Lions go defense in super early 2024 NFL mock draft
is it ever too early for a mock draft? Maybe. Don't tell my friend Jordan Reid over at ESPN that though. The NFL draft expert put out an early 2024 mock draft on Thursday and he had an interesting pick for the Detroit Lions. With the 25th pick, the Lions selected cornerback Kalen King out […]
is it ever too early for a mock draft? Maybe. Don't tell my friend Jordan Reid over at ESPN that though. The NFL draft expert put out an early 2024 mock draft on Thursday and he had an interesting pick for the Detroit Lions. With the 25th pick, the Lions selected cornerback Kalen King out of Penn State. Here's what Reid had to say:
"Emmanuel Moseley, C.J.Gardner-Johnson and Jerry Jacobs (restricted free agent) are all only under contract for 2023, which means cornerback could quickly climb the Lions' list needs. King is one of my favorite players to watch on tape — he is an easy mover. At 5-foot-11 and 188 pounds, he will be labeled as undersize for some teams, but he reminds me of Denzel Ward as a prospect because of his ability to blanket receivers and slam throwing windows shut. He finished last season with 15 pass breakups, tied for fifth best in the FBS. It should not be surprising if King catapults up into the top half of the first round by next spring — or even ends up the first player selected at the position."
Reid is totally right here. The Lions secondary is pretty set up for 2023, but a solid chunk of the group is only here for one year or is playing in a contract year. Jacobs should be back, but both Moseley and Gardner-Johnson could be looking for big pay days elsewhere after a successful season.
I wouldn't be surprised if Kalen King wasn't the only thing the Lions did in the secondary next offseason. There's going to be plenty of players available in free agency as well. Maybe the Lions can bring some of those guys to Detroit?
The other thing to note here is the Lions picking at 25. That's a big change of pace isn't it? The last time the Lions picked that low was when they selected Laken Tomlinson at 28 in the 2015 NFL draft. That was after a pretty good 2014 season. It looks like Reid is another analyst that's felling good about the Lions having a good year in 2023.
Featured image by Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
