5 players the Detroit Lions should watch closely at the NFL Combine

2. Purdue WR David Bell

The Lions will be in the market to draft a wide receiver or two, likely with at least one of their two picks late in the first round and early in the second.

Bell had a nice three-year run at Purdue, capped by 93 catches for nearly 1,300 yards in 2021. He is a red zone maven, even if his touchdown totals didn’t necessarily always reflect it (six in 2021), as one of every 11 catches in his college career was a touchdown.

I’m interested in seeing how well Bell (6-foot-2, 205 pounds) does in certain tests compared to his wide receiver prospect peers–including the 40-yard dash.

1. USC WR Drake London

London had his 2021 season at USC shortened by a leg injury in October, otherwise who knows where his numbers would’ve finished (88 receptions for 1,084 yards and seven touchdowns in eight games). He’s big (6-foot-5, 210 pounds), but to pigeonhole him as a just a contested catch guy is doing him a disservice. Comparisons to Mike Evans are apt.

It’s unclear where London is in his injury recovery and therefore how much he’ll do in terms of on-field stuff in Indianapolis, and many current mock drafts have him going a good bit before the Lions go on the clock at No. 32. But he looks like a perfect fit for what the Lions need at wide receiver, and he should be among the prospects (regardless of position) they are most interested in seeing and possibly meeting with in Indianapolis.