The college football regular season has come to an end as the calendar flips to December. It’s a good time for the fresh update of the 7-
The pick order is based on the current NFL standings and playoff seeding ladder entering NFL Week 13. Detroit would pick 27th in the first round.
Version 2.0 from the bye in Week 9
Mock drafts at this place and time are about ideas and getting more familiar with players who could intrigue the Lions during the 2024 NFL draft in April in Detroit.
The first round is pulled straight from the latest full NFL mock draft over at Draft Wire.
1st round: Jared Verse, EDGE, Florida State
There is a lot about Verse that should excite the Lions. He’s got great length, excellent burst, enough strength that can can go power-to-speed, and he’s fought hard to make more of himself after starting college at Albany.
Here’s what I wrote for commentary at Draft Wire,
Another player who ranked much higher in preseason, Verse had a hit-and-miss campaign for the Seminoles. The bend and closing burst remain fantastic, and that’s exactly what Detroit needs opposite Aidan Hutchinson. The Lions would have to live with his astronomical missed tackle rate (over 25 percent in two years) and spotty run defense.
Verse checks the Lions character and intelligence boxes, too.
2nd round: Kris Abrams-Draine, CB, Missouri
The first of two repeat performers in this mock, and he’s moved up a round based on how it appears the NFL views Abrams-Draine. The converted wide receiver is one of the best in the draft class at playing the ball in the air, as yo might expect for a former WR.
Where Abrams-Draine keeps climbing is with his tackling. For being around 180 pounds, he’s a very sure tackler with some pop behind his pads. At his size (listed 5-11/178), he’s going to need to prove he can handle the physicality of the NFL to play outside. At worst, he enters the league as a plucky, smart slot corner who can also play some free safety — a flexibility that would allow the Lions to mix-and-match more with Brian Branch. Abrams-Draine also has return experience, too.
3rd round (from MIN): Ruke Orhorhoro, DT, Clemson
Orhorhoro is in the mold of the player that the Lions hoped Levi Onwuzurike would become for them, a heavy DE/attack DT who can play anywhere between the 1T and 5T. He’s got heavy hands and excellent base strength, which Orhorhoro uses well to create space for himself as a pass rusher.
He played basketball (and football) at River Rouge HS near Detroit, and the footwork from his childhood hoops career shows. Despite being built like a grizzly bear, Orhorhoro is nimble and can get into gaps. It doesn’t always work, which is why he’s still available in the 65-85 overall range here.
3rd round: Christian Mahogany, OG, Boston College
If Pro Bowl left guard Jonah Jackson leaves in free agency, that position moves to extreme prominence in the Lions draft needs. What better way to replace him than with an eerily similar player!
I had Mahogany to the Lions in the later rounds last time. Now, after watching more of Mahogany steamroll defenders and stonewall pass rushers, I’m not sure he makes it to this pick near the end of the third round.
I haven’t watched every prospect yet, but it will be surprising if I find a better on-the-move blocker in this draft. Perfect plug-and-play starter for the next four years.
5th round: Malik Washington, WR, Virginia
Washington blossomed into one of the best, most consistent playmakers in the country after transferring from Northwestern to Virginia. At 5-8 and 194, he’s short-not-small, and he uses his thick lower body to excel after the catch and run through tackles.
The Cavaliers used him more over the middle and in layered route concepts than Washington saw at Northwestern, and it worked brilliantly. It makes the three-time Academic All-Conference player a very easy fit into the Lions offense. The sure hands also stand out: in his last 250 passing targets, Washington has just four drops — that’s better than Amon-Ra St. Brown (8 in his last 254).
6th round: Mark Perry, S, TCU
Perry has a shot to be the fastest player in the 2024 NFL draft. A former 100m sprinter for Colorado while also earning reps as a pass-rush specialist DB as a true freshman, Perry’s second season after transferring to TCU showed enough growth in his all-around game to merit draft consideration.
He certainly looks the part at 6 feet and 215 pounds. While he’s still straight-linish with his speed, Perry’s reaction time and quickness getting going in coverage improved in 2023. He’s always been a good tackler despite a track background. A recent Shrine Bowl acceptance will give him a chance to show more of what he can do in man coverage, which will determine if this range of the draft is right.
7th round: Jalen Green, EDGE, James Madison
Green was a key factor in the upstart Dukes finishing 11-1 after making the jump from FCS to the Sun Belt. The 6-foot-1, 245-pound senior wound up leading the nation in sacks with 15.5 in just nine games. Five of those came in one game against Marshall.
And there’s the issue and also the appeal for the Lions. Green suffered a season-ending knee injury that will prevent him from working out before the draft. It’s unclear how long the knee will sideline him; neither Green nor JMU have disclosed the exact injury. But productive collegians who fall because of injury are catnip for Brad Holmes, and it’s easy to see the Lions final pick going to a pass-rush specialist who finishes incredibly well and can win over either shoulder of a tackle.
