What They're Saying Nationally: Detroit Lions' Rebuild Off To Good Start
The Lions ended up with seven total picks in the 2021 NFL Draft, including three picks on Day 3.
Detroit used the selections to upgrade its offense and linebackers unit.
Lions first-year general manager Brad Holmes possessed back-to-back picks in the fourth round (No. 112 and No. 113), after executing a draft-day trade with the Cleveland Browns. As part of the deal, the Lions gave up the No. 153 overall selection in the fifth round and a 2022 fourth-rounder, and also landed pick No. 257 -- the third-to-last pick in the seventh and final round.
With the back-to-back choices in the fourth round, Holmes & Co. took USC wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown and Purdue linebacker Derrick Barnes. Then, to round out its 2021 draft class, Detroit selected Oregon State running back Jermar Jefferson.
Let's take a look now at what draft pundits across the country had to say about the Lions' 2021 haul of picks.
Overall grade for Lions' 2021 draft class: A- (ranked ninth out of 32 NFL franchises)
Analysis: New GM Brad Holmes made an early splash trading Matthew Stafford to boost future draft considerations and he delivered while on the clock this year. Detroit made it a point to get better in both trenches early and got some good secondary and linebacker depth later. Sewell was an unbeatable way to come out swinging. St. Brown is the ideal tough slot receiver for them to playoff tight end T.J. Hockenson. The Lions didn’t address wide receiver multiple times, but that’s only real knock for an important class for their latest rebuild.
Overall grade: B+
Analysis: Sewell was an absolute no-brainer selection for the Lions when they were on the clock at No. 7. He’ll be a dominant blocker for years to come, whether staying on the right side or eventually moving to the left side. Selecting two defensive tackles after trading for Michael Brockers earlier this offseason seemed a little strange, especially considering the other areas of the team in need of support, but Onwuzurike and McNeill are very good players worthy of their draft slotting. If Melifonwu can become as good a football player as he is an athlete, watch out NFL receivers.
St. Brown was clearly one of the best receivers available in the early fourth round, lacking great speed but providing a reliable target. Barnes met the team’s need for a strong linebacker willing to pound running backs or quarterbacks in the backfield, though it was inadvisable to give up a future fourth-round selection to trade up for him.
Sports Illustrated's Conor Orr
Overall grade: B-
Analysis: Give a former NFL tight end with a penchant for inflicting pain the keys to the draft room and this is exactly what you’d expect. The Lions went offensive line, defensive line, defensive line with their first three picks and while we’re all left staring at the empty, dust-ridden shelf that is their receiver room, it represented a solid foundational maneuver going forward.
Overall grade: B
Analysis: With three Day 2 picks, I was surprised they went with two defensive tackles, but it’s clear they see the interior as a massive hole. Levi Onwuzurike (41) and Alim McNeill (72) complement each other well. Onwuzurike has pass-rush upside, and McNeill is strong against the run as a nose tackle. Still, it was a little high, and the Lions’ wide receiver depth chart is one of the league’s worst. They could have gotten a good wideout in either round.
Overall grade: C
Analysis: The Lions' front office vigorously celebrated the Penei Sewell selection. Can you blame them? The Falcons, Bengals and Dolphins easily could have chosen Sewell without any complaints, yet a franchise left tackle fell into the Lions' lap.
Detroit needed to carry over that celebration to its other selections because none of their other picks scored above a "B" grade. Some choices were quite bad. Alim McNeill was a reach in the third round. Meanwhile, some like Derrick Barnes, but the Lions traded way up for him, expending way too many resources for a mediocre linebacker.
Sewell will certainly help the Lions improve, but I don't think many of their other picks will have much of an impact in that regard. Detroit will continue to be one of the worst teams in the NFL, which, I suppose, is for the best for 2022 NFL Draft tanking purposes.
Overall grade: A-
Analysis on pick of Penei Sewell in first round (No. 7 overall): Penei Sewell slid a bit but falls right to the Lions, who find someone to protect new quarterback Jared Goff. Sewell is a hyper-athletic tackle who gobbles up pass rushers and moves in the open field like no one at his size should. His 95.8 PFF grade in 2019, the last season he played college football, is even more impressive because he was only 19 years old at the time. Sewell could be a Lions tackle for the next decade.
Overall grade: B
Analysis: New Lions general manager Brad Holmes appears to believe that football is won in the trenches, because Detroit went heavy with the big guys with their first three picks. Oregon’s Penei Sewell, the best offensive lineman in this class, fell into their laps with the seventh overall pick, and that was the ultimate no-brainer. Second-round defensive lineman Levi Onwuzurike from Washington was undervalued in this class because the Huskies insisted on playing at nose tackle too often, but he’ll be a real asset if he’s allowed to one-gap at tackle and end. And third-round nose tackle Alim McNeill from North Carolina State reminds me of Falcons star Grady Jarrett, and he could do even more to fulfill that projection if he’s allowed to move to three-tech and get after the quarterback more often.
Where this draft gets questionable for the Lions is in their refusal to take a receiver for Jared Goff until the fourth round, where they picked up USC’s Amon-Ra St. Brown. St. Brown is a very nice slot and outside receiver, but he’s not a WR1, and the Lions have a bunch of WR3s behind him. Not good for a quarterback in Goff who really needs his receivers to create.
SI All Lions' Logan Lamorandier
Overall grade: B+
Analysis: Unlike Quinn, Holmes drafted elite athletes with big potential, who showed plenty of high-end flashes at the college level. The Lions are devoid of playmakers, which is largely due to Quinn and ex-Detroit head coach Matt Patricia drafting scheme-specific players and running a few of their best players out of town.
I could care less that Holmes didn’t draft every need in order. When it was all said and done, the Lions addressed all the biggest holes at some point -- outside of safety. Holmes took who he thought was the best player available, and it was the right approach to take. Trying to fill holes in the first year of a rebuild is rather useless.
Now, the Lions weren’t afforded the luxury of having a bunch of picks to boost the rebuild. No matter the case, though, the upside of the players they did select could eventually pay off -- and in a big-time fashion.
