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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Jeff Risdon

Detroit Lions Day 3 draft primer: Picks, needs and players to know for Saturday

The final four rounds of the 2023 NFL draft kick off on Saturday. For the Detroit Lions, it figures to be a much quieter afternoon than usual.

Detroit made four picks on Day 2, thanks to making five different trades. As a result of the frenzied Friday movement, Lions GM Brad Holmes brings just two picks into the final four rounds.

Fifth round – 152 overall

Seventh round – 249 overall

Factoring in the first two days of the draft, the Lions now have roster commitments for 74 players already on the 90-man limit. Given how active Holmes and his staff have been on the undrafted free agent market in their first two years in Detroit, don’t expect the Lions to do much in terms of trying to acquire more draft picks in the final four rounds.

Remaining needs

The biggest needs are depth across several positions. Most notably: offensive line. Detroit can add an interior offensive lineman with upside to start in a year or two. A reserve tackle prospect also makes sense. One that can be utilized as an extra tackle/blocking TE right away figures to be the priority.

No team can ever have enough cornerbacks, especially one with a longtime NFL CB running the defense. While second-round pick Brian Branch can (and likely will) play some cornerback, adding another young CB with athletic traits makes sense, too.

Another remaining need is wide receiver. The Lions can go in one of two directions at wideout. They need a replacement possession-type receiver to replace Quintez Cephus and prepare for life after Josh Reynolds, who is entering the final year of his contract.

The Lions also currently lack the quicker-than-fast, instantly open type of lot receiver in the middle of the field. Selecting one of those would allow Amon-Ra St. Brown to more freely move around the formation and better dictate matchups and angles.

Names to watch

Some of the players here fit more into the undrafted free agent signing range, a market the Lions figure to heavily attack once Saturday’s draft ends.

Adetomiba Adebawore, DL, Northwestern

Cameron Young, DT, Mississippi State

Isaiah McGuire, EDGE, Missouri

Jose Ramirez, EDGE, Eastern Michigan

Xavier Hutchinson, WR, Iowa State

Tyler Scott, WR, Cincinnati

A.T. Perry, WR, Wake Forest

Xavier Smith, WR/KR, Florida A&M

Jalen Moreno-Cropper, WR, Fresno State

Antoine Green, WR, North Carolina

Charlie Jones, WR, Purdue

Daniel Scott, S, California

Jason Taylor Jr., S, Oklahoma State

Clark Phillips, CB, Utah

Kyu Blu Kelly, CB, Stanford

Terrell Smith, CB, Minnesota

Mark Evans, OL, Arkansas-Pine Bluff

Sidy Sow, OG, Eastern Michigan

Anthony Bradford, OG, LSU

Chandler Zavala, OG, North Carolina State

Carter Warren, OL, Pittsburgh

Nick Broeker, OG, Ole Miss

McClendon Curtis, OG, UT Chattanooga

Andre Szmyt, K, Syracuse

 

 

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