Lions 2022 Mock Draft Roundup: Post-Combine

It's time for the latest SI All Lions mock draft roundup.

Since the end of the 2021 college football season, EDGE defender Aidan Hutchinson, of Michigan, has firmly been entrenched as the front-runner for the Detroit Lions with the No. 2 overall pick.

Let’s explore now who the draft analysts believe the Lions are selecting at both No. 2 and No. 32 overall in their latest mock drafts, starting with the No. 2 selection.

EDGE Aidan Hutchinson, Michigan

Hutchinson is currently being mocked by the following:

Kyle Meinke (MLive.com), Benjamin Raven (MLive.com), Dane Brugler (The Athletic), Ric Serritella (SI NFL Draft Bible), Kyle Crabbs (The Draft Network), Lance Zierlein (NFL.com; via trade with Carolina Panthers for No. 6 pick), Bucky Brooks (NFL.com), Chris Trapasso (CBS Sports), Drae Harris (The Draft Network), Daniel Jeremiah (NFL.com), Luke Easterling (The Draft Network), Ryan Wilson (CBS Sports ), Josh Edwards (CBS Sports), Kyle Stackpole (CBS Sports), Tom Fornelli (CBS Sports), James Fragoza (Pro Football Network)

As Raven pens,

"The Heisman runner-up is PFF’s top-ranked prospect on the board and the site’s highest-graded defender in all of college football. Hutchinson is an all-around talent that fits the mold of what Dan Campbell and his staff are looking for -- a high-motor, impressive athlete and a playmaker for the edges. He had 14 sacks and 51 hurries on 794 defensive snaps. His pass-rush win rate (24.8%) and run-stop win rate (8.0%) are what you want to see."

EDGE Kayvon Thibodeaux, Oregon

Thibodeaux is presently being mocked by the following:

Dave Birkett (Detroit Free Press), Cam Mellor (Pro Football Network), Dalton Miller (Pro Football Network), Damian Parson (The Draft Network), Joe Broback (Pro Football Network)

As Birkett writes,

"Hutchinson is an easy choice if he makes it to No. 2. If he’s gone, I still think the Lions prefer to go edge. It’s such a premium position, and such a huge need. I’m not sure if Thibodeaux is the right culture fit for Dan Campbell’s Lions. That’s something the team will have to dive deep into in the coming weeks. But I’m mocking Thibodeaux to the Lions here because he is a more disruptive player on tape than Georgia’s Travon Walker and Florida State’s Jermaine Johnson, and because tape, at some point, must win out."

Quarterback Malik Willis, Liberty

Willis is presently being mocked by the following:

Brad Spielberger (Pro Football Focus), Ian Cummings (Pro Football Network)

As Spielberger writes, "The Lions get a jumpstart on their future, selecting quarterback Willis with the No. 2 overall pick while keeping quarterback Jared Goff in the fold for the 2022 season so that Willis has time to learn the NFL game. Willis had his ups and downs in 2021 but finished the season with a 91.6 overall grade and an 11% big-time throw rate while playing behind a shaky offensive line. Of all the quarterback prospects in this year’s class, Willis has the highest upside by a good margin."

Safety Kyle Hamilton, Notre Dame

Hamilton is currently being projected by the following:

Vinnie Iyer (The Sporting News), Zack Patraw (Sports Illustrated)

Let's turn our attention now to who the draft pundits have projected for Detroit at No. 32.

Wide receiver George Pickens, Georgia

Pickens is presently being mocked by the following:

Benjamin Raven (MLive.com), Josh Edwards (CBS Sports), Ian Cummings (Pro Football Network)

As Edwards writes,

"Prior to his ACL injury, Pickens was in the conversation as being one of the best wide receivers available in the 2022 NFL Draft. When he returned, it was in a limited role, and that meant talk surrounding Pickens has been relatively quiet. There is nothing quiet about a 6-foot-3 wide receiver running a 4.47-second 40-yard dash. He is of slender build but has as much potential to become a No. 1 wide receiver as anyone in this class."

Wide receiver Treylon Burks, Arkansas

Burks is currently being projected by the following:

Ryan Wilson (CBS Sports)

Quarterback Sam Howell, North Carolina

Howell is presently being mocked by the following:

Kyle Stackpole (CBS Sports), Zack Patraw (Sports Illustrated), Cam Mellor (Pro Football Network)

As Stackpole writes,

"Goff doesn't seem to be the long-term solution in Detroit, even if the Lions are paying him like one after taking on his contract from Los Angeles. Howell can sit behind Goff for a year and hopefully develop to the point where the Lions feel confident with him as the starter in 2023."

Defensive tackle Travis Jones, UConn

Jones is presently being mocked by the following:

Ric Serritella (NFL Draft Bible)

Wide receiver Jameson Williams, Alabama

Williams is presently being mocked by the following:

Lance Zierlein (NFL.com)

Defensive lineman Travon Walker, Georgia

Walker is currently being mocked by the following:

Bucky Brooks (NFL.com)

Wide receiver Chris Olave, Ohio State

Olave is currently being projected by the following:

Luke Easterling (The Draft Network), Joe Broback (Pro Football Network)