NFL Draft season is upon us and for the next few weeks we will be ranking our top five options for the Lions at each position of need. We'll also be ranking players based off of where the Lions are picking. So these will be players that they will be able to draft. We've already done cornerbacks, now it's time to do receivers.

So much of what the Lions have done this offseason has pointed to them taking a wide receiver early in the 2024 NFL Draft. From meeting with many of the top guys at the NFL Combine to Josh Reynolds signing with the Broncos, the signs keep adding up. Here's our top five receivers for the Lions:

Brian Thomas

Here’s the dream player. Thomas is the perfect fit for the Lions. He’s exactly what they need at the position. Size, speed and ability. He’s the perfect X receiver for this team. 

The problem is that where he'll get drafted is a week to week change. Some weeks he's there at 29 and other weeks he's gone by 20. It's hard to predict the draft because once you get past the predictable stuff in the top five, things become unpredictable. There's a chance he could be there at 29 and if he is, the Lions need to sprint to the podium on this one.  

Keon Coleman

Florida State’s Keon Coleman is Josh Reynolds with the volume turned up to 11. Coleman is not a burner. Like Reynolds he has some separation issues, but also like Reynolds, that doesn’t stop him from catching the ball. 

If the plan is to have a guy that can go up and catch contested balls, there might not be a better prospect in this draft for that than Coleman. Some of the catches he was able to make at Florida State just make you sit back in amazement. 

Separation would be nice though if we're being honest. 

Troy Franklin

Here’s your separation. Franklin was constantly open for Oregon last year. Every bit of film I watched on the guy had me wondering if opposing defenses simply forgot he was out there because he kept getting open so much. The guy is a burner, but he also just has good awareness. 

The problem is that he's 176 pounds. While I don't think weight is really that big of thing anymore, it woudl be nice if Franklin bulked up just a little. 

 

Xavier Legette

A guy that the Lions had a formal meeting with at the NFL Combine. Legette is huge and you can tell from the picture that he’s mostly muscle. Legette is 6-foot-3 and 227 pounds. He’s the type of receiver that can bully smaller cornerbacks. He also has that contested catch ability and can separate.

The problem is that he needs some coaching up in route running and field awareness. Things that can be taught. 

Johnny Wilson

You want to talk size? It doesn’t get any bigger than 6-foot-7 Johnny Wilson. The man is a giant out there. The best part is that he doesn’t move like one. He’s fluid and fast and not lumbering at all. He can go up and high point the ball on just about everyone there is. He’s a guy I’ll be watching closely regardless of where he’s drafted. 

The problem with Wilson is that everyone seems to want to make him a tight end and he does not want to be a tight end. We'll see if the NFL actually does that or if they play it smart and have him be the outside receiver he was at Florida State.

The Detroit Lions drafted the wrong Tennessee quarterback

Let me just start this off by saying that I have never understood the Hendon Hooker pick that the Detroit Lions made in the third-round of the 2023 NFL Draft. The big hold up for me has been both his age and the fact that the Lions are going to be tied to Jared Goff […]