Detroit Lions 7-round mock draft: Taking the best player available

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - DECEMBER 30: Sam Howell #7 of the North Carolina Tar Heels looks to pass during the first half of the Duke's Mayo Bowl against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Bank of America Stadium on December 30, 2021 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) /

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Fourth Round

The Lions don’t have a fourth-round pick right now, so they will have an 80-pick wait between the end of the third round and the end of the fifth if that doesn’t change.

Fifth Round

Scouting Report. Noah Elliss. 177. 50. Pick Analysis. DL. Idaho. player

The Lions could use another defensive lineman, and Elliss stood as, yes, the best player available here at pick No. 177. He has NFL bloodlines, as his uncle Luther Elliss (who adopted him) played 10 seasons in the league–the first nine with the Lions, after being drafted 20th overall in the 1995 draft.

The younger Elliss started his college career at Mississippi State, before landing at Idaho (where his uncle is the defensive line coach). In 16 total games (11 starts) over spring and fall FCS seasons in 2021, he had 54 total tackles and 8.5 tackles for loss along with two sacks.

Elliss is a big man (6-foot-4, 346 pounds), who scouts might like to call a “space eater.” It’s fair to say the level of competition at Idaho didn’t test him much. But he has some raw ability and sneaky athleticism, and the Lions still need to add some youthful upside to their interior defensive line.

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