The NFL Draft is almost here.
On Thursday, the long-awaited announcement of who the Detroit Lions will draft with their first round pick will be made. Brad Holmes has several options available to him.
With the team retooling its starting lineup through free agency, many of their Draft picks will most likely play backup or depth roles in their first seasons.
Here is my most recent forecast for what the Lions will do during the three days of the 2017 NFL Draft.
Round 1
TRADE: Lions trade picks 29 and a 2025 third-round pick to the Miami Dolphins for pick 21.
Pick 21 — Jared Verse, EDGE, Florida State
In this case, the Lions are moving up to choose Aidan Hutchinson’s running mate, Verse. Verse, an Albany transfer, established his talent with the Seminoles over two seasons.
In his two seasons with the Seminoles, he recorded nine sacks, including 12.5 tackles for loss in 2023.
Finally, the 29th pick and a day two selection next year are worth it to move up eight spots. He also has experience rushing with his hand down in a 4-3 defense, which is comparable to his job with the Lions.
Round 2
Pick 61 — Brandon Coleman, OT, TCU
In the second round, the Lions decide to bolster their offensive line. With Frank Ragnow’s injuries and Taylor Decker’s contract problems, there has been a lot of concern about the position group’s future.
As a result, Coleman would be a good fit. He played both tackle and guard at TCU, so he could provide depth behind Decker, Penei Sewell, Graham Glasgow, and Kevin Zeitler.
With injuries hurting the Lions’ offensive line in recent years, adding young developmental talent at this point of the draft might be a good move.
