With the NFL combine starting Tuesday in Indianapolis, draft talk is about to really heat up. And we should get peak into what the Lions are thinking when GM Brad Holmes meets with the media later this week.
If Mel Kiper's latest mock is any indication, Detroit is leaning toward defense. Which would make sense for a team that just surrendered the most yards per game and yards per play in the NFL.
Kiper, ESPN's longtime draft analyst, says the Lions "have to come out of this draft with plug-and-play starters on defense." And he projects them to do so with their two first-round picks.
With defensive linemen Will Anderson and Jalen Carter and quarterbacks Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud and Will Levis off the board at No. 6, Kiper has the Lions taking Oregon cornerback Christian Gonzalez to fill a major position of need:
I wrote in January this was a little high for the Lions to take a cornerback, but I've come around on the ceiling of this corner class. We could see two in the top 10. People I talk to in the NFL believe Gonzalez is going to test off the charts at the combine. ... The 6-2 Gonzalez had a stellar 2022 season at Oregon, picking off four passes.
Gonzalez would be a boon for a defense that allowed the most yards per completion and second most yards per pass last season. Depending on what the Lions do in free agency, he could be their No. 1 corner to start 2023.
And with the 18th overall pick, Kiper has the Lions taking Arkansas linebacker Drew Sanders to address another position of need. (For those wondering, Florida QB Anthony Richardson was off the board.)
They should double dip on defense in Round 1, and Sanders, my top-ranked inside linebacker, would really help them. ... His pass-rush upside means he could move around the defense and make plays, and he should be a three-down defender.
One of the top recruits in the country in 2020, Sanders was a force in his lone season at Arkansas after transferring from Alabama. He racked up 9.5 sacks, 13.5 tackles for loss, five passes defended and three forced fumbles in 2022.
Kiper said he also considered a tight end for the Lions at No. 18 "because it's a talented class at the top and there's a hole after the T.J. Hockenson trade, but the team likely could address the position on Day 2."
"It should use Day 1 to focus on defense," says Kiper.
Hardly anyone would disagree.
Listen live to 97.1 The Ticket via:
Audacy App | Online Stream | Smart Speaker
