Draftniks and fans of the NFL draft need to pause the mock draft creation process. Tuesday’s deal between the Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions shortly before the NFL’s trade deadline changed the 2023 draft order.
The Lions traded tight end T.J. Hockenson to the Vikings in exchange for a 2023 second-round pick. Detroit sent back its own fourth-rounder in 2023 too. There is a conditional 2024 pick from the Lions included in the deal, a 4th or 5th rounder based on if the Vikings win a postseason game this season.
The trade leaves the Lions with a bigger need at tight end but also more ammo to potentially select one in the 2023 NFL draft. Detroit now has multiple picks in both the first and second rounds.
Here are the Lions picks for 2023 and the current slots based on the records after Week 8:
First round, No. 1 overall
First round, No. 14 overall (from Rams in the Stafford/Goff trade)
Second round, No. 33 overall (it’s actually the 32nd pick because Miami forfeited its 1st rounder for tampering but we’ll keep the numbering consistent)
Second round, No. 62 overall (from Vikings)
Third round, No. 65
Fifth round, No. 138
Sixth round, No. 177
Sixth round, No. 188 (from Broncos in the Trinity Benson trade)
The Lions traded away pick No. 103 overall in the Hockenson deal. Those actual slots are subject to change over the course of the final nine games of the season.
