For millions of Americans, this week is spring break. It’s a time for families to get away and spend quality time together, or for college-age folks to live it up.
For some college student-athletes, it’s still time to work. The NFL draft is coming up quickly, and the prospects hoping to get selected are still doing everything they can to help their draft stock.
A select few of those prospects will become Detroit Lions. Here’s the latest projection of who those players could be when the draft takes place later this month.
2023 Lions mock draft: Post-free agent kickoff edition
Note: this is a projection of what the Lions might do with their picks, not a reflection of the choices I would make in the same situation. The “what I would do” mock draft comes closer to the draft. No trades in this one.
1st round, No. 6: Tyree Wilson, EDGE, Texas Tech
The path to who is available at No. 6:
1. Panthers – C.J. Stroud
2. Texans – Bryce Young
3. Cardinals – Will Anderson
4. Colts – Will Levis
5. Seahawks – Jalen Carter
The Lions realistic choices here are Wilson, Florida QB Anthony Richardson, Georgia EDGE Nolan Smith, their choice of the top CBs and OTs, and maybe Texas RB Bijan Robinson.
Wilson gets the nod for his extremely impressive length, athleticism and functional strength as an all-around defender. His ability to collapse the edge and win with power-to-speed is a great complement to Aidan Hutchinson, and both have the size and football IQ to line up all over the front.
1st round, No. 18: Devon Witherspoon, CB, Illinois
At one point, Witherspoon was a leading contender to be the Lions’ pick at No. 6. It just doesn’t seem like the NFL is high enough on the Illinois CB in a top-heavy CB class to take him so early, however. He’s got very real potential to be available at No. 18. If so, the Lions pounce on a press-man specialist with some swagger and exceptional fight/size of dog ratio.
2nd round, 48 overall: Keion White, DL, Georgia Tech
This pick riffs off the Brad Holmes comment from the owners’ meetings about going over the top on loading up a position group. In Holmes’ example, he cited the then-St. Louis Rams overloading on the defensive line when he was in their scouting department.
Flash forward to Holmes and the Lions. Do they need a versatile, freakishly athletic end/tackle who has yet to play his best football? Not nearly as much as they can use other pieces across the roster. But White is a unique high-end commodity at this level of the draft, a potential attack tackle at 285 pounds but with enough athleticism and twitch to play base DE too. I’d consider White at 18; to get him at 48 is a coup–albeit a risky one.
No. 55: Zach Charbonnet, RB, UCLA
In my last mock, Charbonnet was the Lions’ third-round pick. He’s such a perfect fit for Ben Johnson’s offensive scheme and desires that I kicked him up the priority ladder a little and took him with the bonus second-rounder. Charbonnet would catch more passes in 2023-2024 in Detroit than any tight end the Lions could draft here in the pick acquired for dealing away Pro Bowler T.J. Hockenson.
3rd round: Daiyan Henley, LB, Washington State
Probably a little early for the Lions to snag an off-ball LB based on their history and scheme priority, but Henley would make an interesting exception. He’s a coverage specialist, a converted safety who still sees the field and moves like a supersized DB. Henley is also a potential special teams ace and the Lions have shown they do value that highly from their subpackage LBs.
5th round: Clayton Tune, QB, Houston
It’s a risk to have a specific QB in mind when getting into this realm of the draft. In this scenario, Tune was available. He’s got some stylistic similarities to starter Jared Goff — good-not-great arm with impressive accuracy to open targets, smart with pre-snap reads and post-snap decisions, pocket passer with just enough athleticism to convert an off-script 3rd-and-6 scramble.
Tune is a 2023 backup with some upside and the ability to fill in capably if Goff gets hurt. Good insurance policy in case Goff becomes prohibitively expensive with another strong season, too.
6th round: Bryce Ford-Wheaton, WR, West Virginia
If you look at Ford-Wheaton in a generic uniform, you’d be forgiven for mistaking him for former Lions wideout Kenny Golladay. He’s a very similar size, build and type of receiver, though blessed with more open-field speed and athleticism. Those traits occasionally translated into greatness in college, though Ford-Wheaton’s route tree, open-field hands and sometimes stiff breaks all need some work. At worst, he’s a higher-ceiling, healthy Quintez Cephus from the same area of the draft.
6th round: Mark Evans, OL, Arkansas-Pine Bluff
Evans is clearly on the Lions’ radar. He’s had an official visit with the team and also met with them during Shrine Bowl week, where he proved capable of making the jump up in competition. Evans played tackle for the Golden Lions but he’s a guard prospect for the Detroit edition, one who needs to add more functional strength before he’s ready to see the field. The football IQ, lateral movement and passionate playing are there already for the HBCU standout.
