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Who will the Detroit Lions draft? Here's what 50 mock drafts say
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- Who will the Detroit Lions draft? Here's what 50 mock drafts say
The 2024 NFL draft has finally arrived.
After months of attempted prognosticating over every individual pick for all 32 teams, the time to actually make the picks is here. 257 players will be selected over a three-day event happening in downtown Detroit at Campus Martius Park.
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The Detroit Lions have seven picks throughout the three days, barring any trades, starting with the 29th overall pick in the first round on Thursday. The Lions won the division for the first time in 30 years, won the first playoff game since 1991, made the NFC championship game and were a half of football from the first Super Bowl appearance in franchise history, pushing them into unfamiliar draft territory in the back half of the first round.
Now, the Lions will have to try to get over that hump after establishing themselves as one of the top teams in football, led by quarterback Jared Goff and a young core comprised of stars like Amon-Ra St. Brown , Penei Sewell , Jahmyr Gibbs , Sam LaPorta and Aidan Hutchinson .
SUN GOD GOT PAID: Lions sign Amon-Ra St. Brown to mammoth 4-year contract extension
General manager Brad Holmes has had a successful draft record in his time in charge so far, finding the right types of players to fit into Dan Campbell's team culture, but will have his first crack much later than previous years, barring a trade up.
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The Lions have plenty of options available at 29 with their first pick , including not even making the selection at all, either trading up for a prospect they love or trading down for more draft picks. They could add to a strength offensively or address a hole on the defensive side. The beauty of the draft is in the unknown leading up to it and the shock when reality doesn't match predictions.
With that being said, here is a complete list of what mock drafts are saying the Lions will do with the 29th pick:
Free Press mock drafts
Lions beat writer Dave Birkett has done four mock drafts since the conclusion of the 2023 season, with three of them ending with Detroit securing an offensive lineman prospect, and one grabbing a defensive back. Here are the players Birkett has mocked to Detroit.
The main stage as work goes on at the NFL Draft Theater near Campus Martius in Detroit on Tuesday, April 23, 2024.
Mock draft 1.0 Feb. 22: Missouri CB Ennis Rakestraw Jr.
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Mock draft 2.0 March 6: Oregon C Jackson Powers-Johnson.
Mock draft 3.0 March 20: Duke OL Graham Barton .
Mock draft 4.0 April 18: West Virginia OL Zach Frazier .
Now, here are what other outlets are predicting the Lions will do.
USA TODAY/Draftwire
Curt Popejoy April 18: Oregon C Jackson Powers-Johnson.
Alyssa Barbieri 4/22: Missouri DL Darius Robinson .
Nate Davis 4/19: Alabama DB Kool-Aid McKinstry .
Nate Davis 4/22: Lions trade out of first round in deal with Raiders so Las Vegas can select Washington QB Michael Penix Jr.
Tyler Dragon 4/19: Michigan DL Kris Jenkins.
Draftwire 4/24: Illinois DL Jer'Zhan Newton.
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Draftwire 4/19: Missouri DL Darius Robinson.
Detroit Lions
Tim Twentyman mock draft 4.0 4/24: Duke OL Graham Barton.
Tim Twentyman mock draft 3.0 4/1: Texas WR Adonai Mitchell .
ESPN
Jordan Reid mock draft 4/22: Iowa DB Cooper DeJean .
Mel Kiper mock draft 4/10: Texas WR Adonai Mitchell.
Field Yates mock draft 4/3: Iowa DB Cooper DeJean.
Kiper + Yates mock draft 4/15: Missouri DL Darius Robinson.
ESPN beat writer mock 4/24: Alabama DB Kool-Aid McKinstry.
The Athletic
Dane Brugler's seven-round mock 4/17: Lions trade back with Raiders for second and third round pick, add West Virginia OL Zach Frazier at 44 overall. Las Vegas selects Washington QB Michael Penix Jr.
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32-Beat writer mock draft 4/24: Oregon C Jackson Powers-Johnson.
CBS Sports
(note: All of CBS' mock drafts can be found at the same link.)
Ryan Wilson 4/23: Penn State EDGE Chop Robinson .
Chris Trapasso 4/23: Texas WR Adonai Mitchell.
Josh Edwards 4/22: Alabama DB Kool-Aid McKinstry.
Tom Fornelli 4/23: Alabama DB Kool-Aid McKinstry.
Kyle Stackpole 4/22: Missouri DB Ennis Rakestraw Jr.
Pete Prisco 4/22: Penn State EDGE Chop Robinson.
Fox Sports
Rob Rang 4/23: Florida State WR Keon Coleman .
Nick Wright 4/22: Texas WR Xavier Worthy .
Carmen Vitali + David Helman 4/18: UCLA EDGE Laiatu Latu .
Members of the NFL are setting up the main theater area on Tuesday, April 23, 2024 for the NFL draft as members of the media get a sneak peek.
Pro Football Focus
32 analyst mock draft 4/22: Lions trade up to No. 15 for Toledo CB Quinyon Mitchell .
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Nathan Jahnke 4/17: Lions trade back to No. 32 to select Alabama DB Kool-Aid McKinstry.
Sam Monson 4/15: Alabama DB Kool-Aid McKinstry.
Steve Palazzolo 4/10: Penn State EDGE Chop Robinson.
Max Chadwick 4/8: Alabama DB Kool-Aid McKinstry.
Yahoo! Sports
Tice + Charles McDonald 4/24: Ohio State DL Michael Hall Jr .
NFL.com
Charles Davis 4/24: Alabama DB Kool-Aid McKinstry.
Bucky Brooks 4/23: Alabama DB Kool-Aid McKinstry.
Eric Edholm 4/22: West Virginia OL Zach Frazier.
Chad Reuter seven-round mock 4/19: Missouri DL Darius Robinson.
Dan Parr 4/18: Alabama DB Kool-Aid McKinstry.
Gennaro Filice 4/11 : Alabama DB Kool-Aid McKinstry.
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Peter Schrager 4/16 : West Virginia OL Zach Frazier.
NBC Sports
Connor Rogers, Kyle Dvorchark, Eric Froton 4/23: Missouri DL Darius Robinson.
Chris Simms 4/22: Penn State EDGE Chop Robinson.
Connor Rogers 4/17: Penn State EDGE Chop Robinson.
Mike Florio 4/23: Lions trade back with Raiders so Las Vegas can select Washington QB Michael Penix Jr. at 29.
Washington Post
Jason La Canfora 4/24: Clemson DB Nate Wiggins .
The Ringer
Danny Kelly 4/24: Iowa DB Cooper DeJean.
Ben Solak 4/22: Alabama DB Kool-Aid McKinstry.
Danny Heifetz 4/23: Illinois DL Jer'Zhan Newton.
Takeaways
Alabama cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry was by far the most popular prospect mocked to the Lions, landing in Detroit in 12 of the 50 mock drafts listed. Penn State pass rusher Chop Robinson was the second-most popular choice, appearing in five mock drafts. On top of bringing talent to two areas of presumed need on the Lions defense, McKinstry and Robinson also carry the pedigree of having an elite first name.
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Offensive line was another popular choice with a plethora of options at the end of the first round. West Virginia center Zach Frazier was the most common pairing, appearing four times, followed by Oregon center Jackson Powers-Johnson with three and Duke guard Graham Barton twice. Wide receiver appeared five times, with three selections being Texas wideout Adonai Mitchell, also including his teammate Xavier Worthy and former MSU star Keon Coleman.
Carlos Monarrez: This Detroit Lions NFL draft move would get Brad Holmes an F from me
Three separate analysts with three different outlets all predicted the Lions would trade out of their pick in a deal with the Las Vegas Raiders , who would move back into the first round to draft Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. It is an interesting option to keep note of since Holmes said trading back is a real possibility.
Most drafts focused on the Lions' defense, with other popular prospects such as Iowa cornerback Cooper DeJean, Illinois defensive tackle Jer'Zhan Newton, Missouri defensive lineman and Canton native Darius Robinson and his teammate cornerback Ennis Rakestraw Jr.
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As you can see, the options are endless for Holmes and the Lions at 29, so buckle up and prepare for a surprise Thursday night.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Who will the Lions draft? What 50 mock drafts say
