Detroit Lions: If Jeff Okudah’s a given, the mystery is in the second round

A chance to become deeper at a position of need

Marlon Davidson is a different breed of animal. The best comparison for Davidson is that he is very much like Detroit’s own Da’Shawn Hand. Last season the Lions missed Hand more than words could express. After an outstanding rookie campaign, Hand’s playing time last season was extremely limited due to injury and he was unable to perform as expected.

Davidson brings that same inside/outside ability to the table. He often played on the inside at Auburn next to All-American Derrick Brown, which meant Davidson didn’t have to deal with a whole lot of double-team blocking, but that being said, he did what he was supposed to do in those situations, he made plays.

At 6-foot-3 and 282 pounds Davidson has the ability to play end in Matt Patricia’s defense and kick inside on passing downs to push the pocket.

Davidson is more polished than Gallimore, but both have enough talent to earn early playing time and stake a claim for themselves as part of the Lions’ future on the defensive line.

It just becomes a question of what the Lions’ preference is. Gallimore will be more of an inside presence and has the possibility of becoming a true three-down threat from the nose tackle position. Davidson will be a versatile piece that can play inside and outside, giving the Lions a chance to mix and match Trey Flowers, Da’Shawn Hand and Davidson however they would like.

Either way, the Lions would become deeper on the defensive line giving them another talented piece to help improve what was a horrible defense last season.

The best-case scenario for the Lions would still involve trading down with their first-round pick to acquire an additional selection that could be used for a receiver or running back, giving them an opportunity add pieces to both sides of the ball in the first two rounds, but given how well the offense played last year as compared to how awful the defense was, addressing the defense early in the draft should still be a priority.

So what direction will the Lions go in the second round? Unlike the first round, it seems to still be a mystery that we won’t really know the answer to until Bob Quinn makes the selection.