We’re just over a week away from the 2021 NFL Draft, and analysts are publishing their final mock drafts ahead of the big event. ESPN’s Mel Kiper and Todd McShay joined for a co-mock draft, alternating selections and projecting all 105 picks in the first three rounds.
Kiper was assigned the odd numbers, so that means he made the call when the Detroit Lions were number 7 on the clock.
“We needed a trade for a quarterback – they happen every year – so I’m going to make one with myself, since I’m the general manager of the odd-numbered teams,” said Kiper. This deal sees the Patriots jump eight places to get their hands on, while the Lions add the Patriots’ second round (No. 46), plus future selections, maybe even their first round in next year’s draft. It’s a lot to give up, but Bill Belichick & Co. needs a long-term solution on the main position of the game. “
Losing weight to pick No. 15 to No. 46 overall and a high pick in 2023 is a solid deal, even if it’s not a first-rounder given in the trade. Kiper gave Alabama QB Mac Jones to the Patriots at number 7, and when the Lions were at number 15 on the clock, he went on the defensive.
Kiper’s choice No. 15: Micah Parsons, LB, Penn State. Detroit trades to pick up additional assets and still gets a defensive player. Parsons is a game distributor who runs into traffic jams and goes along as a compass. “
Parsons is the second defensive player off the board in this draft – CB Patrick Surtain II went to the Dallas Cowboys with pick # 10 – and if his off-the-field questions are correct, this is a good pick. For more information on Parsons, check out Jeremy Reisman’s scouting report on him.
As the mock moves to round two, the Lions keep pick # 41 (their original) and pick # 46 (which they obtained from the Patriots).
Kiper called No. 41 and gave the lions Dyami Brown, WR, North Carolina: Because Detroit has put them out of the running for the top-class wideouts due to the downturn, we add Brown to a barren depth chart. He achieved an average of 20 meters per catch in the past two seasons. “
Brown is a downfield menace reminiscent of Marvin Jones Jr., but with a tick more power to divorce due to his above-average athletics. His ability to win off the scrimmage in a variety of ways will help him find the field as a starter early in his career.
McShay gets his first chance to match the Lions with a player of choice No. 46, and he went back to the defensive side of the ball, leaving Detroit Joe Tryon EDGE, Washington: “I loved seeing Romeo Okwara return to the Lions, but I want to see a lot more of the rim. Tryon can play both defensive end and 3-4 linebacker outside. “
Tryon played a hybrid EDGE role in Washington and in Detroit, he plays on the verge of Romeo Okwara, probably splitting the reps with last year’s third-rounder Julian Okwara. Tryon came onto the scene as a sophomore, but after retiring from his junior year (2020), he’s not quite a finished product. Another year in the Pac-12 would have made him a likely first-rounder in 2022, but his talent deserves a top 50 selection in this year’s class.
At the start of the third round, McShay is still in charge of the Lions, and with pick No 72, he admits Detroit Jevon Holland, Security, Oregon: “The lions’ defense has a” Help Wanted “mark in most positions, and Holland is a ball hawk that can even fall down and line up above the trench.”
This is a fantastic choice, and it reflects my strategy in the mock draft of the POD community, aiming for a launch safety at this place. I chose Indiana safety Jamar Johnson with my selection – he went at pick no.99 in this mock – but I would be just as ecstatic to land Holland in this spot. Holland can play deep, in the slot machine, has great ball skills and is an instant starter in Detroit.
Return to Kiper to pick up No. 101 towards the end of the third round, and he selected Demetric Felton, RB / WR, UCLAThe 5-foot-8 Felton played both running back and receiver for the Bruins, and he averaged 165.8 all-purpose yards in 2020. The Lions just need to add talent. He would probably play a slot machine in Detroit. “
This one is a reach for me. Felton was a great college weapon, but he lacks athleticism for the slot machine (RAS = 1.06), and if the Lions want a slot machine receiver, why not take one of the plethoras from them in this class instead of a running one to ask back who played in the slot machine. slot part time in college to play in the slot full time in the NFL? Can Felton eventually be locked in the NFL? Could be. I’m not ruling it out, but at the end of the third round I want a sure thing, not a development question mark – give me D’Wayne Eskridge, slot WR, Western Michigan, which was still available.