The 2024 NFL Draft is less than two weeks away. Ahead of last year's draft, we considered the Lions' dream, nightmare, and most likely scenarios with the 29th pick. 

The dream did not happen, the nightmare didn't either. We came super close on the likely scenario, though. Our pick there was that the Lions would take a cornerback from Alabama. We just picked the wrong one. 

Now it's time to take another shot at this. Here's the dream, nightmare, and most likely scenario for the Lions with the 28th pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. 

Dream Scenario

The dream scenario is that the Lions, who are not a needs-based drafting team, get someone who surprisingly falls to them at 28. That guy is Arizona receiver Tetairoa McMillan.

Look, I know it's not the guy you want because you want an edge rusher or a guard. Those guys will be there at 60, and right now it feels like the guy they like the most for an edge is someone that will be available much later. 

Dan Campbell said he wanted youth at receiver, and McMillan has that, but what he also has is the ability to be dominant and give the Lions offense something they just don't have. That's someone who can make the contested catch and can high-point the ball. 

Again, I know everyone wants an edge rusher or an offensive lineman, but as Holmes has said repeatedly, the Lions do not draft for need. Picking McMillan if he falls to 28 would be proof of that. 

Nightmare Scenario

ESPN's Matt Miller said on Thursday that you shouldn't be shocked if the Lions took a cornerback with one of their first four picks, specifically a slot corner. If the Lions go that route, it is a nightmare. This team is so set in the secondary right now, and drafting a corner or even a safety with your first pick is just a giant mistake. 

If the Lions took a corner with their second-round pick, even that feels like it's a mistake unless someone with a first-round grade falls to them or something like that. Other than that, wait until later for your corner, please. 

Most Likely Scenario

You hope that the Lions do something super exciting with the 28th pick. You hope that they get a big-time edge rusher or a player like McMillan. That could happen, but the more likely thing this year is that it could be kind of a boring pick that makes a lot of sense. 

To name a specific player, we think the Lions take North Dakota State offensive lineman Grey Zabel with the 28th pick if he's there. The Lions have a need there, but this guy also gives a lot of positional versatility, and he would likely be the best player available at that time.

3 realistic trade-up proposals for the Detroit Lions in the 2025 NFL Draft, based on trades from the past

It just makes so much sense for the Detroit Lions to trade up in the the 2025 NFL Draft. The way their roster is constructed, they have a chance to move up abd get that prized edge rusher opposite Aidan Hutchinson.  We've done a lot of mock drafts already, and a few of them have […]