5 local prospects the Detroit Lions could take in the 2024 NFL Draft
Even if it's not (or shouldn't be) a scale tipper on its own, these five local prospects could be on the Lions' radar in the 2024 draft.
The Detroit Lions are not only the host team for the 2024 NFL Draft, they are also in the enviable position of having all kinds of options. General manager Brad Holmes has been consistent with the idea the draft is where he acquires talent without marriage to needs. And the results of his first three drafts speak for themselves.
Early in the 2022 draft, fortune smiled on the Lions when Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson was not drafted first overall by the Jacksonville Jaguars. They turned in their card to make the former Wolverine (and Plymouth, Michigan native) the second overall pick the league did not like it.
Hutchinson holds the double-distinction of being from Michigan and going to a local college. He is the only player the Lions have taken from a Michigan college in the last six drafts. The most recent University of Michigan alums, before Hutchinson, the Lions drafted were guard Graham Glasgow and quarterback Jake Rudock in 2016. The most recent Michigan State player the Lions drafted was quarterback Drew Stanton in 2007.
Tapping into Michigan roots, via having played at an in-state college or having gone to high school in the state, here are five local prospects who could be on the Lions' radar during the upcoming draft.
5 local prospects the Lions could take in the 2024 NFL Draft
5. Roman Wilson, WR, Michigan
The Lions may (should?) be in the market for a wide receiver in this year's draft. Wilson was at the team's local Pro Day, and he also made a pre-draft visit that didn't count against the 30 the Lions are allotted because he's a local prospect.
At 5-foot-10 and 185 pounds, Wilson is more of a slot receiver and he does not fit the "X" receiver profile the Lions are expected to seek. But he is a downfield threat (16.0 yards per catch for his career at Michigan) and he had 789 yards with 12 touchdowns last season in a low-volume passing attack. He ran a sub 4-4 second 40 at the combine, so he shouldn't pigeonholed as a sheerly a slot receiver.
Wilson is a projected Day 2 draft pick. The biggest reasons he's not higher on this list is his physical profile and skill set that seems to overlap a little too much with Amon-Ra St. Brown.