NFL Draft Expert Identifies Detroit Lions Top Fits
The Detroit Lions could target the defensive side of the ball early in the NFL Draft.
Coordinator Aaron Glenn's group struggled throughout the season, particularly with marrying the perfect combination of rush and coverage. As a result, the defensive line and secondary may be positions they target early in the Draft.
A pair of Missouri defenders, cornerback Ennis Rakestraw Jr. and defensive end Darius Robinson, could factor into Detroit's Draft equation.
NFL Network Draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah spoke about both players at length during a recent conference call ahead of the NFL Combine. With Robinson, he compared the defender to New Orleans' Cam Jordan, who has carved out an exceptional NFL career.
"No, I think there's pass rush there. He was kind of in that tough spot where, they were trying to figure out at Missouri, is he going to be an inside guy or outside guy? Because he's bigger," Jeremiah said. "Cam Jordan's a name that you throw around there just from a body type-wise. I remember watching Cam Jordan, at Cal, work out with skill guys and run with the skill guys because he was such an athlete. You've got a guy whose was 286 pounds that can really move like that."
Robinson has ties to Michigan, as he hails from Canton. With his physical abilities and toughness, Jeremiah views him as a better player when standing up on the edge as opposed to lining up inside.
As a result, his value could continue to increase throughout the Pre-Draft process.
"I thought he's just he's better as a fit on the outside, standing up on the edge, he can rush through your chest, the power, he can really close from the backside," Jeremiah explained. "I just thought that kind of the wider alignment, with him, really helped unlock him, and you saw that at the Senior Bowl. So he feels to me like somebody that's going to go somewhere in the 20s, more than likely. And I think he's worthy, he's got the ability to go in that range."
Rakestraw, meanwhile, is billed as a tough, physical defender who has plenty of potential as a boundary corner. Though his stats aren't eye-popping, his abilities as a tackler and toughness at the line of scrimmage make him an intriguing fit with the Lions.
"I think he's in that range, yeah. I have him a little bit higher than that," Jeremiah stated. "I know, talking to teams, I'm a little bit higher on him then some other teams are but yeah, in terms of the feistiness and the toughness, the aggressiveness that he plays with, the energy, the passion that he plays with. Yeah, he fits 100 percent with Detroit."
In his most recent mock draft, the expert paired the Lions with West Virginia offensive lineman Zach Frazier at the 29th overall pick. Delving into his backstory, Jeremiah pointed out that the blocker's wrestling background and pure strength make him another solid fit for Dan Campbell's team.
"I was giving them Frazier for almost the exact same reason when you look at the center from West Virginia. Because the guy's a four-time state champ wrestler. He's super, super physical," Jeremiah said. "He finishes guys, he plays kind of that nasty style and that's the great thing that they've done in Detroit. All the talent they've brought in there, I think the biggest thing they've done is they've got a true identity of who they are, what they're about. They've set that vision from the beginning and they went out and found guys that fit. ... I think both of those guys are Detroit Lions type players."
Building the foundation
The Lions' 2023 class of rookies was initially highly criticized, as Holmes made selections that surprised many.
However, the group wound up delivering historic production, particularly within the first four picks. All four were starters by season's end and played big roles in the team's run to the NFC Championship.
What made the selections puzzling initially was that the positions Holmes targeted in the first round, running back and linebacker, are not considered to be highly valuable. As a result, the choice to draft Jahmyr Gibbs and Jack Campbell were viewed by some as reaches.
Reflecting a year later, these picks wound up being exactly what the Lions needed. However, one prominent NFL Draft analyst doesn't see other teams following Holmes' lead of not worrying about traditional positional value.
Jeremiah pointed out that the Lions' decisions in 2023 were the direct product of the success that Holmes had in his first two drafts.
"We've focused so much on them not taking those 'non-valued' positions but we've ignored the fact that, yeah, when you've already built the foundation, then you can go do that," Jeremiah said. "That draft was successful because of what Brad and those guys did previously to build up the line of scrimmage on both sides.
"They had the quarterback in place. They hit a home run on the wide receiver, so the expensive, premium positions, they'd already built the foundation," Jeremiah continued. "That freed them up, a huge advantage over the rest of the league where you can take the running back, obviously tight end hit the home run, you can take off the ball linebacker. You can do those things once the foundation is built."
