Detroit Lions land potential quarterback steal in Pro Football Focus mock

The Detroit Lions land a quarterback in a new mock draft from Pro Football Focus, and that signal caller could prove to be a steal.

The Detroit Lions are well-positioned for the 2022 NFL Draft, with two first-round picks, three of the first 34 picks and five of the first 100 selections. General manager Brad Holmes will have a good opportunity to build on a solid first draft class in 2021.

It’s mock draft season far and wide, and Austin Gayle of Pro Football Focus is out with a new two-round mock this week.

With the second overall pick, Gayle has Detroit taking Kayvon Thibodeaux. He’s not buying into the concerns about the Oregon edge rusher’s draft stock, which reek of smoke screen anyway.

"ESPN’s Todd McShay voiced concerns with Thibodeaux’s stock on his podcast First Draft after talking with NFL evaluators at the 2022 Reese’s Senior Bowl. McShay currently has Thibodeaux as the No. 7 overall player in the class and said that multiple people — “at least four different guys” — don’t view him as a lock for No. 1 or No. 2 overall and that he could fall out of the top-five picks in April’s draft.I don’t discredit what McShay has heard and do believe people in the NFL are lower on Thibodeaux than current media consensus, but my understanding is that such beliefs are not a product of his on-field performance or talent. And until there are legit football reasons backing his slide, he remains a lock for No. 2 overall for me."

Detroit Lions get potential quarterback steal in PFF mock

With the final pick of the first round, courtesy of the Rams in the Matthew Stafford trade, Gayle has the Lions making a move for a quarterback of the future-Matt Corral out of Ole Miss.

"Corral will be in the conversation for top quarterback in the 2022 class after wrapping up his Rebels career with back-to-back 85.0-plus PFF grades (2020 and 2021). He’ll get knocked in the evaluation process for Ole Miss’ RPO-heavy offense and a lack of strong tape when working past his first read, but Corral’s arm talent and athleticism are enough to build on at the next level if paired with an offensive coordinator who can mature his game."

Corral put up over 3,800 total yards in 10 games during the 2020 season. His passing numbers weren’t as good last season (67.7 percent completion rate, 20 touchdowns), but he had 11 rushing touchdowns. The tools and talent are clear, even if Lane Kiffin’s offense at Ole Miss may not provide great evaluation fodder.

Corral is widely landing earlier than No. 32 in the first round in mock drafts, at times much earlier. In a quarterback class that’s not too well-regarded, he could wind up as the best of the bunch. If he does drop to the Lions at the final pick of Day 1, they’d surely waste little time turning in a card with his name on it.

With the No. 34 pick in Gayle’s mock, the Lions landed Baylor safety Jalen Pitre.