4 free agents the Detroit Lions could sign after the 2023 NFL Draft

3. WR N’Keal Harry

The Lions added Antoine Green with their final pick in the 2023 draft, and Chase Cota was given $80,00 as an undrafted free agent. But they still have few mortal locks for a 53-man roster spot at wide receiver, and of course Jameson Williams will be suspended for the first six games of the season.

Harry is already in the books as a failed first-round pick by the New England Patriots. An ankle injury late in training camp sidelined him for the early part of the season with the Chicago Bears. In seven games he ultimately played in, he had seven catches (on nine targets) for 116 yards and one touchdown over 176 snaps. He did have a notable highlight though, in a brief flash of the potential that made him a first-round pick.

Harry had a nice college career at Arizona State, topping 1,000 yards in each of his last two seasons with 17 touchdowns over that span. He is a big receiver (6-foot-4, 225 pounds), and he is still just 25 years old. The Lions could still take a shot on someone of his ilk, and he would be incredibly cheap to sign.

2. DL Matt Ioannidis

Ioannidis started all 13 games he played for the Carolina Panthers last season. While his raw numbers weren’t great, he did have an impact lining up as as stabilizing force next to Derrick Brown, who had a breakout campaign.

Ioannidis spent his first six NFL seasons with Washington, highlighted by seasons (2018 and 2019) where he had 7.5 and 8.5 sacks respectively. He has posted at least nine quarterback hits in in five of the last six seasons, and he only played three games in the exception (2020).

Ioannidis has played across the defensive line over the course of his career. That’s just the kind of versatility the Lions covet, and with 86 games and over 3,200 snaps under his belt he’s a proven commodity.