3 Concerns with Detroit Lions' 2020 Draft Class

One week removed from the 2020 NFL Draft, a few concerns have arisen regarding the Lions' haul.

In the league's first ever virtual draft, Detroit selected nine draft prospects that the organization felt could fill targeted needs.

Cornerback and EDGE rusher were the obvious needs, and Lions general manager Bob Quinn drafted Ohio State cornerback Jeff Okudah and Notre Dame EDGE rusher Julian Okwara in the first three rounds.

It's fairly certain now that Quinn & Co. are making a concerted effort to give the offense a legitimate chance at having a proficient rushing attack.

But, did the Lions properly address other areas of need?

Here are three concerns that arose when evaluating Detroit's 2020 draft haul:

Lions may not have solidified the interior of the defensive line

The Lions' issues up the middle are well documented, and former Patriot Danny Shelton was signed in the offseason to help clog the middle.

But, some analysts are not certain that Detroit did enough to solidify the interior of the defensive line.

As CBS Sports writer Jared Dubin explains,

"The Lions added former Patriot Danny Shelton in free agency, but that doesn't seem like enough to solve the team's issues up the middle, and he is also not much of a help in the pass rush department. The only interior lineman the Lions added in the draft was John Penisini who they took in the sixth round and who ranked near the very bottom of the class in Adjusted Overall Win Rate (which is a combination of Pro Football Focus' Pass Rush Win Rate and Run Stops, weighted so that pass rush is more important than run defense)."

If Stafford gets injured, Detroit is in serious trouble

When Detroit signed Chase Daniel to a three-year, $13.05 million contract, it signaled to everybody that Detroit wasn't going to draft a quarterback in the top half of the draft.

But, Detroit didn't draft a quarterback at all -- even in the later rounds.

Some could argue that instead of drafting two guards and two running backs, Detroit could have allocated one of those spots to a backup quarterback that could be developed.

Not many can be comfortable with Daniel and second-year quarterback David Blough behind Stafford heading into a critical season.

Lions passed on many other talented wide receivers

Widely regarded as one of the deepest receiver classes in ages, Detroit came away with the 30th-ranked wide receiver in the SI All Lions prospect rankings.

Fifth-round selection Quintez Cephus from Wisconsin may turn into a productive receiver, but Detroit is likely losing veterans Marvin Jones Jr. and Danny Amendola at the conclusion of the 2020 season.

Detroit could have targeted another receiver earlier in the draft, knowing the position will likely become a big-time area of need moving forward.

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