Detroit Lions: Lowering the boom in my first and last 2021 mock draft

2021 Detroit Lions Mock Draft, Second Round

As we go to the second round there are several needs I can address. When Detroit is on the clock with pick number 41, I have to make a hard decision between two players I like and think would be good additions to the team.

My gut says this is the best time to address the receiver position even though it is a deep class. Yet there is a player who I believe will be another impact addition to the defense.

In the end, as I look at the list of the best available players and also consider my belief in the old saying that defense wins championships, I decide to gamble and go defense.

With the 41st pick, Detroit selects Oregon Safety Jevon Holland.

Holland is another player who opted out last year, but he is very athletic with outstanding ball skills. He not only can range all over centerfield making plays, but he also excels in man coverage.

He is a very fluid athlete with good hands who can be the type of ball-hawk that would help elevate the Lions secondary.

The only downside is that Holland needs to get stronger. This is once again not a huge issue because hitting the weight room to develop his body while assimilating to the NFL will go hand-in-hand with the Lions’ development as a team on the field.

Eight picks later at number 49 the Lions are back on the clock and the gamble has also paid off because the receiver I wanted is still on the board. After a brief look over the crop of available athletes, I waste little time pulling the trigger.

With pick number 49, the Lions select North Carolina receiver Dynami Brown.

There are two reasons that Brown is my selection at receiver. The first is that he fits the mold of what Brad Holmes has targeted for Detroit’s receiving corps. The second is that Brown was a big play receiver.

A great competitor with speed who found the endzone 20 times over the course of the last two seasons while averaging 20 yards a reception, he fits in perfectly with what Holmes is doing.

Brown can line up wide or in the slot, runs good routes, and has reliable hands, but excels at running past defensive backs. He will need to improve his strength, but that is often the case for many rookies.

Two rounds in I’m feeling pretty good, but there is still more work to do.