The Detroit Lions are battling the San Francisco 49ers for hidden gem in 2024 NFL Draft
The Detroit Lions are in the market to bulk up their secondary the 2024 NFL Draft and one spot that could really use some bulking up is the safety position. They have their eye on very unique prospect and as it turns out, so do the San Francisco 49ers. The Lions only have three safeties […]
The Detroit Lions are in the market to bulk up their secondary the 2024 NFL Draft and one spot that could really use some bulking up is the safety position. They have their eye on very unique prospect and as it turns out, so do the San Francisco 49ers.
The Lions only have three safeties on the roster right now, Ifeatu Melifonwu, Kerby Joseph and Brandon Joseph, but that may be changing this week.
A source tells myself and A to Z Sports that the Lions and the 49ers are "heavily interested" in drafting Utah safety Sione Vaki.
This makes all the sense in the world. The Lions have been in contact with Vaki a lot. They saw him at the Senior Bowl, had a confirmed formal meeting with him at the combine, went to his pro day and had him in a for a top-30 visit. The Lions were "incredibly excited and impressed with his football IQ."
This isn't your ordinary day three prospect
The big thing to watch with Vaki is that he's not just a safety. Vaki was also a running back for Utah last year. He put up 517 total yards and five touchdowns for the Utes during the 2023 season. He also used to be a return man in high school. There's a chance for him to be a three way player in the NFL. Something he is interested in doing. With the new kick return rules, the Lions could use his speed and history as a ball carrier to their advantage.
Turns out the Lions were very interested in that possibility as well. I've been told Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and running backs coach Scottie Montgomery both "love him."
So if the Lions were to wind up with Vaki, there's a strong chance that he could play a role similar to the one that Jamal Agnew once played in Detroit before heading to Jacksonville.
How much doe Kyle Shanahan value having that two way ability?
We'll see what happens when the draft kicks off. Vaki is slated to go on day three at some point. Most mocks have him the fifth or sixth-round. The Lions pick ahead of the 49ers in both the fifth and the sixth-rounds. However, Niners have two late fourth round picks to potentially scoop Detroit.
10 players on the Lions’ wish list for day two and three of the 2024 NFL Draft
The 2024 NFL Draft is at the end of this week and we can't wait to get this thing going already. On Monday we put out our wish list of nine players that would be huge hits if the Lions drafted them with the 29th pick. Now it's time to talk about the rest of […]
