Detroit Lions 7-round mock draft: Narrowing down a wide range of outcomes
First Round
Georgia. Jalen Carter. player. Pick Analysis. DT. 6. 50. Scouting Report
Carter has had a rough pre-draft process, from pleading no contest to charges attached to his role in a car accident that killed a Georgia teammate and a football staffer. Then he had a rough Pro Day, with reports he was nine pounds heavier than his Combine weight and he was unable to finish drills.
The Lions, possible smokescreen aside, are hinting strongly they will do their own homework on Carter. He’s coming in for a pre-draft visit, and they aren’t ready to write off anyone who has red flags without forming their own evaluation.
Campbell had an interesting comment about Carter at the league meetings last week.
Dan Campbell on Jalen Carter:
— Jeremy Reisman (@DetroitOnLion) March 28, 2023
"We talked to a teammate of his the other day and, man, he told us some things we didn't know. That nobody probably would've known. It was like, 'Oh, that's interesting.'"
Asked if it was good or bad:
"It's interesting."
Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. CB. Maryland. Deonte Banks. 18. 50. player
Even after signing Cameron Sutton, Emmanuel Moseley and C.J. Gardner-Johnson in free agency, Moseley and Gardner-Johnson are on one-year deals and cornerback is a long-term need for the Lions.
Banks has a great NFL Combine, running a 4.35 40-yard dash and posting other nice athletic metrics (42-inch vertical jump, 11-foot-4-inch broad jump). He has good size (6-foot, 197 pounds), and his skill set seems perfectly suited to Lions’ defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn’s preference for press coverage. In particular on that front, Lance Zierlein of NFL.com had these three things on his list of strengths for Banks.
"-Outstanding size and length as outside corner. -Lateral slide to mirror and slow the release. -Uses independent hands to reroute receiver."
Banks is in the first round conversation, and I had the Lions nab him.