One Late-Round Cornerback Lions Should Target in 2023 NFL Draft

One of the Detroit Lions' biggest needs to address on the defensive side of the ball this offseason is at cornerback.

In multiple recent mock drafts, the Lions have been attached to several cornerbacks that are projected to go in the first round. The list has ranged from Illinois' Devon Witherspoon and Oregon's Christian Gonzalez at No. 6 overall to Penn State's Joey Porter Jr. and South Carolina's Cam Smith at No. 18 overall.

However, if Detroit general manager Brad Holmes doesn't target a cornerback at No. 6 or No. 18 overall, Iowa's Riley Moss would be a nice find for the Lions later in the draft.

In recent mock drafts, Moss, the 2021 Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year, has been projected to go anywhere from the fourth-sixth round.

The 6-foot-1, 194-pound Moss enters the draft after being a consistent performer in the defensive backfield for the Hawkeyes the past five seasons. For instance, from 2018-21, he recorded at least two interceptions each season.

His best statistical season came in 2021, when he notched a career-high four interceptions (two of which he returned for touchdowns).

Then, this past season, the Iowa product produced a career-best 12 passes defensed and two forced fumbles, to go along with a single interception. He also received a solid 86.2 coverage grade from Pro Football Focus (on 420 coverage snaps).

Moss, with the aid of his high football IQ, had a knack for frequently being around the ball and making plays during his time at Iowa. He also consistently played with a high degree of physicality and toughness, never being afraid of taking on contact and attempting to bring a ball carrier to the ground. The only problem is that he wasn't very good with wrapping up, oftentimes taking bad angles that caused him to come up short on tackle attempts.

NFL Draft Bible believes that Moss is a "really smart cornerback, who lacks the traits to be a starter in the NFL."

The aforementioned Sports Illustrated NFL Draft site expounds upon the above statement by saying, as part of its evaluation of the former Hawkeyes cornerback: "Quicker receivers will make it very difficult for Moss to stay in phase with them in man coverage, most likely making him scheme-specific at the next level. He isn’t very aggressive in coverage. He can be passive and let receivers make plays on the football uncontested. His tackling technique needs to improve, as his poor technique will cause him to miss players when he is coming downhill or in open space. The intrigue with Moss is that he is very smart and a disciplined player."

NFL Draft Bible's evaluation of Moss screams to me that the former Big Ten defensive back will excel in a zone scheme much more than he will in man coverage at the next level.

Also, while Moss might not have the necessary intangibles to be a starter, I believe he could be a valuable depth piece in Detroit's cornerbacks room, alongside incumbent starters Jeff Okudah and Jerry Jacobs.

The Draft Network's Joe Marino shares the sentiment.

As he writes, "Moss has the makeup of a player that can provide valuable depth and strong special teams contributions. In the right situation, I wouldn’t rule out him making an impact on defense given his football intelligence, ball skills, and physicality."

If I were Holmes, I'd be willing to take a flyer on Moss in the fifth round.