Detroit Lions 4-round mock draft: Building up the defense with focused intention

In the not-too-distant past, mock draft season for the next draft when it came to the Detroit Lions basically started when Thanksgiving arrived, or soon after. This year, as the NFL Combine approaches, we've only done two mock drafts. A deep playoff run will tend put the focus on other things, and it's an easy trade-off.

But now it's fully the offseason, and officially mock draft season.

Full seven-round mocks are fun, but in the interest of mixing it up once in a while going a little shorter makes sense. The Lions have four top-100 picks in April's draft, so this week we put the focus on those picks and the first four rounds. If there are immediate difference makers to be found in this year's draft, or any draft truly, those four picks over the first two days of the draft are most likely to be the ones.

Without further ado, using Pro Football Network's mock draft simulator, here's how the Lions came out of the first four rounds.

Detroit Lions 4-round 2024 mock draft: Adding to the defense

First Round, pick No. 29: Kamari Lassiter, CB, Georgia

A deep cornerback class this year is advantageous for the Lions, as they can sit back in the first round and let a good player fall to them at their biggest position of need.

Lassiter might not blow athletic testing out of water at the combine, and some people may say he's small (6-foot, 180 pounds). He has some areas of his game to hone, most notably he can get a little handsy in coverage and his ball skills are lacking (at least in terms of interception production). But he can play zone or man coverage capably, which will bolster his appeal to NFL teams.

Pro Football Focus was complementary of his work last season (87.2 coverage grade, 85.4 overall grade, 48.7 passer rating allowed), as he had eight pass breakups and allowed just 15 catches on 39 targets.

Lassiter is willing tackler in the run game, with a high football IQ and good all-around ability. He sounds like a Brad Holmes kind of corner, and one defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn might covet too.