Experts agree on what Lions need to build on ’23
It is officially NFL mock draft season in Detroit.
The real NFL draft will take place April 2527 in downtown Detroit. The Lions will be selecting 29th overall in Round 1 after both they and the Baltimore Ravens lost in their respective conference championships.
The last time the Lions selected in the 20s with their first-round pick was in 2018, when they drafted All-Pro center Frank Ragnow at No. 20. Before that, they selected linebacker Jarrad Davis at No. 21 in 2017 and guard Laken Tomlinson at No. 28 in 2015.
Here’s a sampling of mock drafts predicting what the Lions do with the 29th pick, their first of seven selections:
Draftwire
USA TODAY’s Draftwire is projecting the Lions will address one of their biggest flaws of the 2023 season, the pass defense, by taking cornerback Quinyon Mitchell out of Toledo. Mitchell, listed at 6 feet and 196 pounds, was a two-time All-American out of the MAC and recorded six interceptions and 52 defended passes in 46 career games at Toledo.
“Quinyon Mitchell isn’t a household name but he embodies the hard-working, physical style the Lions want,” Draftwire wrote.
Sporting News
Sporting News also had the Lions adding help in the secondary in the first round, but projected them to draft Ennis Rakestraw Jr. out of Missouri. Rakestraw, listed 6-0, 188, declared as a redshirt junior after starting three seasons at Missouri at outside corner. In 24 career games, he had zero interceptions, 11 passes defended and 73 total tackles.
“The Lions’ big issues with downfield cornerback coverage outside finally burned them for good against the 49ers,” Sporting News wrote. “Rakestraw, a rising prospect to keep
watching in the process, will be attractive to Aaron Glenn because of aggressive, fearless and physical man-to-man coverage.”
Pro Football Focus
released its mock draft before the
Lions’ season ended, but had Detroit addressing the secondary in the first round, predicting it would select Mitchell out of Toledo.
“Mitchell posted elite coverage grades in both 2022 and 2023 and forced the most incompletions (36) of any cornerback in the FBS during that time,” PFF wrote.
CBS Sports
Another mock draft, another cornerback projected to join the Lions. CBS Sports predicts the Lions will target Kamari Lassiter out of Georgia. Lassiter declared after his junior season after serving as a starter for two seasons, including on the national championship roster in 2022. In 44 career games, Lassiter recorded one interception, 15 passes defended and 86 tackles.
“Detroit has been adding building blocks ever since making the Matthew Stafford trade,” CBS Sports wrote. “The Lions will not have Los Angeles’ first-round pick for the first time in three years. Kamari Lassiter gives the Lions a player who could be within the organization for a decade rather than the short-term options they have been adding to fill a need recently.”
ESPN
ESPN’s longtime draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. is also predicting the Lions will be taking Mitchell out of Toledo with their first pick. (He predicted this in his first mock draft, released before the Lions’ loss.)
“The Lions ranked 31st in yards per pass attempt allowed (7.8) and 30th in passing yards allowed to receivers (3,081),” Kiper wrote. “Simply put, they have to get better at corner.
“Mitchell leveled up this past season, not allowing a single touchdown pass as the nearest defender in coverage, despite being targeted 59 times. He picked off five passes in 2022, but he gave up four scores — he was much more consistent in 2023, though he had only one interception. I’m excited to see how Mitchell performs at Senior Bowl practices next week.”