5 local prospects the Detroit Lions could take in the 2024 NFL Draft

2. Kris Jenkins, DT, Michigan

Jenkins has NFL bloodlines (his father, Kris, was a four-time All-Pro over10 NFL seasons), and he has plenty of big game experience from two years as a full-time starter for the Wolverines. He is a little on the lighter side for an NFL defensive tackle (299 pounds), but he could add good weight in a full-on NFL workout program.

The overall tools are definitely there, and under the tutelage of new Lions defensive line coach Terrell Williams there'd be plenty of room for Jenkins to expand his arsenal as a pass rusher very quickly.

Go read this scouting report from Pro Football Network and the strong adjectives in it to see what is so intriguing about Jenkins.

The Lions added DJ Reader in free agency to work next to Alim McNeill on the interior of the defensive line. But overall defensive tackle depth is still a thing, and long-term the position feels like a need. Jenkins might be No. 1 on this list, if not for....

1. Darius Robinson, DL, Missouri

Robinson is an easy No. 1 here. A Detroit-area native (Canton, Michigan), he has openly talked about how his meeting with the Lions at the NFL Combine was different than any other he had based on his childhood fandom. He will be one of the 13 prospects in Detroit for the first round of the draft Thursday night.

Robinson played out on the edge more in his final season at Missouri, and a spike in sack production and overall disruption followed (8.5 sacks, 14 tackles for loss). That inside-outside versatility is appealing overall, and ESPN's Matt Miller recently pointed to the Lions at No. 29 overall as the "landing spot" for Robinson. A strong section of recent mock drafts have landed there too.

Robinson and the Lions feel like a good draft match of a team need, a player's skill set and the team he'd like to be drafted by. We'll see if he's donning a Lions' hat by the end of the proceedings on Thursday night.