Detroit Lions 3-Round 2022 NFL Mock Draft 2.0
With just three more games remaining in the Detroit Lions' 2021 season, it's time for me to take another stab at predicting who the Lions are going to take in the first three rounds of the 2022 NFL Draft.
As much as this is a forecast of who I believe the Lions are going to take (virtually impossible at this point), it's also an exercise of taking a look at the players I would take if I were Detroit general manager Brad Holmes and running the organization.
Let's kick this mock draft off with whom I have Holmes & Co. selecting at No. 2 overall.
First round, No. 2 overall: Michigan EDGE defender Aidan Hutchinson
After upsetting Kyler Murray and the Arizona Cardinals Sunday, the Lions are now slated to pick at No. 2 overall.
Projecting that the Jacksonville Jaguars take EDGE rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux with the No. 1 overall pick, I have Detroit taking the best player available with the following pick, Michigan EDGE Aidan Hutchinson.
The 2021 Heisman Trophy runner-up would be a home-run pick from both a PR and roster standpoint.
The Lions are in dire need of an upgrade at pass rusher, and Hutchinson, a University of Michigan product, would certainly provide them that.
If Detroit re-signs Charles Harris in the offseason and gets back a healthy Romeo Okwara, drafting Hutchinson could give the Lions a pass-rushing "Big 3" for the 2022 season and beyond.
The former Dearborn (Mich.) Divine Child High School standout is my pick for Holmes here.
© Junfu Han/Detroit Free Press / USA TODAY NETWORK
First round, No. 24 overall (via the Rams): Arkansas WR Treylon Burks
Another first-round pick and another need addressed by the Lions.
Drafting Burks would give Detroit a solid big-play complement to Amon-Ra. St. Brown, perhaps providing the organization with a dynamic duo at receiver for years to come.
Holmes & Co. could do much worse than getting Hutchinson and Burks with their two first-round picks.
Second round, No. 34 overall: Georgia LB Nakobe Dean
I'm all about needs in this mock draft.
The Lions address another one here and continue to beef up their defense by selecting Georgia linebacker Nakobe Dean.
As The Draft Network's Drae Harris writes, Dean has the ability to affect both an opponent's pass game and run game with his play.
According to Harris, Dean "affects the passing game in a variety of ways. He can blitz inside and demonstrates very good closing quickness to the quarterback. He gets good depth in his zone drops while also showing the ability to cover running backs with ease. In the run game, he plays downhill and quickly diagnoses run. He uses his good quickness to defeat linemen and beat them to the spot. He also does a good job shooting gaps to disrupt plays in the backfield."
The 5-foot-11, 225-pounder is quick to the ball, and in fact, often looks like he is being shot out of a cannon when playing the run.
He's a potential late first-round selection, so he'd be a great find for Holmes and Detroit's front office with the No. 34 overall pick.
Third round, No. 66 overall: Nevada WR Romeo Doubs
Lions fans, would you hold it against me if, in this spot, I picked another wide receiver? I don't think you would if that wideout was Nevada's Romeo Doubs.
First off, Detroit has only had one truly reliable receiver all season long, and that would be a rookie in the previously aforementioned St. Brown.
So, you have to build depth at the position, and drafting Burks and Doubs in the first three rounds would certainly help you achieve that.
Doubs is presently being mocked anywhere from the early second round to about this spot in the third, so he'd be a steal for Holmes & Co. at No. 66 overall.
The 6-foot-2, 200-pounder has the necessary explosiveness and speed to develop into a big-play threat at the next level, which is something Jared Goff and the Lions' passing game could badly use.
My solution for Detroit: Draft two play-making pass-catchers -- Burks and Doubs -- in the 2022 draft.
Third round, No. 98 overall (projected compensatory, as a result of Kenny Golladay signing with the N.Y. Giants): Western Michigan QB Kaleb Eleby
Do the Lions get a quarterback to groom to one day be their starter in this draft? I believe so, and I'm willing to bet that they get their guy here.
There's no clear-cut franchise passer to take within the first three-five picks of the draft, and even with a second first-rounder at its disposal, Detroit's front office has more pressing needs to address.
Enter Western Michigan signal-caller Kaleb Eleby, a developmental type that could be had in the mid-to-late rounds of next year's draft.
The 6-foot-1, 210-pounder throws an incredibly strong ball, and can whip the pigskin all over the field.
One of his biggest issues is his tendency to go with his first read, instead of going through all of his progressions.
In 12 regular season games in 2021, he threw for 21 touchdowns and 3,115 yards, to go along with just five interceptions.
If Eleby develops into a better pocket passer, there's a chance he can have a long NFL career.
