Sixth Round, Pick No. 198: Willie Lampkin, OG/C, North Carolina
Lampkin spent his first three seasons at Coastal Carolina before transferring to North Carolina for his final two. Playing right guard for Mack Brown's Tar Heels last season, with a couple missed games, he posted the best PFF grades of his career overall as well as both a run and pass blocker.
Lampkin is uniquely short for an offensive lineman (5-foot-10 and 3/8 at the Senior Bowl), and he's also way lighter than is ideal (270 pounds). The negatives on him are very obvious (all-around undersized, lack of length), but he has the other skills an interior offensive lineman has to have (natural leverage, good athletic ability, good footwork and use of hands, finishes well, good puch and grip strength).
NFL.com's Daniel Jeremiah has what he'll call "eye of the beholder" prospects. Lampkin is a poster boy for that in this year's draft class. Some teams will see an undersized lineman they want little or nothing to do with. Others will see what he is on tape, with experience across all three interior line spots in college (26 starts at left guard, 21starts at right guard, 14 starts at center) and what's sure to be an underdog mentality as people write him off due to his size.
The Lions seems sure to be in the latter group, and Lampkin was a surprisingly easy pick here with how the Day 3 board fell.
Seventh Round, Pock No. 230: Tim Smith, DT, Alabama
Holmes covets Alabama players, though we'll see if that changes as those who were recruited by and played for Nick Saban progress out of the program. Smith was a five-year player for the Crimson Tide, and while he doesn't have the splashy star power and stats of some others he played with he was a durable staple with 63 games.
Smith (6-foot-4. 314 pounds) is regarded as a developmental prospect but also scheme-versatile, having played defensive end in high school and lining up in multiple spots across Alabama's defensive line. A double-dip at defensive tackle wound up making sense in this mock spin.
Seventh Round, Pick No. 246: Tyler Shough, QB, Louisville
Shough had a college journey that reflects the times we're in, suiting up for three teams (Oregon, Texas Tech and Louisville) over seven seasons. Many of those seasons were shortened, by redshirting, being a backup or being benched (Oregon) and injuries (all three of his seasons at Texas Tech), but he was finally healthy and showed what he could do last season at Louisville (3,195 yards, 23 touchdowns, six interceptions).
The Lions are currently down the road with an older draft prospect quarterback, and we see how that has gone with Hendon Hooker as they seem ready to move on this offseason. But Shough has NFL size (6-foot-5, 225 pounds), at least one draft analyst is very high on him.
There aren’t four quarterbacks in this draft class more gifted with NFL tools than Louisville QB Tyler Shough. There. I said it. Goodnight. pic.twitter.com/yqMSJaohra
— Todd McShay (@McShay13) February 12, 2025
If the Lions do use a late-round pick on a quarterback, it seems likely to be someone younger than Shough, who'll turn 26 in September. But at this point, with their final pick of the draft, he is worth the flier.