7-round 2024 Detroit Lions re-draft: The Lions may have missed out on a gold mine of talent
Detroit Lions may have left a lot of talent on the board in 2024. A full seven-round re-draft reveals several players who could have changed the outlook of the roster heading into 2026.
Welcome to the dead zone, Detroit Lions fans. We’ve got about six weeks until trading camp and the preseason begins. That gives us time to have some fun and do stuff like this.
Let’s preface everything here. I think the 2024 draft for the Lions can still rebound for the most part, but I also think this is a make-or-break season for all the guys they picked. With that said, what I want to do today is go back in time and do a complete re-draft, knowing what we know now.
But, and this is a big but, I’m going to approach this thing like what the Lions did during those three days never happened. Meaning I’m going into this draft with the original draft picks they had in each round, and I won’t be trading up or down. So the players they might want have to be available at that pick. Here are the picks they’re picking at:
| Round | Pick (Overall) |
|---|---|
| 1 | 29 |
| 2 | 61 |
| 3 | 73 (from Minnesota via the T.J. Hockenson trade) |
| 4 | 129 |
| 5 | 164 |
| 6 | 201 |
Ok, let’s do it. Here we go.
29th pick: Cooper DeJean, CB, Iowa
As you might remember, the Lions traded up from 29 to 24 with the Cowboys to pick Terrion Arnold. Cornerback was the top need going into this draft. DeJea didn’t go to the Eagles until the 40th pick in the second round. This past season, he became an All-Pro for the first time. The Lions would have been set up pretty well here.
61st pick: Cooper Beebe, IOL, Kansas State
The Lions doubled up on cornerback with their selection of Ennis Rakestraw, but with what we know now, an interior offensive lineman would have been a much better way to go at this time. Beebe has been a starting center for the Cowboys for the last two seasons. He could have very realistically taken over after Frank Ragnow’s abrupt retirement. He also has the ability to play guard.
73rd pick: Jalyx Hunt, Edge, Houston
The Lions originally traded this pick, along with the 29th pick, to go get Arnold. Here, that’s going to get a pretty good rotational edge rusher in Hunt. He had 60 pressures and seven sacks last year for the Eagles off their bench. He could potentially start in Detroit, but they’d be better served to have him be their rotational guy and still draft Derrick Moore since Hunt struggles against the run.
129th pick: Cam Hart, CB, Notre Dame
The Lions traded this pick to move up for Giovanni Manu. If they had stayed a little longer, they could have found a pretty decent cornerback in Hart. He still needs some time to really find his game in the NFL, but that’s fine because he’d be a rotational guy in Detroit. One that could maybe be a starter someday.
164th pick: Tyrone Tracy, RB, Purdue
The Lions were looking for their David Montgomery replacement going all the way back to 2024, and maybe they have it in Sione Vaki. But they would absolutely have it right now with Tracy, who ran for 740 yards in 2025 and 839 in 2024.
201st pick: Jalen Coker, WR, Holy Cross
Last week, Coker got a big three-year extension from the Panthers. It’s crazy he went undrafted. The Lions get their X-receiver here, and while I think TeSlaa is going to be huge for them, they wouldn’t have had to use three third picks to get him in this scenario
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