After yet another successful Senior Bowl, the Detroit Lions were able to be up and personnel with some of the draft’s top talent and took advantage. The Lions were able to gauge the players, who may have opened some eyes in the process in hopes of elevating their stock.
The players may have not only impressed the teams in attendance but also possibly a few draftniks in the process. One is Jordan Reid from ESPN, who recently released a mock draft and gave the Lions three players who could immediately contribute next year.
Reid kept with the growing trend of slotting an offensive tackle to the Jacksonville Jaguars with the first overall pick, projecting Alabama’s Evan Neal. In turn, this leaves the Lions with their choice of the top edge rushers, either Kayvon Thibodeaux or Aidan Hutchinson, with the second overall selection.
Reid has the Lions selecting back-to-back Oregon players in his mock draft, with Thibodeaux as the selection. There will be a lot of back-and-forth between the two edge rushers, and at the end of the day, you can’t go wrong with either one. Thibodeaux is superbly athletic, can bend for days, and will be a terror off the edge, giving the Lions a playmaker they desperately need on the defensive line.
When the Lions obtained Josh Reynolds off of waivers, you could easily see how more comfortable Jared Goff felt in the offense, and it would benefit the Lions if they obtained another playmaker. Reid does just that by slotting Penn State’s Jahan Dotson. Even though Dotson is more viewed as an outside receiver, he can play in the slot equally effectively as well. That gives the Lions a lot more flexibility on offense with T.J. Hockenson and Amon-Ra St. Brown.
The Lions might see a shakeup at safety with Tracy Walker, Dean Marlowe, and C.J. Moore all hitting free agency, leaving a massive hole in the deep part of the field. Reid helps fill the hole with the selection of a local Michigan Wolverine product, Daxton Hill. Aaron Glenn will love to get a hold of Hill, who could be a chess piece on the field with the versatility to line up high or in the slot due to his blazing speed and natural instincts. It will give the Lions the ability to play matchup football and take advantage of any situation laid in front of them.
Reid addressed some of the biggest holes plaguing the Lions squad, which would be a dream scenario heading in the 2022 season. Nabbing two stud defenders and a versatile receiver will help catapult the rebuild for the Lions, who will look to turn this ship around in Detroit.
