Ranking Lions' Draft Choices at No. 7
Every Lions fan wants to know the answer to the following question: What will the organization do with the No. 7 overall pick in this year's NFL Draft?
It's a franchise-altering decision that will forever define the Dan Campbell-Brad Holmes regime in Detroit.
Numerous valid options exist at No. 7, with fans and pundits alike varying in opinion on who the Lions will select with the pick.
Some draft analysts believe that Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons is a can't-miss prospect for Holmes & Co. Meanwhile, others believe the organization needs to take a wide receiver with the pick, especially now with No. 1 wideout Kenny Golladay expected to depart the team in free agency.
The options at pass-catcher range from Alabama receivers DeVonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle, to LSU wideout Ja'Marr Chase and Florida tight end Kyle Pitts.
These aforementioned prospects are widely considered to be the top five options for Detroit at No. 7. Here's how I would rank them.
5.) Florida TE Kyle Pitts
If the Lions take Pitts at No. 7, it won't be because they have a void at tight end or are looking for an upgrade over T.J. Hockenson, who is coming off a Pro Bowl campaign.
Instead, it'll be because they believe what many other draft pundits have already stated: Pitts is a wide receiver playing the tight end position. He's got the intangibles necessary to be a top-flight pass-catcher, and would immediately upgrade Detroit's passing attack.
Also, remember that Holmes & Co. reportedly aren't going to draft based on need. Instead, their approach is going to be to find the best player available at each spot in the draft.
And there's an argument to be made that the Florida product quite possibly could be the best prospect on the board once the No. 7 pick rolls around.
NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah spoke highly of the 6-foot-6, 240-pounder during a video conference with media Tuesday.
"Well, I think you can make a strong case he's the best player in the draft," Jeremiah told reporters. "I have him as the third best player right now. When I update it -- and I've seen a lot more going through all these defensive players -- I just watched all these corners, and I'm watching these corners with first, second, third-round draft grades in the SEC. And they can't cover the guy."
I don't think the Lions will select the 2020 first-team All-American selection. But, they certainly could do much worse, even with a clear-cut No. 1 tight end in Hockenson already on the roster.
4.) Alabama WR DeVonta Smith
The 2020 Heisman winner is undoubtedly a tempting option for Detroit with its first-round selection.
Smith is coming off a season in which he set the Alabama single-season record for receiving yards (1,856) and touchdowns (23) while finishing second on the school's single-season receptions list (117).
According to The Draft Network's Jordan Reid,
"Possessing sure hands and body control, he (Smith) has little trouble with making catches in traffic, but his fundamentals remain the same on routine ones as well. Although he may never make defenders miss consistently in space, he has elongated strides that allow him to eat up operating room quickly."
The 6-foot-1, 175-pound receiver is the real deal. However, I prefer Waddle, the other highly heralded Crimson Tide wideout from this year's draft class, over Smith.
3.) Alabama WR Jaylen Waddle
There's not a huge gap in talent between Waddle and Smith. But, as I indicated above, if I were forced to choose between the two, I'd take Waddle.
In 2020, the 5-foot-10, 182-pound pass-catcher amassed 591 yards and four touchdowns on 28 catches. He also converted a first down or scored a TD on 22 of his receptions.
Meanwhile, for his career, he finished second on the Alabama all-time list in average yards per catch (18.9).
Mark J. Rebilas, USA TODAY Sports
Jeremiah also prefers Waddle over Smith.
"I think it's kind of a flavor thing with Waddle and DeVonta Smith," Jeremiah said. "Waddle gives you a little bit more juice, but DeVonta Smith plays plenty fast, as well. DeVonta Smith is a pristine route runner. He obviously, as everybody knows, is real thin. He is really long armed, and can go up and get it, as well. I just thought (that) what you get after the catch, with some of the shiftiness, and then just the home-run speed with Waddle is why I ended up with Waddle over Smith."
2.) Penn State LB Micah Parsons
He's the defensive prospect that is most feasible for the Lions at No. 7.
Detroit's linebackers unit was anemic a year ago. So, the organization is definitely going to be taking a linebacker -- if not two of them -- in this year's draft.
Enter Parsons, who can both effectively get after the quarterback and stop the run. Plus, he's more than capable in pass coverage.
His skill set would allow him to immediately provide a boost to the Lions' linebackers group.
He's a personal favorite of mine, and Jeremiah is a fan of his game, as well.
"I think with Parsons, (he has) the ability to do everything," Jeremiah said. "Off the ball, you can also rush him a little bit. As impressive as his range and instincts are against the run, to me it's what he does in coverage. You see him cover tight ends up there at Penn State. You see him cover backs. I would have loved to have seen him this year. But, I get it. He put so much good stuff on tape in '19 that he made the decision that he did."
Parsons' high level of versatility stands out to Jeremiah.
"He would fit in with that versatility that everybody is looking for. But, more than anything else, I think with linebackers right now, I'm sure we'll get into it with more of these guys, but I'm looking at guys that can really run and cover. And he can do it," Jeremiah explained.
Detroit could do no wrong with taking Parsons.
If the organization stays at No. 7, the Penn State product is the defensive player that it should take and that it more than likely will.
But, there is one player ahead of him on this list.
1.) LSU WR Ja'Marr Chase
At this juncture, I see the former Tigers wide receiver as the best option for the Lions with the No. 7 pick.
Chase decided to opt out of the 2020 season, after putting together a truly unforgettable campaign in 2019.
He was '19 Heisman Trophy winner and now Cincinnati Bengals starting quarterback Joe Burrow's No. 1 target in Baton Rouge, and he helped the Tigers go 15-0 and win the national championship.
Along the way, the 6-foot-1, 208-pound Chase set single-season SEC records for both receiving yards (1,780) and touchdowns (20).
He was an absolutely electrifying presence in LSU's passing game, and Jeremiah believes that he'd be a "home-run pick" for Detroit.
"When you watch him at LSU in 2019, you see examples of ... where he can separate from people off the line of scrimmage, he can separate at the top of his route. He plays big to go up and get the football, and then after the catch, he gives you that strength and physicality to break tackles," Jeremiah commented. "He's, to me, the best receiver in the draft. I can't imagine that he would be there. But, man, that would be a home-run pick for the Lions, if he was."
Jeremiah and I are in agreement. If Chase is still on the board once the No. 7 pick rolls around, Detroit will be nabbing him.
With his skill set, he could right away slide into Golladay's role as the No. 1 receiver on the team, if Golladay does indeed depart Motown this offseason.
Chase is the Lions' best option with their first-round pick.
