Lions NFL mock draft mailbag: Analyzing how 10 boards address Detroit’s needs

The NFL Draft hay is in the barn.

With the 2024 draft now firmly on deck next week, most teams — including the Detroit Lions — are putting the final touches on their prospect boards. However, nothing’s final until the day of the draft. The work on each pick continues until the card gets turned in.

With that in mind, it’s time to pick your brain. We asked for your Lions mock draft submissions. And we heard from plenty of mock versions of Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell. Here are some of our favorites.

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Former Lions beat writer (and “One of These Years” podcast member) Chris Burke chiming in here. And with a pretty interesting trade.

Normally, people suggest moving the first-round pick. In this one, Chris traded a Lions second and seventh for a third and a fifth from the Los Angeles Chargers. This is absolutely something Holmes considers during drafts, especially if he’s comfortable with his board for a pick at a future spot where other teams might not be. In this case, Chris suggests Holmes will play the board for secondary help.

I personally love the Ladd McConkey pick at No. 29 and have considered it a bunch. I think finding another pass catcher who is really good at getting open to pair with Amon-Ra St. Brown and Sam LaPorta is more important than size or shape. McConkey might look like a St. Brown duplicate in some ways, but both guys are so versatile. It’s not a bad thing.

By trading down, Chris still found a starting corner candidate in Kentucky’s Andru Phillips — one of the most versatile back-end defenders in this draft — and big, rangy Wake Forest safety Malik Mustapha. He added more cornerback depth to this with South Dakota’s Myles Harden at 201. That’s another thing I believe is possible: The Lions could take more than one defensive back this year. — Baumgardner

We’ll call this the “Feed the Beast” draft. Frank has the Lions adding Oklahoma tackle Tyler Guyton and West Virginia center Zach Frazier with their first two picks. Long-term, they’d be replacements for Taylor Decker and Frank Ragnow. Never a bad idea to have an eye on the future, especially since Decker is entering the final year of his contract and Ragnow has dealt with nagging injuries over the years.

Elsewhere, the Lions add a corner with some inside-outside versatility in Kris Abrams-Draine, a local product in Blake Corum, an edge, a safety and a CFL corner. Not the sexiest draft, but it does address depth and future needs. — Pouncy

Here, from Andrew, we see an offensive-line inspired draft. It begins with a mini-trade up to No. 20, costing us 29, 164 and a future third. We also got a fourth-rounder back. With the trade in the first Andrew picked Washington offensive lineman Troy Fautanu, one of the most interesting potential fits for Detroit.

Fautanu played left tackle last year for the Huskies and was a critical piece of their drive to the national title game. He’s an outstanding athlete with a legit punch and above-average length. His movement skills and body type suggest he might be a better fit inside at guard. However, I think Fautanu could also play tackle in the NFL.

Kevin Zeitler signed a one-year deal and is not a long-term solution. The idea here would be playing Fautanu at guard immediately and then, perhaps, sliding him over to tackle once Decker’s run with the franchise has ended. I do not hate this at all. Fautanu would fit in really well with Detroit’s front both today and long-term. You’d be solving multiple problems with one pick. In fact, I like this draft a lot, all the way down to Will Reichard’s foot in the seventh round. — Baumgardner

A swing-for-the fences type of draft, but one that could ultimately land the Lions their shutdown corner of the future. In this mock, our guy has the Lions trading No. 29 and their 2025 first to the Broncos for Alabama’s Terrion Arnold. Arnold is considered one of the top corners in the draft, so it would likely take a haul to get him. The Lions brought him in for a visit this month, so they’re doing their homework. Sacrificing a future first would be tough, but Holmes has traded up for his guys in the past.

Elsewhere, the Lions add a talented wide receiver in Ja’Lynn Polk, an offensive lineman in Blake Fisher, Michigan edge Braiden McGregor in the fourth via trade, then round it out with Air Force safety Trey Taylor and Mississippi State defensive tackle Jaden Crumedy. A very intriguing draft that gives the Lions impact talent and depth. — Pouncy

No trades from Soyer, and this is a really good draft.

Nate Wiggins may not be there at No. 29, but I don’t know that for sure. The cornerback class is strong at the top, especially the top two in Arnold and Toledo’s Quinyon Mitchell. Wiggins is at least CB3 and while a bunch of teams picking in front of Detroit need corners, he’s also a young player who’s still growing and was so-so with his run defense.

Wiggins ran a 4.28 at the combine and was disappointed with it. He has ridiculous speed and is a difference-making athlete. If you can snag him at 29, you do it.

Not only does Soyer follow Wiggins up with Jonah Elliss, the son of former Lions great Luther Elliss (and a really savvy football player) and UCF wide receiver Javon Baker (one of my sleepers this year), but he also addresses multiple offensive line needs with two really solid prospects in Michigan’s Zak Zinter and Wisconsin’s Tanor Bortolini.

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I’ll start by saying I don’t think Bortolini is going to make it to 201. He’s really athletic and a number of teams are center-needy. I also don’t quite know what the range on Zinter will be, as he’s still recovering from a leg injury and unlike some of the other top linemen in this class, he’s truly a guard-only prospect. He was a no-doubt Day 2 guy before the injury. Now, he could still be available on Day 3. — Baumgardner

McConkey has been a popular pick in these mocks, and for good reason. He’s a crisp route runner who knows how to separate and get open. In this mock, the Lions load up defensively after the McConkey pick with Ohio State defensive tackle Michael Hall Jr. and Michigan defensive back Mike Sainristil. The way Sainristil has been discussed, I’m not sure he makes it to that pick, but I do think he fits the Lions’ philosophy of drafting “football players.”

I like the pick here of Tip Reiman, one of the best blockers in the draft. Not the biggest need with the Lions re-signing Brock Wright, but we know how much the Lions love tight ends and the run game. It would be very fun. — Pouncy

Pretty big trade here. Nate was looking for a way to move up into the middle of the first for UCLA edge Laiatu Latu and pulled off a trade with the Seahawks to go get his guy.

I’m not sure Detroit would have to move up this far to snag Latu, who likely won’t be available at 29 but could certainly be on the board in the early 20s. Still, it’ll cost something for any of the top three edges in this class. Be it Latu, Florida State’s Jared Verse and especially Alabama’s Dallas Turner. Latu is the best technician in this year’s edge class. His move set is deep and refined in ways that aren’t matched this year. This is not an overly deep or necessarily great edge class.

So, if the Lions want to find an impact guy opposite Aidan Hutchinson, they’ll likely need to be prepared to move up.

Another thing I like about this mock, apart from being bold, is that Nate gave up a lot of picks and still left this draft with just about every team need box checked. That speaks to Detroit’s situation right now. It’s not in dire need of anything.

Note from Colton: Per the Rich Hill trade chart, the Lions would be receiving 329 points of value in exchange for 272. This mock heavily favors Detroit. Not sure Seattle goes for that without the numbers being better aligned. — Baumgardner

You had me at Jackson-Powers Johnson. I’m kidding, but he’s one of my favorite prospects, as someone who fits a need and gives the team a potential impact talent. Ricky Pearsall is a talented wide receiver who can separate, Sainristil helps the DB room and we round this haul out with defensive depth and a tackle. Sneaky-good draft here, but again, not sure if Sainristil makes it this far. — Pouncy

A true needs-based draft here from Andrew from top to bottom, including No. 29 in Jordan Morgan. The Arizona offensive lineman was a left tackle in college but might wind up being kicked inside to guard in the NFL due to body size. He’s another one of these versatile players who could wear multiple hats — exactly what the Lions like.

I do not think Kneeland will be there at No. 61. The Lions did bring him in for a top-30 visit recently, but his stock is much closer to the top of the second round (my opinion) than the bottom of it. If you snag him, though, great get.

The sleeper here is David White Jr. The Western Carolina receiver had some outstanding stretches against top-level competition earlier this winter at the Shrine Bowl as a solid, athletic, 6-foot-2 X-receiver. — Baumgardner

This is one of my favorite drafts. After a trade down from 29 to 33, adding 101 in the process, the Lions pick Darius Robinson — a Detroit native and a versatile edge. Pearsall adds to the wide receiver room. Christian Mahogany “plays like a bouncer outside of a club,” per The Athletic’s Dane Brugler, and could project as a future starter at guard. Phillips gives them a man corner. Javon Foster gives them a developmental tackle. Then they round it out with Reiman, a linebacker and a kicker for special teams help. Bravo, my friend. — Pouncy

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(Photos of Ladd McConkey and Mike Sainristil: Carmen Mandato and Gregory Shamus / Getty Images)