Detroit Lions 7-round pre-Super Bowl mock draft: Targeting needs without hesitation

Rather than preparing for Super Bowl LVIII, the Detroit Lions are in offseason mode. That doesn't mean this season was anything other than a great success, it undeniably was. A division title and two playoff wins were huge steps, and the close loss in the NFC Championship Game is serving as fuel to an "unfinished business" fire.

It's also officially draft season, with the Senior Bowl and East-West Shrine Bowl each taking place last week. In recent years, the end of the regular season (if not before) meant the start of mock draft season for those who cover the Lions. But here we are in February, and due to the deep playoff run mock drafts are only starting.

Without further ado, using Pro Football Network's mock draft simulator, here's our pre-Super Bowl seven-round mock draft for the Lions.

Detroit Lions pre-Super Bowl LVIII mock draft

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

General manager Brad Holmes made an effort to address the Lions' secondary last offseason, and while circumstances beyond anyone's control (injuries to Emmanuel Moseley and C.J. Gardner-Johnson) made it not really work out, cornerback stands as the No. 1 need again this offseason.

The results of this mock sim took Toledo's Quinyon Mitchell, Penn State's Kalen King notably out of the mix at No. 29. But Lassiter is a fine "consolation" prize.

More interceptions would be nice to see on his stat sheet over three years at Georgia, but he posted an 85.4 overall grade from Pro Football Focus last season with a 48.7 passer rating allowed with 15 receptions allowed on 39 targets (eight pass breakups). While a bit undersized (6-foot, 180 pounds), he is a willing tackler (8.5 tackles for loss over the last two seasons) who mixes quick feet with physicality.

Lassiter may be considered a bit of a stretch as a first-round pick by some, But here, the Lions' take the proverbial "best player available" at a position of great need.

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Second Round, Pick No. 61: Bralen Trice, Edge, Washington

After the regular season ended, Trice was a somewhat popular mock draft pick for the Lions late in the first round. Easy to see as an Aidan Hutchinson clone, he had 16 sacks over the last two seasons at Washington (nine in 2022, seven this year) along with 12 and 11.5 tackles for loss respectively in those seasons.

As a high-motor player, he would clearly fit the mold as a "Dan Campbell guy" and a culture fit in Detroit. Apart from his sheer talent, Hutchinson has an unrelenting motor too. Pairing him with Trice would be a headache for opposing offensive tackles, and here in the second round this was an easy pick.

Third Round, No, 73 overall: Christian Haynes, OG, UConn

The Lions could lose both of their starting guards, Jonah Jackson and Graham Glasgow, in free agency. Jackson had a not-so-great contract year, while Glasgow raised his value exponentially with an excellent season back with the Lions. Getting younger and cheaper around center Frank Ragnow may become part of the mode by draft time.

Haynes was a four-year starter at right guard at UConn (49 straight starts). By all accounts he had a nice week down in Mobile at the Senior Bowl, perhaps starting to push his draft position into the second round.

A notable moment during practices down in Mobile involved Haynes, when LSU defensive lineman Jordan Jefferson ripped Haynes' helmet off and threw it in a moment of frustration.

Haynes may not ultimately fall to third round in late-April. But here in early February he did, so I grabbed him.

Third Round, No. 92 overall: Jamari Thrash, WR, Louisville

The Lions may lose Josh Reynolds (or let him leave?) in free agency, and the similar options available on the open market aren't all that enticing. Amon-Ra St. Brown is locked into his role as the No. 1 guy, and Jameson Williams is lined up for a bigger role next season, but depth is a thing.

After topping 1,100 yards for Georgia State in 2022, Thrash transferred to Louisville for a fifth college season and acquitted himself fairly well in the ACC (63 catches for 858 yards, six touchdowns). He is coming off a strong week in Mobile too, making the daily standouts list from Pro Football Focus's Trevor Sikkema twice.

Thrash isn't big (6-foot-0, 180-185 pounds) or all that fast, but he is well-regarded as an all-around polished receiver with route-running prowess, a high football IQ and good overall traits even if his measurables won't leap off the page.

That sort of sounds like the pre-draft evaluations of St. Brown, which pushed him down to the fourth round in 2021, doesn't it?

Fourth Round

The Lions sent their 2024 fourth-round pick to the Minnesota Vikings in the T.J. Hockenson trade. That trade yielded them an extra third-round pick this year. So as of rigth now, they will have a long wait between picks.

Fifth Round, No. 162 overall: Elijah Jones, CB, Boston College

In just nine games for Boston College last season, Jones had five interceptions, eight pass breakups and two ACC Player of the Week awards. He left the team in November due to a personal issue that was not injury-related, which may or may impact his draft stock as NFL teams get an answer there.

Jones has good length (6-foot-2), and he clearly had good ball skills (36 career pass breakups at B.C., seven interceptions over his last two seasons). He was a late addition to the Senior Bowl roster, but he's another prospect who had a strong week of practices according to analysts on the ground in Mobile.

There are concerns about his bulk (184 pounds) and top-end speed, but the Lions easily take a shot at another cornerback here in the fifth round.

Sixth Round, No. 206 overall: Josh Karty, K, Stanford

If Dan Campbell's "controversial" fourth down aggressiveness in the NFC Championship Game was a reflection of anything, it was a lack of confidence in kicker Michael Badgley from a certain distance range. The "take the points" crowd has conveniently ignored Badgley's track record for lack of proficiency from 45 yards-plus out.

There's definitely another crowd that would say "never draft a kicker." But the Lions don't have a ton of glaring needs this offseason, and kicker is one. The list of good free agent options, at least before potential cuts are made, isn't especially long.

Enter Karty, who missed one extra point and made 85 percent of his field goals over three seasons at Stanford. Three of his four field goal misses last season were from 50-plus yards out, with a long make of 56. His career-long is 61 yards

During Senior Bowl practice, Karty was routinely hitting field goals from very long range.

Campbell won't be changing his general mode to go for it on fourth down, and he shouldn't. But in critical spots, like say the fourth quarter of an NFC Championship Game you ultimately lose by a field goal, it would be nice to have a kicker who can make a long field goal as an option.

Seventh Round, No. 246 overall: Marcus Harris, DT, Auburn

Harris was a three-year starter Auburn, after transferring from Kansas, and he finished on a high note with seven sacks and 11 tackles for loss last season.

As noted by Damian Parson of The Draft Network, Harris lined up at multiple spots along the Tigers' defensive front. That will add to his appeal as a prospect, but a lack of great size (295 pounds) likely will push him toward being a 3-technique or a 5-technique at the next level. A lack of ideal arm length makes him a bit of a tweener, but his base traits make him an interesting developmental player.

New Lions' defensive line coach Terrell Williams (once it's made official of course) was the head coach of the American team down at the Senior Bowl. Harris was on the American team roster, so Williams got a close look at him all week.

Maybe Williams saw a player he can work with and mold into something at the next level. So Harris becomes an easy seventh-round flier for the Lions here.