Dan Orlovsky says Lions should have gone another direction with 2021 first-round pick

The Detroit Lions had multiple options in the first round of the 2021 draft, but Dan Orlovsky thinks they made a mistake.

Sitting with the seventh pick in last April’s draft, the Detroit Lions could have gone any direction and not been deemed wrong. Such is life when you’re rebuilding again. Ultimately, they took offensive tackle Penei Sewell. With Taylor Decker out Sewell has been playing left tackle early this season, but he’ll shift to right tackle when Decker is back.

Through Week 4, the Lions are 29th in the NFL in scoring defense, 16th against the pass and 24th against the run. Their nine sacks are middle of the pack, and their best pass rusher Romeo Okwara (Achilles’) is out for the season. The release of linebacker Jamie Collins took a productive veteran off the defense, even if he was not a fit for the rebuild.

Dan Orlovsky thinks Lions should have taken someone else with the No. 7 pick

ESPN analyst (and former Lions quarterback) Dan Orlovsky, spoke with Woodward Sports Network on Wednesday (h/t to SI Lions). He was asked to look back and assess who the Lions should have taken with the No. 7 pick in the 2021 draft.

“Seeing how good Micah (Parsons) is, I would probable go, man, Micah,” Orlovsky replied. “I don’t pretend to study defensive football and know the insides and outs of it. I was just listening to people talk about Micah and the people that I value their defensive opinion. They were saying he was good. I don’t think anybody expected this good, though. You know what he looks like, he reminds me of (former 49ers linebacker) Patrick Willis.”

Orlovsky is referring to linebacker Micah Parsons, who the Dallas Cowboys took 12th overall. He has made an immediate impact on an improved Dallas defense, with 2.5 sacks, seven quarterback hits, 11 pressures and three tackles for loss. The Lions could certainly use someone like that.

Sewell is in line to be the Lions’ future left tackle, which is not insignificant and Orlovsky acknowledged that. But in terms of immediate as well as future impact, the early returns say Parsons was a missed opportunity to add talent to a defense that needs it badly.