The Detroit Lions season is over and now we're on to the next big thing for the Lions and that's the draft process. The work starts immediately for Brad Holmes and company. The Senior Bowl starts on the 27th and the Shrine Bowl is on the 30th. 

With that in mind, it's time to get out our first mock draft of the process. These things are going to change a lot as the months go on because players rise and fall, but if the draft were today, here's what we're doing for the Lions:

28th pick: Jaxson Dart, QB, Ole Miss

Some Lions fans aren’t going to like this pick for the Lions at this juncture of the draft, but with where this roster is right now, the draft isn’t so much about reloading and hoping for starters anymore. It’s more about adding players you think could be part of the future and the sustained success of the franchise. 

This is not us saying that the Lions need to move on from Jared Goff. He's still the guy for this team and will be for the foreseeable future. What it is saying is that when Goff's deal is up in either 2027 or 2028 Dart is a guy that will be 24-years-old at that time and will be ready to take over. 

The league is moving towards the mobile quarterback with the big arm and Dart is that guy for the Lions. He needs some fine-tuning over time and sitting under the learning tree with Dan Campbell, Mark Brunell, and Jared Goff will help a lot.  

60th pick: J.T. Tuimoloau, Edge, Ohio State

This is a name to keep an eye on during the draft process. The edge class is deep this year and that could push guys like Tuimoulau down the board to the Lions at 60. He is also someone that could rise up the board too. Right now our draft experts have his average draft position set at 61.31. If he’s there at 60, you got to take him. 

The Lions need some help on the edge even when they get Aidan Hutchinson back and get to pair him with Za'Darius Smith. Tuimoloau could start off as that rotational third guy who can take over a starting spot once Smith is done with the Lions. We've seen a lot from him at Ohio State, but pairing him with Terrell Williams could unlock a whole other skill set. 

131st pick: Pat Bryant, WR, Illinois

We’re big fans of Tim Patrick and it was awesome to see what he was able to do in 2024, but he is now a free agent and Patrick will be 32-years-old next season. The Lions still need to find their X-receiver of the future and Bryant can be that guy. 

The 6-foot-3 Bryant has the size and he has a little more speed than Patrick does too, but like Patrick, he can go up and get it and get the big play. Bryant had 54 catches for 984 yards and 10 touchdowns for Illinois in 2024. Plus he's a team captain and that's something Dan Campbell tends to gravitate towards. 

195th pick: Miles Frazier, G, LSU

The Lions are going to soon need to replace both of their starting guards. Kevin Zietler might be retiring and Graham Glasgow might not be far behind him. He’ll be 33-years-old when the 2025 season starts. 

The Lions already have Christian Mahogany to fill in one of those spots, but Miles Frazier could absolutely fill the other spot. Fraizer is coming off a career best season at LSU. He played 902 snaps and allowed just 12 pressures and no sacks. Plus he's a behemoth at 6-foot-5 and 365 pounds.

The other thing to like about Frazier is the positional versatility. He's played both left and right guards and both left and right tackle spots too. 

230th pick: Jabbar Muhammad, CB, Oregon

Cornerback depth is needed, but the Lions will get healthy at the position and when they do, you’ll see it be a deeper position than you think. Still, you can’t have enough good cornerbacks. 

Muhammad is small at 5'10" and 185 pounds and he theoretically should get bullied by bigger corners, but he's one of those scrappy guys that just stands to not go away. Muhammad had 10 pass breakups in 2024 and allowed a reception percentage of just 46%. He's falling because of his size, not his production. 

246th pick: Thor Griffith, DL, Louisville

We’re not quite ready to give up on Brodric Martin yet, but we are ready to say that more interior defensive line depth is a good thing. Griffith might be a bit of a project for Terrell Williams. 

The man who is not the god of thunder played three seasons at Harvard before moving over to Louisville. He had a really nice season despite a lower snap count. 17 pressures and three sacks on 331 pressures. With their final pick in the draft, here's a guy who could maybe be more than he was in college. The athleticism is there.

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