2020 NFL Draft: Detroit Lions 7-round mock

Fourth Round

Here, we’re getting to the players that are more than likely projects, and we can actually see the Lions trading some of these picks to trade into other rounds (most likely back into the end of the second round). However, we will pick the picks as they lie right now.

Larrell Murchison is someone who’s gotten progressively better as his college career went on. He started at the junior college Louisburg, which is very close to his hometown of Elizabethtown, NC. Then, he went to the NC State Wolfpack for the final three seasons of his college career. He went from a decent JUCO prospect to someone who can contribute in college, to a second-team All-ACC player seemingly overnight. His journey is fascinating. He’s definitely someone Patricia will want to develop, and could easily use a fourth-round pick on.

Fifth Round

The Lions need some more talent at wide receiver to give them some flexibility with their veterans, and Stephen Guidry gives them someone with a ton of size and some serious upside. He stands 6’4, and it’s clear he hasn’t hit his upside at Mississippi State. Will he ever hit his upside? That’s not clear yet.

He’s a former commit of the LSU Tigers but left to join a junior college. He ended up one of the best junior college prospects that year and eventually chose Mississippi State. The Lions already have Kenny Golladay, Marvin Jones Jr., and Danny Amendola, but they need someone who’s going to grow into the position, and Guidry is that player. They can put him out there for some 50-50 situations, and he can come down with the ball a lot. He’s a pick for later, but if the Lions decide to trade one of Jones or Golladay to gain more assets, he could step in this season for some situations.

Fifth Round

The Lions need to upgrade their offensive line, and they will look to take advantage of the depth of the position with this pick. Yasir Durant is coming off a really good season with the Missouri Tigers. It’s not surprising when you see the size of this guy. He stands 6-foot-7 and weighs 330 pounds. We could see Durant going a round earlier, but if he starts to fall because other teams tackled the position earlier in the draft, then Lions should launch themselves at this pick.

What makes this an even better pick is Durant can play anywhere on the offensive line. If there’s an injury anywhere on the offense, he can jump in. His pure size probably makes it better to keep him on the outside, but in a pinch, he could move to guard.

Sixth Round

We’ve seen varied mock drafts have Purdue’s Brycen Hopkins available here, but we don’t. If he’s here, he’s the pick. However, Albert Okquegbunam is not a bad choice, even if it’s going to be a hoot hearing announcers trying to say that name. He has a ton of upside but has a lot of trouble staying healthy. The Lions aren’t desperate for tight end, they just need depth at the position.

They drafted TJ Hockenson in the top ten last season, so Okwuegbunam would be the second option at best going forward. That’s perfect because when he was used too often at Missouri, he wasn’t able to complete a full season the entire time. He showed in his freshman year he could eventually be a dominant force, but those injuries will make or break his career.

Seventh Round

The Detroit Lions need depth in the secondary, and with their last pick of the draft, they take David Dowell to give them that. He’s a player that can be a nice voice in the locker room, and he’s definitely not above special teams. He’s the kind of player that could be one of those special teams dynamos because we’re not sure “starting safety” is in his future.

Still, special teams are as important as ever. We see these types of players getting decent contracts because we look at the game differently now. Patricia learned in New England to look at all phases of the ball, or at least we hope he did.