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Detroit Lions: It’s time to let the draft mocking begin

By Justin Ochsner

ANN ARBOR, MI - OCTOBER 01: Maurice Hurst #73 of the Michigan Wolverines rushes quarterback Alex Hornibrook #12 of the Wisconsin Badgers during the second quarter of the game at Michigan Stadium on October 1, 2016 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images)
ANN ARBOR, MI - OCTOBER 01: Maurice Hurst #73 of the Michigan Wolverines rushes quarterback Alex Hornibrook #12 of the Wisconsin Badgers during the second quarter of the game at Michigan Stadium on October 1, 2016 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images) /
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The Detroit Lions and all but two teams are looking the offseason in the face and making preparations for next season, including the NFL Draft.

The Detroit Lions season ended weeks ago, but as the Super Bowl looms less than two weeks from now, many teams are well into offseason mode. While the Lions still await the hiring of their new head coach, the media has begun the very best part of their jobs: mock drafts.

Lions columnist Mike O’Hara released his first mock draft of the 2018 offseason, trying to slot the 19 players that will be off the board and out of contention before Detroit’s 20th overall selection. It looked pretty standard as running back Saquon Barkley and quarterbacks Sam Darnold and Josh Rosen were off the board early.

Getting to what O’Hara suggests for the Lions, he goes with the popular option of trading up for Barkley …

"“Trade: Saquon Barkley is a special player whose ability as a runner and receiver would elevate the offense from good to among the elite in the NFL,” O’Hara wrote on DetroitLions.com recently. “He would give quarterback Matthew Stafford the dynamic game-breaking ability at running back, that Calvin Johnson provided at wide receiver.”"

It sounds great, includes a recent fan favorite tie-in to retired Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson and is completely too good to be true. O’Hara notes the team would have to give up two first-round picks and more to move into the top five picks to snag the highly-regarded running back.

His second, more realistic option is more intriguing. Defensive tackle Maurice Hurst, a local Michigan prospect, is also being mocked to the Lions by Chris Trapasso on CBSSports.com. Are great minds thinking alike? Possibly.

With the disappearance of a pass rush and the fall-off after Lions defensive tackle Haloti Ngata’s injury, Hurst seems like an obvious pick if Detroit stays put in the first round. The team addressed linebacker and cornerback in the first two rounds last year. It’s very reasonable to suggest they focus on the defensive line this year. It might not be a flashy pick, but it could certainly prove effective.

For fans that want a running back, Derrius Guice is O’Hara’s third option with the 20th pick. Then he would go with an outside linebacker or defensive end before he penned his sixth option – expect the unexpected. This is a great point: “Really, nothing should be unexpected because nobody knows for sure what’s going to happen on draft day.”

While mock drafts are fun to look at and can give fans an idea of what might happen, the truth is they are just educated guesses. A possibility of a future for football teams. Nothing more.

Next: How will the Lions change when Matt Patricia is in charge?

The Lions could shock us all and move up for Barkley, they could sit tight and land Hurst or Guice, or they could trade down for another player the team covets and additional picks. We have just under four months of waiting before we find out.

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