Detroit Lions 7-round 2024 NFL Mock Draft following the Carlton Davis trade
The Detroit Lions continue to solidify their defense after trading for Carlton Davis in this 7-round 2024 NFL Mock Draft.
By Sam Penix
NFL free agency kicked off at noon on Monday, and while the Detroit Lions haven't been too active in signing players thus far, they did make a huge addition to their defense by trading for cornerback Carlton Davis from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Let's take a look at how this trade changes the Lions' draft plans in this 7-round 2024 NFL Mock Draft.
We'll be using Pro Football Network's simulator for this mock, and there will be no trades this time.
Round 1, Pick 27 - Kool-Aid McKinstry, CB, Alabama
Detroit entered the offseason badly needing help in the secondary, as pass defense was one of the team's biggest weaknesses in 2023. The front office began to address that with Davis, who will step into the role of CB1. The team will likely come to an agreement with Davis on an extension, as he is playing on the final year of his contract in 2024. Adding Davis should not preclude the Lions from continuing to bolster the defensive backfield, however, especially if a player like McKinstry were to be on the board when they pick. The exception would be if Jonah Jackson is not replaced in free agency, and a guard prospect the team loves is on the board, but in this hypothetical, we'll hope the team was able to land a veteran starter.
The 5-foot-11, 199-pounder out of Alabama has been a really solid cover corner for the past two seasons and has 70th-percentile arms at 32 inches, which will be useful in the NFL. He's a good athlete and wasn't flagged for a single penalty in 2023.
McKinstry is talented enough that he'd likely start opposite of Davis as a rookie, playing ahead of Cameron Sutton and Emmanuel Moseley, with new signee Amik Robertson manning the slot. In addition to outside corner, Sutton has experience in the slot and at safety, where he is perhaps more effective. Having your CB1 on a big contract and your CB2 on a rookie deal is a smart use of resources, and McKinstry falling to Detroit here would be a great situation for the Lions moving forward.