But what about…? (continued)
Kyle Pitts, Florida (TE) It’s been 49 years since the last time a tight end was drafted in the top five, yet the type of hype Pitts has generated recently suggests that he may be the one to break the streak. Is he the best tight end of the last 49 years? That would be quite a bit to live up to.
The main slogan from the Pitts camp is that he’s “more than a tight end”. Sure handed. A match-up nightmare. Virtually unguardable. Maybe all that stuff is true, but it seems there’s a tight end they say that about every two years or so, and the Lions know that better than anybody.
They just did this with TJ Hockenson, and it’s actually working. Even if Pitts is there at seven, and even if he’s virtually unguardable, the Lions can’t afford luxury picks right now as far as I’m concerned.
Penei Sewell, Oregon (OT) The 6-foot-6, 330-pound tackle from Oregon is projected to go somewhere between five and ten and presents an interesting case for the Lions if available. With Taylor Decker and Frank Ragnow, Detroit is already one great O-lineman away from having that unit be among the NFL’s best.
As much as I’d like to see DeVonta Smith come to Motown, a monster offensive line could be a better move overall. Might as well give D’Andre Swift as much help as possible, since the offense needs at least 1,500 yards from scrimmage from him this year.
If Holmes is serious about giving Jared Goff a fair shake at being the QB of the future, help with the receiving corps is an obvious necessity; however, a great offensive line would help both the run and pass game. He hasn’t been mocked to Detroit at all, but Sewell is definitely another name to keep an eye on.
Any other wild cards lurking?
Not really. Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson are as close to a given for numbers one and two as it gets. Patrick Surtain is probably the best defensive player besides Micah Parsons available, and Detroit is not doing the cornerback thing again. Mac Jones is in the Trey Lance/Justin Fields category as a second-tier quarterback prospect, but he hasn’t been linked to the Lions in the slightest.
My two cents
I suspect that Brad Holmes would have rather flipped the seventh pick into two or three lower selections and that he’s currently cursing the 49ers and Panthers for foiling a master plan that was percolating. If he still gets a halfway decent chance to trade down, it seems logical that he’d take it. Assuming they stay put and pick at number seven, it seems most likely that one in the trio of SEC receivers ends up being the guy. My preference, in that case, is DeVonta Smith.