If Tetairoa McMillan falls to the 20s in the 2025 NFL Draft like Mel Kiper predicts, then the Lions need to trade up for him
Going into the 2024 NFL Draft, the Detroit Lions very clearly liked what they saw from Alabama cornerback Terrion Arnold. The sad part was that it seemed like no matter how badly they wanted him, there was no way he would get down to the 29th pick. Then on draft night, everything changed. Nobody could […]
Going into the 2024 NFL Draft, the Detroit Lions very clearly liked what they saw from Alabama cornerback Terrion Arnold. The sad part was that it seemed like no matter how badly they wanted him, there was no way he would get down to the 29th pick.
Then on draft night, everything changed. Nobody could have predicted that the first 14 picks would all be offensive players and that this would push down all the defensive players to the 15-32 range. This gave the Lions a better chance at Arnold, but they still had to make the move to go up and get him, so they traded their first and third-round picks to the Cowboys to move to 24 and pick Arnold.
The Lions may find themselves in a similar situation this year. Just like last year, they have a need to fill and just like last year, they're likely to want to correct the thing they had done wrong at this position the year before. Last year it was cornerback, this year it's receiver.
The Lions went into the summer with zero depth after Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams and it got kind of hectic to the point where Lions head coach Dan Campbell was begging someone to step up for that WR3 spot. Nobody did and Detroit lucked out with Tim Patrick as a rental.
This year the Lions have the chance to right that wrong and they can do that by going out and getting the very best receiver in the draft in Arizona's Tetairoa McMillan.
The 6-foot-5, 212-pound McMillan had been the north star for receivers in this draft class and every team that needs a receiver is going to be interested. What's not to be interested in? McMillan has blazing speed down the field, a giant catch radius, and can go up and get the contested catch with giant hands.
He's been expected to be a top-10 pick since the end of the regular season, but as of late, he's fallen in some of the top expert's mock drafts. Mel Kiper put out his pre-NFL Combine mock draft on Tuesday morning and he has McMillan going to the Chargers with the 22nd pick.
If McMillan gets anywhere near the 20s, the Lions need to pull the trigger and move up and steal this guy. The jump wouldn't have to be too far. If they tried to move up with the Broncos at 20, they could probably offer a similar package that they offered the Cowboys last year.
Receiver may not seem like a top need for the Lions right now, but this move gives the Lions' offense a shot to open up even more than it already is. They have guys that can move after the catch and take a roof off, but this move allows them to have a contested catch guy who can bully corners in the end zone but can also get yards after the catch and stretch the field. With a defensive line class as deep as this one, the Lions could still score in that area in the second round. This is worth the move up.
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