2021 NFL Draft: Detroit Lions quick hitting 7-round mock

Round Three: Lions select Richard LeCounte, S, Georgia

For some unknown reason, the Lions are suddenly not looking so good at the safety position. Despite young safety Tracy Walker showing untapped promise the last two years, he has regressed this season and looks like a shell of his 2019 self.

Second-year safety Will Harris has played dreadful and it’s fair to question if he has a role on this team in the coming years and veteran Duron Harmon started the season hot but has cooled as the weeks have carries on.

It’s becoming apparent that Detroit will likely need to add at least one new face to that group in the upcoming offseason if they want to get improved play from the position. Georgia safety Richard LeCounte would be a tremendous addition in the third round and would bring not just an exciting play-maker on the field, but also a strong-willed leader that could quickly become the voice and identity of the defense.

For years at Georgia, LeCounte has been the backbone of a stingy Georgia secondary and elite defense. His instincts are incredible and it’s very clear he does his homework when preparing for games every week. He flies around the field and is often seen breaking up (or intercepting) passes at the point of arrival and is not afraid to back up his front-seven in the run game (it’s not uncommon to see him blow up a run in the backfield).

In his first two full years as a starter, LeCounte has shown he has great ball skills, intercepting five passes and batting down another six. In five games this season, before a motorcycle accident that knocked him to the sideline for an unknown amount of time, LeCounte had already racked up three interceptions, four passes defended, one fumble recovery, and 26 tackles.

Drafting LeCounte would help Detroit become a more cohesive defensive unit and increase turnovers and plays made by the back-end of the secondary; something the Lions could most definitely use right now.