When the Detroit Lions go to make a pick in the 2022 NFL draft, the choice will have been made with plenty of time and consideration. While everyone seems to have an idea of what Detroit wants to do, it’s not been easy to drill down on what the team’s move will be in the end.
As the draft pushes to its conclusion this week, it seems as if things are beginning to feel centered a bit more for Detroit’s move. The Lions may have been able to narrow things down in terms of what they want to do in the draft, and more and more experts are beginning to show how that is the case.
The latest Lions news straight to your inbox! Join the Heavy on Lions newsletter here!
With under a week to go, some experts and insiders are coming off the sidelines with projections based on what they hear and see. Peter King of NBC Sports revealed in a mock draft that the Lions would end up with Michigan’s Aidan Hutchinson. As King explains in the piece, Hutchinson would be a home-run type pick for Detroit. Even so, a player has caught Detroit’s attention in a bigger way.
“Some late buzz about the Lions being smitten with Kayvon Thibodeaux and strongly considering him here. I just can’t see them passing on Hutchinson,” King wrote in the piece.
If the choice is between Thibodeaux and Hutchinson, it would seem to be a layup for Detroit to go after Hutchinson given his likely status as the top pick in the draft and one of the best players. Still, in the event he goes first, Thibodeaux is hardly a bad consolation prize for the team at all.
From the start, it seemed that the Lions would land on either of these two prospects, and with the process coming full-circle, it seems that is indeed shaping up to be the case.
Lions Seem to Appreciate Thibodeaux’s Attributes
If the Lions want to hide that they like Thibodeaux, they have done a bad job over the last few weeks. Not only did they send a massive delegation to the Oregon pro day to watch him perform ahead of the draft and invite him to town for a pre-draft visit, but their coaching staff seems enamored by the talent he brings to the table. Speaking to reporters, Dan Campbell gushed about Thibodeaux overall and his talent, and raved about it openly as Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press showed.
“Dan Campbell today on Kayvon Thibodeaux: “I think as much exposure as you can get, the better off you are. And man, listen, he’s an explosive athlete and he’s a playmaker. He’s got a good, quick first step. I mean, he’s – he’s something else. He’s pretty special on tape,” Campbell said as tweeted by Birkett.
Listening to Campbell speak, it sure seems as if the Lions are considering Thibodeaux strongly. Things like this could be reflected in the changing odds, as well as some of the sentiments that the team may be loving what he brings to the mix.
Insider Also Believes Hutchinson Will Slip to Lions
While many still see Hutchinson as a long-shot to end up on the Lions, the narrative may have changed quickly in recent weeks behind the scenes. While many see offensive line as a huge need in Jacksonville, others believe that the Jaguars may take a chance on Georgia’s Travon Walker with the first pick, a fellow edge rusher that had a very freaky NFL combine in terms of athleticism. Most recently, Peter Schrager of NFL.com and NFL Network revealed in a mock draft on Good Morning Football that he thinks the Lions will end up with Hutchinson, and is basing that prediction off some intelligence he has been collecting in the NFL community recently.
“By this point usually, first-overall, there’s kind of a consensus around the league. When there’s not a consensus around the league and there’s a media favorite, tat tells me the team could be going the other way. If enough people are telling me hey, Trent Baakle likes Travon Walker. I’m going with that. I am going with the take that is not the media thing in pen. I’m going Travon Walker to Jacksonville,” Schrager said on the show.
If Walker goes to the Jaguars, the Lions would likely scoop up Hutchinson with the second-overall pick. Should that play out, there would likely be a ton of happy Lions fans in the Motor City to land a local favorite who it just so happens made one of his last visits to his hometown team.
Between Hutchinson and Thibodeaux, it seems most likely the Lions will end up with an elite rusher in the draft.
READ NEXT: Lions Top 2022 Draft Fits Along Defensive Line
No comments:
Post a Comment