are set at 1 1/2 do you take the over or under?
— JayTee (@liondude52) April 23, 2023
It’s always so tough to predict trades for the NFL Draft. For example, take the top 10 of the draft order. So many people predict that three or four trades are going to happen, but it just doesn’t happen. Since 2019, we’ve only seen two trades in the top 10 so it’ll be tough for the Lions to move up or out of that 6th overall spot.
As for the 18th overall pick, it wouldn’t surprise me if the Lions moved up or back from that spot. Especially if their board starts getting picked apart. Players such as Nolan Smith from Georgia, Darnell Wright from Tennessee, Deonte Banks from Maryland and Bryan Bresee from Clemson all being picked before the 18th pick could force them to pick up the phones or significantly make adjustments.
Altogether, I’m going to take the under on this bet. I hate betting the under but I’d have to imagine the Lions move from the 18th pick or move some picks around from the middle rounds to try and get back into the first round or to just move up in the second round. Teams worth monitoring as potential trade partners are the Carolina Panthers, Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens.
Wide receiver urgency and the value of a true X-receiver
Hey Russell, I was of the belief before the JMo stuff that we would be looking into wide receiver even as early as 18 but more than likely second or third round. I don't think we will be in much of any more urgency to do so. I'm sure if we take one at 18 especially or
— Arthur (@melchor23) April 23, 2023
This is a great two-part question from Arthur. The first part of the question is the attached tweet and the second part is listed above. That said, I think the receiver position is very interesting in this year’s draft. It’s not a great draft at the position, but there will be a few guys that earn a spot in the league and hold it down. I’m just not sure if the Lions are going to be one of those teams to make that happen.
I will say that if the Lions are going to target a prototypical ‘X’ receiver, it’ll be narrowed down to Cedric Tillman from Tennessee and Quentin Johnston from TCU. Interestingly enough, the Lions have met with Johnston. I just don’t know if I’d select him with the 18th overall pick.
There are moments on tape with Johnston when he looks great. He tracks the ball very well and has shown that he can run after the catch. But then there are moments where it feels like he disappears. He struggles to create separation, and his play strength gets tested in contested catch situations. Add in his abysmal 3-cone drill of 7.31 seconds, and there will be concerns about his ability to change direction.
All together, my wishlist for the Lions at wide receiver are the following players:
- Cedric Tillman, Tennessee
- Jayden Reed, Michigan State
- Jonathan Mingo, Ole Miss
- Rashee Rice, SMU
We’ll see how they attack the draft at wide receiver but it seems unlikely they significantly adjust their board based off the suspension on Jameson Williams.
