Detroit Lions final 7-round 2023 mock draft: Bolstering the NFC North favorites

Fourth Round

The Lions do not have a fourth-round pick.

Fifth Round

Back to the well of recent previous mocks here, with Thompson-Robinson as the later-round quarterback of choice for the Lions.

A highly touted recruit. Thompson-Robinson steadily improved over his time playing under Chip Kelly at UCLA with 48 touchdowns and 16 interceptions over his final two seasons. Last season, his 69.6 percent completion rate was sixth in the FBS among quarterbacks with at least 250 pass attempts. He was also one of two FBS signal callers with at least 27 touchdown passes and 12 rushing scores last season. Raw production on the ground with his legs is obviously nice, but he is also able to make plays throwing on the run.

Thompson-Robinson would be able to sit behind Jared Goff, then potentially take over as the Lions starting quarterback in 2024 or 2025. Offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and/or quarterbacks coach Mark Brunell could be very strong advocates “in the room” for the quarterback affectionately called “DTR.”

The Lions’ tight end room needs an injection of talent and upside. Mallory’s production at Miami doesn’t leap off the page. But he did average 13.4 yards per catch over the course of his career, and he led ACC tight ends with 42 receptions for 538 yards last season.

Mallory is definitely more of a pass catcher than a run blocker at this point. But there are some intriguing tools here, and that’s more than any Lions tight end this side of James Mitchell can say.

Sixth Round

The Lions have a sneaky future need at guard, at at least one spot (right guard ) if not both if Jonah Jackson isn’t signed to an extension or he simply leaves in 2024 free agency. Coming out of this draft with a guard almost feels mandatory.

Sow started his career at Eastern Michigan playing left tackle, before moving to left guard and becoming a standout there. At 6-foot-5 and 323 pounds, he posted the second-best Next Gen Stats Athleticism Score among guards at the NFL Combine.

Sow has physical traits to build from as he heads to the next level. He was an easy flier in the sixth round.

The list of “my guys” in this draft, at least for this mock, ends with Ibrahim.

Ibrahim capped a nice career at Minnesota by leading the Big Ten with 1,665 yards and 20 rushing touchdowns. He did both of those things in 2020 too, with 1,076 yards and 15 touchdowns in that truncated, COVID-impacted season. If he hadn’t suffered a torn Achilles in the 2021 season opener against Ohio State when he had 30 carries for 163 yards and two touchdowns against one of the best teams in the country, he may have made it a trifecta of seasons as the Big Ten’s best rusher. Over his last 20 games as a Gopher, he scored 37 touchdowns.

Ibrahim’s physical or athletic traits do not stand out (5-foot-8, 203 pounds). But the whole is greater than the sum of the parts here, and the tape doesn’t lie. He just finds a way to gain yards, with instincts, a low center of gravity, sneaky power and a flat-out nose for the end zone. He certainly has untapped potential as a pass receiver as well.

Ibrahim feels like the kind of back who will be drafted on Day 3, then go on to play a solid decade in the NFL–probably for a few teams. The Lions easily add to their running back pipeline here.

Seventh Round

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