[email protected]'S MOCK DRAFT
  1. Home
  2. Simulator

Lions 1

Draft Selections
Braylan Shelby Head Shot
PICK: 59 RND: 2 (DET)
Braylan Shelby
DE-EDGE USC
Patrick Payton Head Shot
PICK: 127 RND: 4 (DET)
Patrick Payton
DL-EDGE LSU
Alex Birchmeier Head Shot
PICK: 166 RND: 5 (DET)
Alex Birchmeier
OG Penn State
Zach Rice Head Shot
PICK: 188 RND: 6 (DET)
Zach Rice
C North Carolina
Jamari Lyons Head Shot
PICK: 205 RND: 6 (DET)
Jamari Lyons
DL Florida
Jalen Hale Head Shot
PICK: 240 RND: 7 (DET)
Jalen Hale
WR Alabama
Markis Deal Head Shot
PICK: 255 RND: 7 (DET)
Markis Deal
DL TCU
Draft Picks Traded
Zachariah Branch Head Shot
PICK: 27 RND: 1 (SEA)
Zachariah Branch
WR Georgia
Players Gained
Head Shot
Devon Witherspoon
CB
Draft Grade — Lions
Overall B-
ValueF NeedB TradesA+ FutureB-
The Lions worked the phones like thieves and earned a B-.

There is conviction, and then there is this. The Lions took Braylan Shelby a full 102 picks ahead of where the board had him, an overdraft steep enough that it colors the whole weekend.

The Hale pick alone nudges the whole weekend up a notch. They robbed the room blind at the table, and it lifts the grade on its own. They will regret leaving cornerback for another day if the season turns on it.

Bottom line, more hits than misses and a roster nudged the right way.

Pick Analysis
Pick59 Rnd2 Braylan Shelby
Braylan Shelby in Round 2, Pick 27 is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Pick127 Rnd4 Patrick Payton
This one needs a full-page explanation: Patrick Payton in the 127th overall pick, miles early. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Pick166 Rnd5 Alex Birchmeier
Alex Birchmeier in pick 166 is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Pick188 Rnd6 Zach Rice
Value said wait; Zach Rice in slot 188 says they were not listening. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Pick205 Rnd6 Jamari Lyons
Jamari Lyons at the Round 6 slot is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
Pick240 Rnd7 Jalen Hale
They barely believed it either: Jalen Hale still on the board at No. 240. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Pick255 Rnd7 Markis Deal
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Markis Deal well ahead of where he belonged. Insurance at a position that did not really ask for it.