The Detroit Lions drafted Jeff Okudah third overall in the 2020 draft, passing Justin Herbert, Derrick Brown, Jerry Jeudy, CeeDee Lamb and many others. In 2023, they waived Okudah and sent him to the Atlanta Falcons for just a fifth-round pick. That’s a pretty terrible value in a third overall pick.
However, Detroit now has a new pick to work with this year. Despite being a fifth-round pick, there’s still a lot of value in that round. What players could the team look at with its new selection?
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Who the Lions could nab with their new draft pick
1) Jerrod Clark, LL.B.
Jerrod Clark would help provide depth at a much-needed position for the Lions. They spent a couple of picks at that position in 2021, but it’s hard to pass up providing depth up front. The deep front seven can often make or break an NFL defense.
Plus, Clark is huge. He is 6’4 and weighs 345 pounds. Size like that he can’t be taught. If nothing else, he would be very good at taking up space up front and making life difficult for an offensive lineman.
2) Mike Morris, EDGE
Mike Morris was an integral part of a Michigan defense that was a pretty strong unit in 2022. He had a team-leading 7.5 sacks and 11 tackles for loss. He’s a bit more raw than other leading-back prospects, so he’s a good fifth-round pick.
However, the Lions were an elite offense last year and an absolutely lousy defense. Mirroring the 2020 Carolina Panthers and taking all or most of the defensive players this year would be smart, and Morris in the fifth round of the Lions would be a solid pick.
3) Dorian Thompson-Robinson, quarterback
Jared Goff has actually become a legitimate NFL quarterback. The player who once relied entirely on Sean McVay to do anything offensively led a prolific offense last season in Detroit. Even though he is very expensive, they could do a lot worse.
However, they don’t have a backup and Goff is getting old. They take sixth overall, but that probably only leaves them like Will Levis among the top quarterback prospects and it’s unlikely they’d take someone who could start elsewhere out of a more pressing need.
Still, they need a backup and an eventual successor. Enter UCLA quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson. He’s definitely a project, but he had a strong statistical season that indicates he could eventually be an NFL player.