All the trades that keep happening around the league keep forcing NFL draft analysts to do a lot more mock draft updates than normal. The latest updated set of projections from Touchdown Wire’s Mark Schofield offers some fresh new names over the first three rounds for the Detroit Lions.
The No. 1 overall pick is Michigan’s Aidan Hutchinson, which leaves the Lions with a plethora of options. In this situation, the choice is Notre Dame safety Kyle Hamilton. Once a fairly common projection, it’s been weeks since we’ve seen a mainstream mock draft with Hamilton at No. 2. A slow 40-yard dash time at both the scouting combine and his pro day have dampened the enthusiasm, but Schofield still sees the dire need at safety for the Lions.
At No. 32, it’s “QB of the future” time with Ole Miss gunslinger Matt Corral. That mirrors the selection we made in the latest mock draft from all the Wire site editors. It’s certainly not a popular projection, but a QB at 32 fits more in line with what head coach Dan Campbell said this week about the No. 2 pick.
At 34, it’s a linebacker to help bolster the ranks. But it’s not any of the Georgia trio or Utah’s Devin Lloyd. Christian Harris from Alabama gets the nod. He’s a good scheme fit with his size and tackling oomph.
With the two third-round picks (66 and 97 overall), Schofield injects two names we’ve not seen before for the Lions in mocks we’ve tracked: Michigan State RB Kenneth Walker and Tennessee DT Matthew Butler.
It’s a different approach to filling several of the Lions’ remaining needs, and it ignores the dire lack of a top-shelf pass rusher. Adding Walker to the deep RB group in lieu of a wide receiver or tight end also raises some skeptical eyebrows.
