Detroit Lions 7-round mock draft: Standing pat and getting it done

Fourth Round

The Lions don’t have a fourth-round pick right now, and within the overall premise here they don’t acquire one during the proceedings. So they wait a little over the equivalent of two full rounds between picks.

Fifth Round

Zavala will have a pre-draft visit with the Lions, as they are clearly doing some homework on guards. He started his entire college career, between Division II Fairmont and N.C. State, at left guard. Last season for the Wolfpack he was a First Team All-ACC selection (credited with 31 pancake blocks) and at N.C. State’s Pro Day (he was a Combine snub) he benched 225 pounds 30 times with a 32.5-inch vertical jump at 325 pounds.

The Lions have zero guards under contract beyond 2023 right now, so it’s a definite potential need spot to consider at some point in this draft.

Sixth Round

O’Connell started most of his final two seasons at Purdue, totaling 50 touchdown passes and 24 interceptions over that span. Last season he led the Big Ten in completions (320) and attempts (499) and was second in passing yards (3,412). In 2021 he was top-five conference in completion percentage (71.6 percent; second–fifth in FBS), passing yards (3,712; third), yards per attempt (8.4; third) and passing touchdowns (28; second)).

O’Connell has good size (6-foot-3, 212 pounds) and solid all-around skills, without being outstanding in any singular area. His drop-off in numbers from 2021 to last season can be chalked up to losing top wide receiver David Bell to the NFL, and even then O’Connell was not dreadful as the Boilermakers won the Big Ten West.

O’Connell could develop into a solid NFL starter, or he could have having a long career as a backup. He’s not an upside play, but the value in the sixth round was hard to turn down.

Demus earned All-Big Ten honorable mention in 2019, 2020 and 2021, with his best season the first of the three (41 catches for 625 yards, six touchdowns), and his 2021 season shortened to five games (though he averaged 18.1 yards per catch) by a torn ACL. In his final season at Maryland, he had 22 catches and just one touchdown in 12 games.

Demus has some interesting NFL traits, most notably size (6-foot-3, 212 pounds , 34.5-inch arms), jumping ability, physicality and hands. But he’s not overly quick, athletic or elusive, and his torn ACL appears to have impacted his running gait. Being further removed from the injury could only help that latter point.

As sixth-round fliers go, a wide receiver with the latent skill set to become a downfield contested catch guy is as good as any for the Lions.

Seventh Round

The Lions also don’t currently have a seventh-round pick.