Detroit Lions 7-round mock draft: After the Jeff Okudah trade
First Round
player. 50. Pick Analysis. DE. Will Anderson. Scouting Report. Alabama. 6
Yes, Anderson is the No. 1 prospect in this draft for some analysts and he might be gone before this pick. Or the Lions could trade up to get him, after getting to know him better via their pre-draft visit that’s coming this week. But he was here in this mock sim, and I was on the proverbial clock for about four seconds. Absolutely Lions-like, much to the real-life chagrin of the league office who wants draft drama.
18. 50. CB. Deonte Banks. Maryland. player. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis
Trading Okudah does not impact the Lions’ draft plans at cornerback. The only cornerbacks they have under contract beyond 2023 are Cameron Sutton and Chase Lucas.
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."
Walter Football has James Bradberry as the comp for Banks. He’s a likely first-rounder in a deep class of cornerbacks, and the Lions add a future starter quite easily here.