Detroit Lions 3-Round Mock Draft: After the first wave of free agency
First Round
Michigan. 2. player. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. DE. Aidan Hutchinson. 50
Was at Michigan pro day today, saw one evaluator I know. He asked what I was doing there. Told him wanted to see Aidan Hutchinson. His response: “Oh, he’s not making it to you,” meaning he won’t make it to the Lions at No. 2
— Dave Birkett (@davebirkett) March 18, 2022
The Jacksonville Jaguars free agency execution points to them seriously considering taking Hutchinson first overall in April, and the above nugget from Dave Birkett of The Detroit Free Press is telling. But he was available here at No. 2, and I jumped at it over Notre Dame safety Kyle Hamilton or the growing buzz around the Lions taking quarterback Malik Willis here.
Apart from his talent level and the home state angle, Hutchinson looks like a great culture fit for Dan Campbell’s Lions. A no-brainer pick, should he actually be available here.
Arkansas. 32. player. 50. Pick Analysis. WR. Treylon Burks. Scouting Report
The Lions added Chark while re-signing both Josh Reynolds and Kalif Raymond, so wide receiver might not feel like as urgent a need as it once did at this point. But a one-year deal for Chark and two-year deals for Reynolds and Raymond say the position is still a long-term need, and Burks fell here off coming not running that fast at the NFL Combine (4.55 40-yard dash).
Burks has drawn comps to Tennessee Titans wide receiver A.J. Brown, but with “more wiggle” as NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein suggested (at 6-foot-2, 225 pounds mind you). According to Pro Football Focus, he averaged a robust 9.3 yards after the catch last year at Arkansas as he posted 66 receptions for 1,107 yards (16.7 yards per catch) and 11 touchdowns.