Conventional wisdom says the Lions should take an offensive tackle or defensive end with their first pick in the draft. But when has Brad Holmes ever cared about conventional wisdom?
Certainly, there will be a wealth of players at those two positions for the Lions to consider at No. 17 overall. And they probably wouldn't regret grabbing an offensive tackle like Georgia's Monroe Freeling or Clemson's Blake Miller or an edge like Miami's Akheem Mesidor or Clemson's T.J. Parker and filling a long-term roster hole.
"The two tackle names that came up in a lot of my conversations for them were (Kadyn) Proctor and Freeling," NFL Draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah said Tuesday. "I don’t know that they’re both there, but a good chance that one of them is. Those two players would make some sense for them with where they're picking."
"And then the corner situation," Jeremiah added, "the fascinating one is going to be Jermod McCoy."
The Lions are just two years removed from double-dipping at corner with their top two picks, a year removed from signing D.J. Reed to a three-year, $48 million contract. But NFL sands shift quickly. Terrion Arnold has had a shaky start to his career and is facing some off-field uncertainty amid an ongoing kidnapping/robbery investigation to which he's been linked, Ennis Rakestraw is a total unknown after losing most of his first two seasons to injuries, and Reed did not play well on the backside of a hamstring injury last season.
No, the Lions shouldn't need to be in the first-round corner market. But they very much might be. And McCoy, who might otherwise be a surefire top-10 pick, could still be on the board at No. 17 after missing all of last season due to a torn ACL he suffered in Tennessee's final game of 2024. And when has Holmes ever cared about pre-draft injuries?
"Jermod McCoy has top-10 talent from 2024," said Jeremiah. "It’s legit. All his tape there is as good as anything you’ll see in this draft. He plays big, he’s explosive."
If McCoy raised some concerns among teams by declining to test at the combine, he quieted them at his pro day. He clocked a 4.38 in the 40-yard dash, which would have been the second fastest among corners at the combine, and restated his explosiveness in the vertical and broad jump as well.
"But the change of direction," warned Jeremiah, "not totally there yet. So, how much risk is associated with that? Does that cause him to slide or fall? A little bit of a gamble there with the health situation, but man, if he’s there and you pull the trigger and you hit on it, you’ve got a dynamic difference-maker."
Again, the Lions don't have one at that position. In fact, the only time they've had a proven No. 1 corner under Holmes and Dan Campbell was in 2024 with Carlton Davis III, the only year they've had a top-10 scoring defense. The healthy safety duo of Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch was Detroit's biggest defensive strength that year, but Davis III certainly steadied things on the outside.
It’s no secret that elite cornerback play is crucial in today’s NFL. The top six scoring defenses last season, including three of the four teams that played on conference championship weekend, boasted a dynamic difference-maker at corner: Devon Witherspoon for the Super Bowl champion Seahawks, Patrick Surtain II for Denver, Christian Gonzalez for New England, Derek Stingley Jr. for Houston, Quinyon Mitchell for Philadelphia and Trent McDuffie for Kansas City. And the only outlier on championship weekend, the Rams, turned around and traded for McDuffie this offseason.
The common thread between those players? First-round picks. The Seahawks all but snatched Witherspoon out of Detroit's hands when they took him fifth overall in 2023, one pick before the Lions were believed to be eyeing him. The Lions traded down from No. 6 to No. 12 when he came off the board and landed Jahmyr Gibbs and Sam LaPorta in the process, but their moves at corner in the following draft haven't paid nearly the same dividends.
McCoy's pro day, per ESPN draft analyst Matt Miller, served as a late reminder "that he was the top corner in this class and would have been, I think, the top corner in last year’s class had he been draft eligible then."
"And again, late buzz is better than early buzz," Miller said, via the New York Post. "To remind general managers about 20 days before the NFL Draft who you are, that you’re healthy, I think that momentum is really going to help him out."
Holmes and the Lions are intent on taking the best player on their board at No. 17 (within positional reason). Odds are, McCoy will be gone before then. Miller sees him as a top-10 pick, with the Cowboys representing his floor at No. 12. But the first night of the draft is full of twists.
If McCoy slides, could the Lions pounce?
