I wasn’t going to do a Lions 2027 mock draft this early, but what we’ve learned through 2 weeks changed my mind
I planned to wait until the middle of the season, but Detroit’s summer and first two games have already changed how I view four important spots on the roster.
Look, I know it’s too early. You know it’s too early. A 2027 NFL mock draft for the Detroit Lions after Week 2 is not something I had planned on doing. I was going to wait until the midway point of the season, somewhere around Week 8, 9, or 10. Maybe during the bye week. But we have learned so much throughout the summer and after just two weeks of football that the Lions’ plan for next year’s draft has become clear to me. So here it is: a three-round mock draft, complete with a trade-up.
No. 25: Tae Johnson, safety, Notre Dame
If the Lions are going to use a first-round pick on a safety, this is the type of safety you do it for. Johnson is 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds. He can cover a ton of ground, and he’s already shown he’s not just a guy who happens to be around the football. He makes plays on it. He had four interceptions in just eight starts in 2025, including a pick-six, and also scored on a blocked punt. That’s the kind of playmaking ability Detroit needs on the back end. You want safeties who can erase mistakes, create turnovers, and give your defense something back when things aren’t going well. Johnson checks all those boxes.
At this point, it kind of looks like Kerby Joseph may not play for the Lions again. That’s just speculation on my part. That’s not inside information. But I’ve watched Dan Campbell these last two days explain that he can’t say anything that’s going to make Lions fans happy. Some of the responses he’s been giving just further push towards the point where it’s like, okay guys, this is probably not going to happen.
Johnson gives you a ball-hawking safety who can make plays, has speed, and has size. If he can fall to 25, which is about where he’s projected right now in that 20-to-27 range, that’s a great player to wind up with.
Trade up to No. 34: Ashton Hampton, cornerback, Clemson
Going into the second round, I wanted to trade up to make sure I could fill out that secondary. So I called up the Miami Dolphins. I sent them the 126th pick, the 163rd pick, next year’s second-round pick, and next year’s fourth-round pick. You’re probably paying too much. I don’t care. I’m doing a mock draft.
With the 34th pick, the Lions select Ashton Hampton, cornerback from Clemson. If Hampton is sitting there when Detroit gets to this pick, you don’t need to make it complicated. Like Johnson, he’s 6-foot-2, a little bigger at 205 pounds. He’s got the length you want outside, and he’s physical enough that you’re not drafting some finesse corner who doesn’t want anything to do with tackling. Hampton can get his hands on receivers at the line, disrupt the timing of a route, and use that size when the ball gets downfield.
That’s exactly the type of corner Detroit should be looking for. This team needs a cornerback 1. Has to have it. I think D.J. Reed is a fine cornerback 1 right now. The goal for the Lions should be to make him cornerback 2. That should be the objective going into next offseason. You need to find your guy, and I don’t think free agency is the route you should go. Looking at who’s available, there’s just really nothing out there. Think about the draft. Think about Ashton Hampton, who may not even fall into the second round. He could be your first-round pick, and I wouldn’t blink twice.
No. 57: Jayden Maiava, quarterback, USC
This is the deepest quarterback draft we have seen in a very long time. There’s no way the Lions are walking out of here without a quarterback. Yes, Jared Goff is under contract for a while, until 2028 to be exact. In 2027, he’s due $62.6 million, and I would expect the Lions are going to extend and restructure him at some point once the offseason gets going. I expect Goff to be with this team until at least 2029.
Maiava is personally my dream quarterback for the Lions. I see a guy who has so much star potential. I know he’s not Arch Manning. He’s not Drew Mestemaker, he’s not Dante Moore, he’s not Trinidad Chambliss, or some of these other guys Lions fans might be interested in. But he has the ability to be mobile, he can stand in, and he can make throws under pressure. You get him in here, put him on the bench under Goff for a couple of years, and by 2029 he’s your starting quarterback, ready to lead this team into the future. There’s no sense in waiting until after Goff is gone. It’s time to get something done right now.
No. 89: Mark Fletcher Jr., running back, Miami
Isiah Pacheco may never play for this team at this point. He’s projected to be back in maybe December. And then you have to figure a three-week ramp-up. We’re thinking the Lions make the playoffs, which they should. Maybe Pacheco plays in January. Maybe he plays a playoff game, maybe two, maybe three. You’re hoping four. Are you hoping it’s just three because Detroit gets the bye as the No. 1 seed?
The point is the Lions need somebody to help at running back. Sione Vaki is having some struggles and hasn’t jumped off the film yet. Jacob Saylors just isn’t getting his shot. They need somebody to get in there, and Mark Fletcher is that guy because he is a hard runner who can lower the shoulder. That’s what they need in short yardage.
I think back to that USC offense from years ago with Reggie Bush and LenDale White. Bush was the Jahmyr Gibbs, but LenDale White was the David Montgomery plus. That dude was a bowling ball. That’s what Mark Fletcher reminds me of. The Lions can have their own version of Thunder and Lightning. Sonic and Knuckles is gone, but maybe a new Thunder and Lightning is here.
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