With the seventh overall pick, the Lions appear to be a good spot to land an impact playmaker. They probably won’t opt for a quarterback after acquiring Goff, so they can go with a top receiver there or look to take one of the best defenders in the entire draft. It all depends on what Campbell and Holmes envision for the team.
The Matt Patricia-era Lions did already have some talented players on the roster, so Campbell does have some pieces to work with. Supplementing them will be key to making the most out of his first season with the Lions. And on offense, they need to make sure that Goff is surrounded by talent. Otherwise, he could have a lot of trouble as a starter.
Here’s a look at the Lions’ picks in the 2021 NFL Draft:
MORE NFL DRAFT: Complete 7-round mock | Top 100 big board
Lions draft picks 2021: Who did Detroit take?
Round 1, Pick No. 7: Penei Sewell, OT, Oregon Round 2, Pick No. 41: Levi Onwuzurike, DT, Washington Round 3, Pick No. 72: Alim McNeill, DT, N. C. State Round 3, Pick No. 101: Ifeatu Melifonwu, CB, Syracuse Round 4, Pick No. 112: Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR, USC Round 4, Pick No. 113: Derrick Barnes, LB, Purdue Round 7, Pick No. 257: Jermar Jefferson, RB, Oregon State
Lions 2021 NFL Draft order
MORE: Read the latest NFL Draft news at SN’s draft HQ
Lions NFL Draft needs
Wide receiver: The Lions let Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones walk in free agency and replaced them with Breshad Perriman and Tyrell Williams. Both are good deep threats, but the Lions need help in the slot and could use a true No. 1 receiver as Perriman and Williams would be best as secondary and tertiary options. Quarterback: Sean McVay wanting to upgrade Jared Goff doesn’t seem good for the future of the quarterback. Goff is still young enough to pan out, but adding another young passer in the middle rounds of the draft to compete with him would be a sensible move. Defensive line: Retaining Romeo Okwara after a 10-sack season was a good move by the Lions, but they need depth behind him and Trey Flowers. It also wouldn’t hurt them to find a better starting option next to Michael Brockers than John Penisini. Cornerback: The Lions have 2020 first-round pick Jeff Okudah at the position, but they cut Desmond Trufant and Justin Coleman, their two starters from last year. They’ll need someone to compete for those two jobs with Amani Oruwariye and Mike Ford. Linebacker: The Lions need upgrades at all three levels of their defense. They signed Alex Anzalone to compete with Jamie Collins and Jahlani Tavai for playing time, but adding a top linebacker prospect to push the 31-year-old Collins and oft-injured Anzalone would be a good move.
Detroit Lions mock draft 2021
Here are the latest 2021 NFL Draft projections for the Lions, according to Vinnie Iyer’s seven-round mock draft:
