Dave Merritt'S MOCK DRAFT
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  • Dave Merritt DRAFTING FOR THE
    Lions
Draft Selections
JT Tuimoloau Head Shot
PICK: 51 RND: 2 (DET)
JT Tuimoloau
DE-EDGE Ohio State
Trey Amos Head Shot
PICK: 60 RND: 2 (DET)
Trey Amos
CB Ole Miss
Jayden Higgins Head Shot
PICK: 82 RND: 3 (DET)
Jayden Higgins
WR Iowa State
Donovan Jackson Head Shot
PICK: 85 RND: 3 (DET)
Donovan Jackson
OT Ohio State
Mason Taylor Head Shot
PICK: 101 RND: 3 (DET)
Mason Taylor
TE LSU
Vernon Broughton Head Shot
PICK: 133 RND: 4 (DET)
Vernon Broughton
DL Texas
R.J. Mickens Head Shot
PICK: 198 RND: 6 (DET)
R.J. Mickens
S Clemson
Teddye Buchanan Head Shot
PICK: 230 RND: 7 (DET)
Teddye Buchanan
LB California
Thor Griffith Head Shot
PICK: 246 RND: 7 (DET)
Thor Griffith
DL Louisville
Draft Picks Received
JT Tuimoloau Head Shot
PICK: 51 RND: 2 (DEN)
JT Tuimoloau
DE-EDGE Ohio State
Jayden Higgins Head Shot
PICK: 82 RND: 3 (SEA)
Jayden Higgins
WR Iowa State
Donovan Jackson Head Shot
PICK: 85 RND: 3 (DEN)
Donovan Jackson
OT Ohio State
Draft Picks Traded
Tyler Warren Head Shot
PICK: 28 RND: 1 (SEA)
Tyler Warren
TE Penn State
Joshua Gray Head Shot
PICK: 227 RND: 7 (DEN)
Joshua Gray
OG Oregon State
Draft Grade — Lions
Overall B
ValueB NeedB+ TradesB FutureB-
A solid, sensible weekend for the Lions: B.

There is reaching, and then there is Thor Griffith at pick No. 246. The Lions jumped the board by 52 and dared it to prove them wrong.

Taylor falling to them is the kind of break a good board is built to catch. The quarterback spot stays a question, and it was the one they most needed an answer at. The roster is better shaped than it was, with cornerback chief among the fixes.

The weekend tilted hard toward the defense.

In sum, a sensible class that nudges the roster the right way.

Pick Analysis
Pick51 Rnd2 JT Tuimoloau
JT Tuimoloau in pick 51 is fair value, right on his grade. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Pick60 Rnd2 Trey Amos
Trey Amos at No. 60 is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Pick82 Rnd3 Jayden Higgins
A quiet steal in the Round 3 slot: Jayden Higgins for less than the market said. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Pick85 Rnd3 Donovan Jackson
They did well to land Donovan Jackson in slot 85, just ahead of his grade. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Pick101 Rnd3 Mason Taylor
They robbed the room for Mason Taylor here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. The roster fit checks out.
Pick133 Rnd4 Vernon Broughton
They took Vernon Broughton at par in Round 4, Pick 32, which is nothing to complain about. A minor itch, scratched.
Pick198 Rnd6 R.J. Mickens
A conviction pick on R.J. Mickens at the 198th pick that the board grades a round light. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Pick230 Rnd7 Teddye Buchanan
A market-rate linebacker, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Teddye Buchanan. It fills a real need, too.
Pick246 Rnd7 Thor Griffith
A real head-scratcher, Thor Griffith in pick 246 is miles ahead of his ranking. Insurance at a position that did not really ask for it.