Detroit Lions full 2018 NFL mock draft
By John Buhler
Fourth Round
Again, addressing position groups of need in the trenches should be prioritized by the Lions this spring in the NFL Draft. One guy that has a ton of experience playing in big games is Clemson Tigers guard Taylor Hearn. He could absolutely be the pick for Clemson here at No. 117 in the fourth round.
Hearn is 6-foot-4, 320 pounds. He has 32 1/2 inch arms and 8 3/4 inch hands. At the 2018 NFL Scouting Combine, Hearn ran a 5.45 40-yard dash. He put up 18 reps at 225 pounds on the bench press. His vertical jump was 24 inches and his broad jump was 96. Hearn had a 3-cone of 7.84 seconds and a 20-yard shuttle of 4.8 seconds.
Obviously, Hearn’s value might be docked a bit for not having the best of combines. That being said, we’ve seen players have all kinds of success playing in Dabo Swinney’s offensive system at Clemson. It’s not 100 percent pro-style, but Clemson has certainly left its mark on the NFL since Swinney’s arrival nearly a decade ago.
Overall, this does look to be a deep and talented draft for guards. From Quenton Nelson out of Notre Dame certainly going in the top-10 to Will Hernandez of UTEP going in the top-50 to even Hearn here in the fourth-round, there is value to be had at this position group this year.