Eric'S MOCK DRAFT
  1. Home
  2. Simulator

EZE

  • Eric DRAFTING FOR THE
    Lions
Draft Selections
Brian Thomas Jr. Head Shot
PICK: 29 RND: 1 (DET)
Brian Thomas Jr.
WR LSU
T.J. Tampa Head Shot
PICK: 61 RND: 2 (DET)
T.J. Tampa
CB Iowa State
Max Melton Head Shot
PICK: 73 RND: 3 (DET)
Max Melton
CB Rutgers
Tykee Smith Head Shot
PICK: 164 RND: 5 (DET)
Tykee Smith
S Georgia
Chau Smith-Wade Head Shot
PICK: 201 RND: 6 (DET)
Chau Smith-Wade
CB Washington State
Layden Robinson Head Shot
PICK: 205 RND: 6 (DET)
Layden Robinson
OG Texas A&M
Bub Means Head Shot
PICK: 249 RND: 7 (DET)
Bub Means
WR Pittsburgh
Draft Grade — Lions
Overall B
ValueB NeedB+ TradesB- FutureB-
Grand theft in No. 201: the Lions steal Smith-Wade and grade out a B.

The Lions spent the weekend waiting on one name, and it fell: Chau Smith-Wade, the No. 175 name on the board, in the Round 6 slot.

They punted on edge rusher, and it is the miss that keeps the grade honest. On the needs board they went 4 of 9, with cornerback the one that mattered most.

Value over need was the throughline, for better and worse.

All told, a draft that does its job without fuss, and there is real value in that.

Pick Analysis
Pick29 Rnd1 Brian Thomas Jr.
In the Round 1 slot they get a No. 1 receiver at fair value. A clean fit for the roster.
Pick61 Rnd2 T.J. Tampa
A tidy little value on T.J. Tampa in pick No. 61, a step better than break-even. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Pick73 Rnd3 Max Melton
Max Melton at the 73rd pick nudges the ledger their way without any fuss. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Pick164 Rnd5 Tykee Smith
Quietly one of the better values of the day, Tykee Smith at pick 164. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Pick201 Rnd6 Chau Smith-Wade
They robbed the room for Chau Smith-Wade here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Pick205 Rnd6 Layden Robinson
Layden Robinson at the 205th overall pick is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Pick249 Rnd7 Bub Means
Steal is underselling it; Bub Means at No. 249 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. It fills a real need, too.