Will the Detroit Lions draft this Senior Bowl standout?

The Detroit Lions aren’t afraid to take late risers in the first round of the draft. Could they elect to do so with the eighth overall selection in 2019?

Most fans of the Detroit Lions had likely never heard the name Frank Ragnow before the Pride selected the center out of Arkansas with the 20th overall selection in the 2018 NFL Draft. Ragnow was a projected Day Two selection by several draft analysts.

But Ragnow was a late riser on draft boards and other teams, including the Cincinnati Bengals who owned the pick right after Detroit, 21st overall, were rumored to be interested. And now there is another prospect that is suddenly racing up draft boards as the scouting process for the 2019 NFL Draft is in full swing.

That player is Mississippi State pass rusher Montez Sweat. The 6-foot-6, 245 pound defensive end turned heads at the Senior Bowl. Sweat was arguably the best player at the event and is quickly becoming a sleeper to go very high in the draft.

In fact, NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein has mocked Sweat to the Lions with the eighth overall pick. Here’s his brief explanation as to why …

"“With Ezekiel Ansah likely to depart in free agency, Sweat could step right in at his spot. Sweat is a long-limbed, ascending rush talent who made himself money last week at the Senior Bowl.”"

Dominating the SEC the past two seasons, Sweat racked up 22.5 sacks and 30 tackles for loss combined for the Bulldogs during his time there. In a draft class predicted to have several premier edge rushers, Sweat could end up being to best.

In Detroit, Montez Sweat would be a perfect addition to a defense that overachieved at getting to opposing quarterbacks last season. The Motor City finished the year posting 43.0 total sacks, which was good enough to be tied for 11th most in the NFL. And although that kind of spread-out production is typical of a Matt Patricia-led defense, you can never have enough premier pass rushers on your roster.