We are less than a month away from the 2023 NFL Draft and the Lions have positioned themselves greatly for it. With the signing they made to improve their needs, this is the first draft in a while where no one knows what position they are going to go with their first few picks. That being said it’s always fun to get into the draft mood by exploring how they can improve the team on draft night. There will be no trades in this mock draft, and players that were available on the board were decided by PFN’s mock draft simulator.
Pick Six (Via LAR)- Jalen Carter, Defensive Tackle Georgia
While yes, Jalen Carter has many questions surrounding him due to his pro-day and his misdemeanor charge, before any of that he was being discussed as the best player in the entire draft. The Lions have recently scheduled Carter for a top-30 visit to do their due diligence and see if the pro-day concerns are real or if it was due to recent events and can be fixed before the season. Dan Campbell brought up in a recent press conference that he and Brad Holmes spoke to one of Carter’s teammates and what he said was “ Interesting” seemingly to hide it from other teams in hopes he still falls to six. The final reason this would be a good pick for Detroit, is they have put themselves in a position where they can afford to miss on a prospect and still be ok, but if he hits like his tape shows he might be the steal of the draft.
Pick 18 (Lions)- Joey Porter Jr., Cornerback Penn State
While the Lions filled their need for DBs in free agency, four of Detroit’s corners are in the last year of their contract and it will be hard for Detroit to bring back each one of them next off-season. Porter is in the conversation for the top cornerback in this class and would bring a potential star corner on a rookie contract for the next four to five years. Not only does this help the depth of the Lions’ cornerback room, but it brings youth and Porter has the potential to become the best player in their secondary for years to come.
Pick 48 (Detroit)- Jack Campbell, Linebacker Iowa
Even though we don’t know the exact direction the Lions will be going in this draft, we do know they need to upgrade the defense badly. Linebacker has been a glaring need for the Lions since Brad Holmes has taken over, now that they have re-signed Alex Anzalone and gotten a steal last draft in Malcolm Rodriguez all they need is a guy who can consistently compliment Rodriguez. Jack Campbell is debatable the best linebacker in this class and excels at the things Rodriguez needs to improve on plus more.
Pick 55 (Via Minnesota)- Keeanu Benton Defensive tackle Wisconsin
Yes, defensive tackle has already been addressed in this draft in Jalen Carter, but this was the Lions’ only glaring need, and if both of these players hit the position won’t be a need for a long time. On top of that Benton is a fantastic run defender which is what Detroit struggled with the most last year, and Benton can act as your insurance policy if Carter’s issues are too much for the NFL level.
Pick 81 (Detroit)- Tyrique Stevenson, Cornerback Miami
How he fell this far, I have no idea, but if he is here this should be a run-the-card-in type pick for Detroit. Stevenson is an excellent scheme fit for Aaron Glenn’s defense and would also allow a rookie contract in place of one of the expiring deals. Stevenson also has the potential to be an upgrade over some of the players currently in Detroit’s secondary, which when you don’t have too many needs upgrades and depth are all you’re looking for.
Pick 152 (Detroit)- Isaiah McGuire, EDGE Missouri
McGuire provides a good depth piece in case of injury on the edge for Detroit and a good rotational piece for run defense. When you get into these later round potential and depth is what you’re looking for and McGuire provides good depth at the moment with the potential to be a consistent rotational piece for the Lions.
Pick 183 (Detroit)- Dorian Thompson-Robinson, Quarterback UCLA
The Lions have struggled to find a good backup Quarterback for a while now and Thompson-Robinson is a great player to have sitting behind Goff throughout the season. He is a player with all the intangibles but needs help with the complexities like accuracy and vision, which he could develop well from Being Behind Goff.
Pick 194 (Detroit)- Ronnie Bell, Wide Reciever Michigan
With the last pick in this mock draft, I’ve decided to go after a guy that has a lot of potential in a Kalif Raymond-type role and would bring more youth, depth, and competition to this wide receiver room. Bell showed how dominant he can be at Michigan last season if used correctly, and if anyone is going to maximize that potential, Ben Johnson will do it best.
