First Round
HaSean Clinton-Dix, S – Alabama: HaHa might have the last laugh after all. He is a solid pick at No. 10 for Detroit. Ihedigbo isn’t the answer long-term at safety as he is a one year rental while HaHa should make him a depth guy. Clinton-Dix has the tape and jumps off the sheet with numbers. He’s a big hitter, has good ball skills and could play nickel in situational schemes. Also at 6’1″ and 210 lbs. he may draw Earl Thomas comparisons which is solid company. Clinton-Dix has the makeup and potential to be a Pro Bowler at the safety position and is probably the most impactful player available at No. 10 for the Lions not named Aaron Donald.
Second Round
Kyle Von Noy, OLB – BYU: Off the bat Von Noy fits a 4-3 alignment better than a Barr or Attaochu. The knock on Von Noy is his senior tape isn’t great and he isn’t great at any one thing but he seems to do everything pretty well. This too is despite playing through injury and losing Ziggy Ansah ironically to the Lions in last year’s NFL Draft. Von Noy has good football IQ and instinct and if not for injury we would be talking about a mid first round LB here.
Third Round
Jordan Matthews, WR – Vanderbilt: In every draft players rise and fall. Matthews hasn’t really risen in any mocks prior but a few of his counterparts have past him or caught up to him. Matthews though is a strong WR with a good vertical and closer to 4.5 speed. At 6’3″ he played inside and outside for Vandy making tough catches but lacking any breakaway speed. However with Megatron and Tate, Matthews would be fine running routes underneath. Keep an eye too on Kelvin Benjamin, Paul Richardson, or Jarvis Landry in this spot if Matthews is off the board.
Fourth Round
Daniel McCullers, DT – Tennessee: Simply put, he is a load. McCullers checks in at 6’7″ and over 350 lbs and is a traditional run clogging DT that at times saw triple teams. He isn’t just a big fella either he is strong and ties up 2 offensive lineman allowing DE’s to do work outside. McCullers would slide in perfect in a DT rotation with Suh and Fairley, allowing for a constant fresh rotation as McCullers would play rushing downs.
Walt Aikens, CB – Liberty: There’s no telling where Aikens could go, he could be gone in the third but he could slip to the fifth. Mayhew and Detroit are always looking to add DB depth and if Aikens is here Detroit should grab him. Aikens has nice size at 6’1″ and 203 lbs while also having good speed clocking a 4.4/40 time. He’ll also more than likely be expected to play right away if drafted by Detroit.
Max Bullough, ILB – Michigan St: He put up 30 reps at 225 lbs and showed he was the strongest ILB in the draft. He has undisclosed off the field issue that caused him to miss the Rose Bowl and should be drafted in the fifth round. However with two extra picks in the fourth it’s not a big deal taking Bullough with a late fourth round pick. Bullough could turn into a solid special teamer that might transition into defensive reps in the future.
Fifth Round
No picks
Sixth Round
Brent Urban, DE – Virginia: It’s a little bit of wishful thinking having him Urban be here in the sixth round but he’s still a project and that’s what you generally get here. Urban draws a little comparison to Margus Hunt from last year’s draft because of the size at 6’7″ and 295 lbs. He is a big strong kid with raw ability with all of his flaws being coachable ones. I might even consider him with one of the extra fourth round picks. If not defensive end Ed Stinson out of Alabama is a good pick in this spot as well.
Seventh Round
Tyler Larsen, C – Utah St: His brother plays for the Ravens so he has pedigree. He was also was one of the strongest guys in the draft. He is a project though but Detroit has time and can groom him to replace Raiola. The center class isn’t strong and there isn’t much difference from Richburg and Martin to Larsen or Stork in the seventh so there’s no real need to buy high here. If it works it’s a steal, if not it was a seventh round pick.
The theme is strong in this mock draft which is defense is a must. The offense is ready and just needs some fine tuning with Stafford making a natural progression at 26-years of age. I only drafted two offensive players which was a No. 3 receiver in the third and a center in the seventh. The first two picks in this draft could translate into game one starter’s with two others being in a solid rotation (Matthews and McCullers). Aikens and Urban are my two projects that with the right coaching could be steals. I could very well could also see Bullough being a special team contributor much like Travis Lewis is for Detroit. Larsen should be Raiola’s replacement in a season or two. He could also play guard if the need ever came about.
