We are mere weeks away from the 2023 NFL Draft. As usual, there's a ton of intrigue surrounding the top of the draft, and which quarterback will be selected with the No. 1 overall pick. Of course, that's not the only place to look for intrigue.
One of the most fascinating teams near the top of this year's draft is the Detroit Lions. After nearly making the playoffs (!) last season, the Lions have two picks inside the top 18, thanks to the Matthew Stafford trade. That gives them the ability to shape the direction of the draft from the jump, and the state of their roster means they can go in a number of different directions with those picks.
With a bit of help from the Pro Football Focus mock draft simulator, here's a look at how things might play out later this month ...
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | Anthony Richardson | QB | Florida |
| 1 | 18 | Zay Flowers | WR | Boston College |
| 2 | 48 | Felix Anudike-Uzomah | EDGE | Kansas State |
| 2 | 55 | Tyrique Stevenson | CB | Miami |
| 3 | 81 | Devon Achane | RB | Texas A&M |
| 5 | 152 | Jerrod Clark | IDL | Coastal Carolina |
| 6 | 183 | Juice Scruggs | IOL | Penn State |
| 6 | 194 | Will Mallory | TE | Miami |
Full disclosure: I tried to trade up to the No. 3 pick, but the computerized version of the Arizona Cardinals turned me down. So, I stuck at No. 6 overall and let the draft come to the fictional version of myself that was in charge of the Detroit Lions. And it played out exactly the way I wanted it to.
The first five players off the board were Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud, Will Anderson Jr., Will Levis and Tyree Wilson. That left me with a choice between taking one of the best available defenders (either Jalen Carter or one of the top cornerbacks like Christian Gonzalez or Devon Witherspoon) or taking a home-run swing on a quarterback of the future. Amazingly, I feel like the Lions are extremely well positioned to take the home-run swing, and also kind of need to do it now because they're unlikely to be picking this high in the draft any time in the near future. The Lions! (They also might not have offensive coordinator Ben Johnson beyond this season, so it might be a good idea to get the QB in now so he gets at least one season to learn under Johnson's tutelage.) Richardson is perhaps the most athletic quarterback prospect in NFL history, and his ceiling is incredibly high because of his rare physical gifts. He's almost surely not ready to play right away, but the Lions have the luxury of knowing they can count on Jared Goff to deliver better-than-competent play under center while Richardson waits in the wings.
The next step was to round out Richardson's receiving corps. Flowers does not have ideal size for a wide receiver at just 5-9 1/4 and 182 pounds. What he does have, however, is the ability to create a ton of separation. A few of his top comparables at Mockdraftable include Jaylen Waddle, Marquise Brown and Mecole Hardman. Adding him to a group that already includes Amon-Ra St. Brown (the slot guy) and Jameson Williams (the speed guy) will give Richardson a trio of wideouts who can provide extremely wide throwing lanes, which should benefit him throughout his career but especially early on. (It's important to note that despite his size, Flowers lined up outside on 65% of his snaps last season, per Tru Media, and his yards per route run average was significantly better on the perimeter than it was in the slot.) Later in the draft, I added Miami tight end Will Mallory, who tested as a fantastic athlete at the combine and can help stretch the field up the seam. That quarter would fit together quite nicely. Throwing scat back Devon Achane into the mix can take things to another level. It seems clear that the Lions' coaching staff is not enamored with D'Andre Swift, and Achane can be a nice complement to David Montgomery given his home run-hitting ability both on the ground and through the air.
On defense, we used two second-round picks on premium positions: Anudike-Uzomah picked up 19.5 sacks and 25.5 tackles for loss during his two seasons as a starter at Kansas State, and likely profiles as a situational pass rusher early in his career while he adds strength to be able to defend better against the run. The Lions signed a couple of starting-caliber corners in free agency so they don't necessarily need to spring for one in Round 1, as many had predicted they would prior to the player-acquisition portion of the offseason. Stevenson has great size and speed and should be a good fit for a Detroit defense that played more man coverage than all but two other teams last season, per Tru Media, and that makes him a good value pick in Round 2. Detroit used a couple of Day 2 picks on interior defensive linemen back in 2021, but you can always use more depth there, and Clark's outrageous size (6-4, 345) should help improve the team's run defense, which is an area of obvious need.
