Lions Select Two Pass Rushers in Latest Mock Draft
The Detroit Lions have two first-round picks in the 2022 NFL Draft, which equates to having two chances to impact the trajectory of the team’s rebuild.
From now until the draft, which is slated for April 28, virtually every media outlet will try its hand at predicting what teams, like the Lions, will do with their picks. Pro Football Focus unveiled its latest mock draft Monday.
This mock draft had the Lions picking second, a selection they are locked into, and 28th with the Los Angeles Rams' pick, which is subject to change with the Rams still playing in the postseason.
With the No. 2 overall selection, PFF’s Austin Gayle has the Lions selecting Oregon EDGE rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux, after Jacksonville picks Michigan’s Aidan Hutchinson at No. 1.
“The 6-foot-5, 260-pound Thibodeaux earned a 91.3 PFF pass-rushing grade that ranked fourth among all Power Five Edge defenders in 2021, behind only Hutchinson (93.6), South Carolina’s Kingsley Enagbare (92.5) and Oklahoma’s Nik Bonitto (92.5),” Gayle writes.” Thibodeaux is a premier player at a premium position – throw need out the window if he’s available at No. 2 overall.”
Thibodeaux was the consensus top recruit coming out of high school in the 2019 recruiting class, and has lived up to his billing. In three seasons at Oregon, he racked up 19 sacks and 35.5 tackles for loss.
Hailing from South Los Angeles, Calif., Thibodeaux, as a high school recruit, was given a five-star rating and a .9987 composite score by the 247Sports Composite rating system.
Chris Pietsch, The Register-Guard, USA TODAY NETWORK
Gayle has the Lions staying in state with their second first-round selection, choosing Michigan EDGE rusher David Ojabo at No. 28 overall.
“There’s no debating that Michigan edge defender David Ojabo had an absurd 2021 campaign,” Gayle pens. “Having started his football career in 2017, he played just 26 defensive snaps for the Wolverines in 2020 before exploding with 41 pressures and an 88.2 pass-rushing grade this season. He’s a raw prospect who will need to test through the roof at the combine to go in the first round come April, but that’s well within the realm of possibility for the young superstar.”
Ojabo, from Port Harcourt, Nigeria, burst onto the scene in 2021, after playing a limited role in his first two seasons as a Wolverine. He finished the season with 11 sacks, 12 tackles for loss and five forced fumbles.
He has great athleticism and burst off the line, traits that project well with NFL scouts. With so little on his side when it comes to game reps and film, many talent evaluators are excited by the untapped potential possessed by the Michigan product.
If the Lions do indeed decide to take two EDGE rushers, the defensive line could be bookended by talent for years to come.
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