Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell recently told reporters that, above anything else they're looking for in this year's draft class, they're trying to get back some of the nastiness that defined his first years with the franchise.
According to a new report from NBC Sports' Michael David Smith, Campbell told reporters during the NFL's owner's meeting:
"Everybody wants talent, I’ll always want talent, but it’s always nice to have a little bit of saltiness to you over the talent that lacks saltiness because that’s what we were in ’22, and a part of ’23. We had talent, but we had some salty guys and we were highly competitive. We were willing to make it work, figure it out, so just getting a little bit of that edge back. Some of that comes with youth. Now, with youth, you’re gonna have some of the stuff that gets frustrating, the mental [mistakes], but we believe we can get them there as a staff and with the rest of the players we have around them.”
That could provide a hint as to where the Lions are leaning in this year's draft, especially in the first round. They have the 17th overall pick, which you probably already know as that's all anyone's talking about in Lions circles ahead of the April draft. What they're doing with that pick, though, remains as known as what happened when the screen went black at the end of The Sopranos.
But, based on this quote from Campbell, and the teams' needs, it seems like NFL.com's latest mock draft sending Cashius Howell to the Lions at 17th overall - and not a tackle - could be on the right track.
Nick Shook's latest mock draft has Lions snagging tough edge
Shook has Detroit taking Howell at 17th overall rather than grabbing a tackle, which long-term is probably not for the best of their offensive line. But, it's hard to say no to any mock that has the team landing a legitimate starting edge like Howell.
Shook wrote of the pass rusher:
"If there's any general manager in the NFL who has demonstrated a willingness to ignore pre-draft rankings and stick with his guys, it's the Lions' Brad Holmes. He flouts concerns regarding Howell's arm length (30 1/4 inches) and chooses a dynamic rusher who is also highly capable of making a difference against the run, giving the Lions the running mate they’ve needed for."
Howell, like Rueben Bain Jr., has suffered a small blow to his value on several big boards following concerning measurements in this year's NFL Combine. But, that doesn't take away from his talent as a pocket disruptor, getting a nice comparison to New York Jets defender Will McDonald IV from Lance Zierlein.
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Howell's tape shows an overpowering defender with great bend around the edge and with a relentless motor. Even when he can't get to the quarterback, he's doing everything he can to throw an arm or hand into the mix to cause problems in the pocket. Imagining him and Aidan Hutchinson together on the field is a dream, and a nightmare for opposing offensive lines.
This is exactly why it's hard to just say the Lions will take a tackle and then take their chances on an edge in the 2nd round. Talent like Howell being potentially available at the 17th overall selection isn't very easy to pass on. And, it would be quite Holmes-y, as Shook says, to snag a defender this early despite some hits to his value.