7 round Detroit Lions mock draft after 2024 NFL Combine
The NFL Combine is officially over. We learned a a lot about all the prospects during our week in Indianapolis and we also learned a lot about the Lions. Now it's time for our post combine mock draft. First here is all the mock drafts that we've already done. Post bowl season mock draft Post Senior […]
The NFL Combine is officially over. We learned a a lot about all the prospects during our week in Indianapolis and we also learned a lot about the Lions. Now it's time for our post combine mock draft. First here is all the mock drafts that we've already done.
- Post bowl season mock draft
- Post Senior Bowl mock draft
- Mock draft with trade out of first round
- Pre-Combine mock draft
Pick No. 29: Brian Thomas, Receiver, LSU
Perhaps my biggest takeaway from the combine is that the Lions have a real interest in finding another top receiver to pair with Amon-Ra St. Brown. The Lions had formal meetings with multiple receivers and each of them was a big bodied guy that’s expected to go earlier in the draft.
Brian Thomas was the most talented among the guys that I talked to in Indianapolis. The 6-foot-4-inch LSU phenom had a big season in 2023 with 68 catches for 1,897 yards and 17 touchdowns. Then he showed up to the combine and ran a 4.33 40-yard dash.
While Thomas is amazing, he's not the top receiver in this class and the guys that were ahead of him walking in are still up there. That's good news for the Lions since Thomas will be in their area or in the 20's somewhere. This is the type of player you trade up for if you like him enough. Thomas would make the Lions offense even more dangerous than it already is.
Pick No. 61: Braden Fiske, DL, Florida State
The Lions are going to be looking to rebuild their defensive line this offseason and a great place to start is on the interior where the Lions went through multiple different players in 2023 before they settled on Tyson Alualu down the stretch.
Fiske is a guy that can be a game wrecker with his athleticism. Fiske really showed that in Indy by the way.
This was the kind of thing that helped Fiske rack up six sacks in 13 games last year. Fiske can also help contribute as a run stopper. Which is something the Lions really prided themselves on in 2023.
The big draw here though is that athleticism and strength paired up with Alim McNeil's athleticism and strength. That's a formidable duo.
Pick No. 73: Marshawn Kneeland, Edge, Western Michigan
I know Darius Robinson is the route that maybe Lions fans were hoping I would go, but I never had the opportunity to pick him and I think the Lions might miss out on that opportunity in real life too. But they have a chance to take another guy that they met with at the combine in Kneeland.
I don't mean to keep bringing up athleticism, but it's there with Kneeland. You see it on the field every time he gets out there. The guy has a motor and he's going to move offensive linemen around until he gets his stop.
Plus I also liked how he told me was going to run a 4.7 40-yard dash and he actually went out there and ran a 4.7 40-yard dash. A lot of guys hyped themselves up this past week and didn't deliver. Kneeland said what he was going to do and he did it.
Pick No 92: Kris Abrams-Draine, Cornerback, Missouri
I waited until the Lions fourth pick to grab a corner because the rumors out there are that the Lions are going to be aggressive in free agency when it comes to finding a cornerback and that they’re one of the teams to watch in the L’Jarius Sneed situation.
While the Lions waited until this pick, I think they get the steal of the draft at cornerback. I've been saying for a bit now that I think when it comes to cornerback, Lions fans are looking at the wrong Miszzou guy. Abrams-Draine is a better fit for Detroit that Rakestraw is and you don't have to use a first round pick to get him.
The main thing here is tackling. Abrams-Draine was one of the very best tacklers in the country last season and that is something that Lions GM Brad Holmes specifically said he was looking for in an outside corner at the combine last week. Abrams-Draine missed 11 tackles in four years. That's it.
Pick No. 163: Nehemiah Prichett, cornerback, Auburn
The Lions grabbed a guy that ran a 4.3 40-yard dash on offense already, why not grab one on defense too? Prichett blazed his way to a 4.36 at the combine last week and put up solid numbers elsewhere to get him a pretty good RAS score.
The thing that interests me a lot about Prichett is the things you might be able to do with that speed in a special teams setting. Pritchett does have some experience as a kick returner at Auburn, but I think that's one area that would be worth looking into when it comes to the NFL.
Pick No. 207: Dylan McMahon, IOL, North Carolina State
As I’ve mentioned before, there were a lot of offensive linemen at the combine last week. I couldn’t have talked to all of them. But the ones that I did talk to had not met with the Lions that week. This led me to believe that the Lions don’t value offensive line as a high priority in this draft. That’s why we’re picking one in the sixth.
But McMahon is a good guy to have here. The reason being is that he played both left and right guard in college and also played center. When I asked him about his comfortability with slotting into either position off the bench, he felt he could do that without a problem. The Lions need a guy like that along the interior so they don't have to keep moving players over. He also said that he felt his best at center. So there's potential down the road if Ragnow decides to retire sooner than later.
Pick No 247: Andre’ Sam, Safety, LSU
I had a chance to talk with this kid at the combine and I was blown away by him. The biggest thing that hit me is that this is a human being that had been put through hell with the losses of family members and a life altering speech impediment and nothing has stopped him from getting to this point.
Sam is guy that the Lions don't necessarily have to draft. There's a chance that he's going to be an undrafted free agent and he can be signed there, but a guy with character like his shouldn't be left to a situation in which you possibly lose him. I say draft him in the seventh and watch him grow for your team. The Lions need safety depth after the release of Tracy Walker anyways. I'm interested to see where Sam goes in the NFL.
Detroit Lions mock offseason: re-signings, restructures, extensions and available cap space
The NFL Combine is just about over and the next big focus for the Detroit Lions will be the free agency period. With this period comes a lot of numbers moving around. It's easy to get lost in all of this and wonder about just how much money your team has to spend at the […]
