Lions Select DE Aidan Hutchinson and QB Malik Willis in Latest Mock Draft
The Detroit Lions will have two first-round draft choices in the 2022 NFL Draft.
While it is likely Detroit's front office will target an impactful defensive lineman with its first selection, its pick later in the first round could go in a number of different directions.
CBS Sports came out with its latest mock draft on Monday, and in it, it had Lions general manager Brad Holmes selecting at No. 1 overall and No. 24 overall (via the Rams).
With the No. 1 pick, writer Ryan Wilson selected Aidan Hutchinson, and he took quarterback Malik Willis of Liberty with the Lions' second of two first-round picks.
"Hutchinson is a great example of a player who got better each and every season, and instead of coming out early he stayed in school, balled out as a senior, and made himself into arguably the best player -- on either side of the ball -- in the country during the '21 college football season," Wilson writes. "The exclamation point came the last two weeks; first a three-sack performance against Ohio State and then, on Saturday, helping Michigan win the Big Ten Championship Game."
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Willis is expected to participate in this year's Senior Bowl, which may allow the Lions to get a closer look at his speed and quarterback acumen, should the coaching staff end up coaching one of the two squads.
"We have a second-round grade on Willis but -- and stop us if you've heard this already (scroll up) -- that doesn't mean teams looking for a quarterback won't take one 15 to 30 picks before perhaps they should. If the Lions do, in fact, target Willis here it has to be with the understanding that he'll be a backup in '22 while Jared Goff continues to hold down the job," Wilson explained. "Willis has all the tools you look for in an athletic, strong-armed QB but he's also extremely raw. It would be reckless to throw him into the lineup as a rookie."
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