What is Detroit’s best option with the seventh pick?
Every Lions fan wants to know the answer to the following question: What will the organization do with the No. 7 overall pick in this year’s NFL Draft?
It’s a franchisealtering decision that will forever define the Dan Campbell-Brad
Holmes regime in Detroit.
Numerous valid options exist at No. 7, with fans and pundits alike varying in opinion on who the Lions will select with the pick.
Some draft analysts believe that Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons is a can’t-miss prospect for Holmes & Co. Meanwhile, others believe the organization needs to take a wide receiver with the pick, especially now with No. 1 wideout Kenny Golladay expected to depart the team in free agency.
The options at pass-catcher range from Alabama receivers DeVonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle, to LSU wideout Ja’Marr Chase and Florida tight end Kyle Pitts.
These aforementioned prospects are widely considered to be the top five options for Detroit at No. 7. Here’s how I would rank them in reverse order.
• 5. Florida TE Kyle Pitts: If the Lions take Pitts at No. 7, it won’t be because they have a void at tight end or are looking for an upgrade over T.J. Hockenson, who is coming off a Pro Bowl campaign.
Instead, it’ll be because they believe what many other draft pundits have already stated: Pitts is a wide receiver playing the tight end position. He’s got the intangibles necessary to be a top-flight pass-catcher, and would immediately upgrade Detroit’s passing at
tack.
Also, remember that Holmes & Co. reportedly aren’t going to draft based on need. Instead, their approach is going to be to find the best player available at each spot in the draft.
And there’s an argument to be made that the Florida product quite possibly could be the best prospect on the board once the No. 7 pick rolls around.
NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah spoke highly of the 6-foot6, 240-pounder during a video conference with media Tuesday.
I don’t think the Lions will select the 2020 firstteam All-American selection. But, they certainly could do much worse, even with a clear-cut No. 1 tight end in Hockenson already on the roster.
• 4. Alabama WR DeVonta Smith: The 2020 Heisman winner is undoubtedly a tempting option for Detroit with its first-round selection.
Smith is coming off a season in which he set the Alabama single-season record for receiving yards (1,856) and touchdowns (23) while finishing second on the school’s single-season receptions list (117).
• 3. Alabama WR Jaylen Waddle: There’s not a huge gap in talent between Waddle and Smith. But, as I indicated above, if I were forced to choose between the two, I’d take Waddle.
In 2020, the 5-foot-10, 182-pound pass-catcher amassed 591 yards and four touchdowns on 28 catches. He also converted a first down or scored a TD on 22 of his receptions.
Meanwhile, for his career, he finished second on the Alabama all-time list in average yards per catch (18.9).
Jeremiah also prefers Waddle over Smith.
• 2. Penn State LB Micah Parsons: He’s the defensive prospect that is most feasible for the Lions at No. 7.
Detroit’s linebackers unit was anemic a year ago. So, the organization is definitely going to be taking a linebacker -- if not two of them -- in this year’s draft.
Enter Parsons, who can both effectively get after the quarterback and stop the run. Plus, he’s more than capable in pass coverage.
His skill set would allow him to immediately provide a boost to the Lions’ linebackers group.
He’s a personal favorite of mine, and Jeremiah is a fan of his game, as well.
“I think with Parsons, (he has) the ability to do everything,” Jeremiah said. “Off the ball, you can also rush him a little bit. As impressive as his range and instincts are against the run, to me it’s what he does in coverage. You see him cover tight ends up there at Penn State. You see him cover backs. I would have loved to have seen him this year. But, I get it. He put so much good stuff on tape in ‘19 that he made the decision that he did.”
• 1. LSU WR Ja’Marr Chase: At this juncture, I see the former Tigers wide receiver as the best option for the Lions with the No. 7 pick.
Chase decided to opt out of the 2020 season, after putting together a truly unforgettable campaign in 2019.
He was ‘19 Heisman Trophy winner and now Cincinnati Bengals starting quarterback Joe Burrow’s No. 1 target in Baton Rouge, and he helped the Tigers go 15-0 and win the national championship.
Along the way, the 6-foot1, 208-pound Chase set single-season SEC records for both receiving yards (1,780) and touchdowns (20). He was an absolutely electrifying presence in LSU’s passing game, and Jeremiah believes that he’d be a “homerun pick” for Detroit.
“When you watch him at LSU in 2019, you see examples of ... where he can separate from people off the line of scrimmage, he can separate at the top of his route. He plays big to go up and get the football, and then after the catch, he gives you that strength and physicality to break tackles,” Jeremiah commented. “He’s, to me, the best receiver in the draft. I can’t imagine that he would be there. But, man, that would be a home-run pick for the Lions, if he was.”
Jeremiah and I are in agreement. If Chase is still on the board once the No. 7 pick rolls around, Detroit will be nabbing him.