Detroit Lions 7-round NFL mock draft roundup: First-round trades, OL, DB are popular picks
Who will join the Detroit Lions this weekend during the 2024 NFL draft?
It's the biggest question of the week as the 2024 NFL draft hosted in downtown Detroit approaches, beginning Thursday evening and running through Saturday. 257 total players will be drafted, including what's expected to be seven players who will stick around in Detroit after the event is over to play for the Lions.
Entering Thursday, the Lions are scheduled to have seven picks, though that could change through trades to move up or down the draft board while the action is underway.
The draft question used to be the most pressing topic around the Lions for months due to the franchise's typical positioning in the top half of the first round, but the historical success of the Lions' 2023 question pushed back draft debates until February and moved Detroit down to 29th overall with their first selection, an unfamiliar territory for one of the new teams at the top of the NFL hierarchy.
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It is nearly impossible to predict what a team will do in the draft, especially the Lions with general manager Brad Holmes at the helm, but here's a look at what NFL draft media is predicting the Lions will do in all seven rounds days before the draft.
ESPN
Round 1, pick 29: DB Cooper DeJean, Iowa
Round 2, pick 61: WR Ricky Pearsall, Florida
Round 3, pick 73: OG Cooper Beebe, Kansas State
Round 5, pick 164: EDGE Brennan Jackson, Washington State
Round 6, pick 201: DT Jowon Briggs, Cincinnati
Round 6, pick 205: CB Johnny Dixon, Penn State
Round 7, pick 249: OT Ethan Driskell, Marshall
ESPN's Jordan Reid has the Lions scooping up cornerback Cooper DeJean at the end of the first round to secure one of the weaker positions on the current roster, then adding Ricky Pearsall to the offense in the second round. The back half of the draft is focused primarily on the trenches plus a late flier in the secondary.
NFL.com
Round 1, pick 29: DL Darius Robinson, Missouri
Round 2, pick 61: CB Ennis Rakestraw Jr., Missouri
Round 3, pick 73: OG Mason McCormick, South Dakota State
Round 5, pick 164: WR Ainias Smith, Texas A&M
Round 6, pick 201: CB M.J. Devonshire, Pittsburgh
Round 6, pick 205: S Sione Vaki, Utah
Round 7, pick 249: OT Nathan Thomas, Louisiana-Lafayette
NFL.com's Chad Reuter has the Lions focused on defenders coming out of Missouri in his seven-round mock. The Lions draft metro-Detroit native and versatile defensive lineman Darius Robinson in the first, followed by his teammate, hard-hitting cornerback Ennis Rakestraw in the second. Reuter has the Lions taking McCormick, one of the top division-2 prospects in 2024, as offensive line depth with the lone day-two pick. Smith is a speed threat at receiver, while the last three picks are depth options at position groups the Lions are expected to target. Vaki was an All-American safety who also played running back at Utah.
Pro Football Focus
Pro Football Focus conducted a seven-round mock draft with 32 analysts representing each NFL team. The Lions swung a big trade with the Indianapolis Colts, including one 2025 pick, to move up in the first round in this mock draft to get a top secondary prospect as well as another late-round trade.
Round 1, pick 15: CB Quinyon Mitchell, Toledo
Mock Trade: Lions receive Pick Nos. 15 and 117; Colts receive Pick Nos. 29 and 61 and a 2025 third-round pick
Round 3, pick 73: WR Brenden Rice, USC
Round 4, pick 117 (via Indianapolis): OG Zak Zinter, Michigan
Round 5, pick 153 (via Jacksonville): RB Marshawn Lloyd, USC
Mock Trade: Lions receive Pick Nos. 153 and 236; Jaguars receive Pick Nos. 164 and 201
Round 6, pick 205: S Omar Brown, Nebraska
Round 7, pick 236 (via Jacksonville): OT Trente Jones, Michigan
PFF did what plenty of Lions fans are hoping happens on Thursday; the Lions trade up in the first round to grab Mitchell, a consensus top cornerback prospect, to address the weakness in pass coverage. The Lions gave up their second-round pick and a 2025 third in exchange for moving up 14 spots in the first and a fourth-round pick, which they currently don't own. The rest of the picks focused on shoring up the offensive line with local options from Michigan, as well as grabbing skill players from USC to improve on a team strength and secondary depth.
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CBS Sports
Round 1, pick 29: DB Kool-Aid McKinstry, Alabama
Round 2, pick 61: OG Cooper Beebe, Kansas State
Round 3, pick 73: S Javon Bullard, Georgia
Round 5, pick 164: WR Jalen Coker, Holy Cross
Round 6, pick 201: RB Tyrone Tracy, Purdue
Round 6, pick 205: DT Jordan Jefferson, LSU
Round 7, pick 249: OL Andrew Coker, TCU
CBS has the Lions taking a different cornerback, Alabama's Kool-Aid McKinstry, in the first round. Beebe and Bullard, a starting safety for Georgia who contributed to two national championships as an underclassman, are the day-two picks. Detroit picks up two Cokers, one at receiver and another on the offensive line, on day three along with running back and defensive tackle depth.
The Athletic
The Athletic's Dane Brugler also included trades in his seven-round mock draft and doesn't have the Lions making a selection on Thursday due to a trade down, netting two extra day-two picks. In his mock, the Las Vegas Raiders trade up to 29 to grab their hopeful starting quarterback, Michael Penix Jr., in exchange for a second and third-round pick going to Detroit.
Round 2, pick 44 (via Las Vegas): OL Zach Frazier, West Virginia
Round 2, pick 61: DT Braden Fiske, Florida State
Round 3, pick 73: WR Ja'Lynn Polk, Washington
Round 3, pick 77 (via Las Vegas): CB Caelen Carson, West Virginia
Round 5, pick 164: Edge Braiden McGregor, Michigan
Round 6, pick 201: K Will Reichard, Alabama
Round 6, pick 205: S Sione Vaki, Utah
Round 7, pick 249: DB Johnny Dixon, Penn State
The Lions get more ammunition in this mock draft thanks to the trade that resulted in two extra Day-2 picks. The Lions addressed both the offensive and defensive line in the second round, followed by the passing offense and defense in the third. McGregor is another Michigan name linked to the Lions as a late option, while Brugler has Detroit drafting a kicker, another potential need, in the sixth round. He described Vaki, the two-way safety, as the prospect most likely to bite a kneecap before and said he'd fit in Detroit well.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions NFL mock draft roundup: What 7-rounders say
