Lions 2024 NFL mock draft scenarios: How trades can help Detroit get the players it needs

For the Detroit Lions, the NFL Draft has been the driving force behind one of the league’s best rosters, and a team that reached the NFC Championship Game in Year 3 of a rebuild.

They live and breathe this stuff. We’re doing our best to keep up.

Mock drafts are an inexact science, but they can help illustrate the different methods teams go about roster building and acquiring talent. By laying out scenarios, we try to offer a wide range of outcomes based on offseason comments from higher-ups in the organization, feel for the roster and institutional knowledge based on years of evidence. Even then, we’ll still get it wrong. You never know until you know.

But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a place for conversation. That’s what we’ll try to do here, laying out three different draft options for the Lions later this month.

Let’s discuss.

Lions’ draft picks

Scenario A: The future center plan

First round, No. 29: Jackson Powers-Johnson, OC, Oregon

Second round, No. 61: Marshawn Kneeland, edge, Western Michigan

Third round, No. 73: Malachi Corley, WR, Western Kentucky

Nick Baumgardner: I’m still not sure Powers-Johnson, the Rimington Trophy winner, will be here at 29. He’s the best center in the draft and while his arms are short, I do think he’s capable of playing guard if he’s plugged between a (hopefully) healthy Frank Ragnow and Penei Sewell (or Taylor Decker). Then, whenever Ragnow decides his body has had enough, the Lions have their future center ready to go and the run game takes zero hitches as a result. I would add: I wouldn’t do this without talking to Ragnow first. He’s earned that.

Colton, your thoughts on JPJ — both good and bad — and whether this is something we think is realistic for Detroit. Or are we panicking too much about Ragnow?

Colton Pouncy: Sometimes I wonder if we do panic too much. Ragnow is only 27, after all. But then you see the weekly injury reports, hear comments from Brad Holmes about not pressuring him and from Ragnow himself talking about the time needed to heal. He doesn’t sound like a player who’s going to be here for the long haul. So with that context, adding a player of Powers-Johnson’s pedigree who we think can play guard now and center later makes a ton of sense. Teams will talk themselves out of Powers-Johnson because of positional value, arm length, etc., but as we’ve seen, the Lions tend to take advantage when that happens.

I don’t think it’s a stretch to say he could be there at 29. And if he is, I’d be all for him. He could replace Kevin Zeitler — a 34-year-old on a one-year contract — at guard in 2025, and take over for Ragnow whenever he calls it quits.

Baumgardner: This is a tricky edge class. Even more than the corner class. It’ll be interesting to see how many of these guys slide, as we just haven’t heard a ton of buzz around the league on people being very high on this group. That said, I do like a lot about Kneeland.

He ran a 7.02 three-cone (90th percentile) with a 4.18 short shuttle (96th percentile) at 6-3, 267 in Indianapolis. He’s not blazing fast, but his agility/burst combination is very good. Kneeland’s flashes can come and go at times, but he had some truly dominant stretches for Western Michigan and his length (34 1/2-inch arms) could give the Lions another versatile defender opposite Aidan Hutchinson.

Colton, your thoughts on the edge class in general, and Kneeland?

Pouncy: If you can’t get Laiatu Latu or Jared Verse and Chop Robinson isn’t your cup of tea, maybe you can wait on a guy like Kneeland. He plays with the motor the Lions like, can get after the quarterback, has in-state ties and met with the team at the combine. That said, it has been tough to get a read on how Holmes feels about the position. He went out of his way to mention the pieces already in place at the owners’ meetings recently.

“When a player gets hurt, the player’s forgotten about,” Holmes said, referencing James Houston, who missed most of last season with an ankle injury. “Obviously, everybody was real excited about (him) after he had all those sacks as a rookie and now (he’s) hurt and it’s, like, well James Houston isn’t on our roster. No, no. Yes, he is. So he’s coming back as well, with a Marcus Davenport.”

Sounds like a guy who’s confident in what he has, while trying to prepare us for the possibility of the Lions not adding an edge in the draft this year. Maybe Holmes believes they have enough between Hutchinson, Davenport, Josh Paschal and Houston. A good mix of skill sets there, but I still wouldn’t rule it out.

Baumgardner: Amon-Ra St. Brown causes so many problems for people with his work underneath and after the catch. Corley is a slightly shorter version (5-feet-11 to St. Brown’s 6 feet) of this. He’s arguably the best yards-after-catch receiver in this class and I think he’s good enough as a runner (he’s a former running back) to become part of Detroit’s run game. Not unlike some of the stuff the 49ers do with Deebo Samuel.

The Lions traded a third-round pick for Carlton Davis III and while I don’t think that eliminates CB here, I’m not sold, either. Colton, your thoughts on this wide receiver class for the Lions and where else we might go with this pick?

Pouncy: Wide receiver here makes a ton of sense if you’re the Lions and there’s a guy you like. Everyone wants the flashy first-round prospect, but the Lions have an opportunity to get a quality prospect and save some money. Josh Reynolds signed a two-year deal with the Broncos worth up to $14 million. Last year, the Giants drafted Jalin Hyatt 73rd overall, and signed him to a four-year deal worth $5.6 million. Important to keep in mind as the Lions save for future contracts.

As for Corley, I see the vision. The Lions love dudes who can generate yards after contact. He’s not the X receiver we keep identifying as a fit, but it won’t matter if he gets open and creates offense. That said, if they’re looking for a different flavor in this range, I also like UCF wide receiver Javon Baker. Regardless, we come away with pieces at offensive line, edge and a wide receiver with our top three picks. Not a bad haul!

Alabama CB Kool-Aid McKinstry is the first-round pick in Scenario B. (Gary Cosby Jr. / USA Today)

Scenario B: Cornerback, with a trade

First round, No. 29: Kool-Aid McKinstry, CB, Alabama

Second round, No. 45: Xavier Legette, WR, South Carolina
Lions trade Nos. 61, 205 and a future third to the Saints for No. 45

Third round, No. 73: Christian Haynes, OG, UConn

Baumgardner: The Lions already traded one draft pick this offseason and Holmes has been aggressive before. A trade up (or down) feels very possible this year. After snagging McKinstry, we went up for Legette, South Carolina’s freakish X receiver, before finishing up with Haynes, another interior offensive lineman who should be ready to start.

Colton, talk to me about why we moved up to make sure we got the wide receiver we wanted here?

Pouncy: I just feel like the Lions are at a place now where they can afford to trade future assets to help the team now and land the players they want. The roster has few holes and Detroit is a true contender. Doing it this way allows us to keep a third-round pick in 2023 while trading up in the second for the guy we want. And remember: The Lions have an extra fourth in 2025 via the D’Andre Swift trade, so they could play around with those picks and move up next year.

The Lions met with Legette at the combine and I have a feeling they like the physicality and speed combo. The only question is his range. I’ve seen him appear in some first-round mocks of late, but he also might be there at 61. A little bit of projecting here but I’m OK with it.

Baumgardner: Definitely see the plan here and I think the range on Legette is going to be pretty wide. The physical traits are pretty absurd, though, and exactly what Detroit doesn’t have outside: 6-1, 221 with a 4.39 40-yard dash and a 40-inch vertical.

Just like we said with Corley: The number of things you could do with a guy like this in this offense … pretty good.

GO DEEPER

Lions NFL Draft 2024 guide: Picks, predictions and key needs

Scenario C: Trade down (then back up)

Second round, No. 44: Chris Braswell, edge, Alabama
Lions trade Nos. 29 and 201 to Raiders for Nos. 44, 77 and 148

Second round, No. 54: Keon Coleman, WR, Florida State
Lions trade Nos. 61, 148 and a 2025 fifth to Browns for No. 54

Third round, No. 73: Cooper Beebe, OL, Kansas State

Third round, No. 77: Andru Phillips, CB, Kentucky

Baumgardner: A few trades here, actually. But the whole thing starts with what might be a real possibility, moving down from 29. We’ll see how this quarterback stack unfolds, but someone (be it Denver or Las Vegas, someone else) willing to move up for Bo Nix or Michael Penix is possible. We were able to move down to No. 44, taking a very versatile edge in Braswell (someone Holmes saw in Tuscaloosa) before moving back up in the second for Coleman.

The pick I like the best here might be Beebe. He made 48 college starts and played everywhere but center. At this point, it’s not difficult to see why Detroit decided not to pay Jonah Jackson. There will be a great chance to find a starting-capable guard on Day 2.

Colton, your thoughts on this one?

Pouncy: This is a trade you make if you’re not enamored with any of the options in the 29-40 range, which could be a very real possibility. Most teams have about 15 to 18 first-round grades on prospects, and picking at No. 29 lessens the possibility of landing one. With that in mind, we traded back to 44 and were able to do some serious Day 2 damage. We get an explosive edge, an athletic, big-bodied receiver, a guard who could start for the next decade and a feisty corner. For a roster with few glaring needs, it would be a good way to build depth and add future starters who could take over within a year. Again, I like the haul a lot.

GO DEEPER

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Final thoughts

Baumgardner: Things have changed a little following Detroit’s decision to move a third-rounder for Davis, but not too much. A bunch of options are still on the table for the Lions as things move forward. It’s also important to note that while some needs may seem bigger than others, Holmes is going to take his favorite player at every stop regardless.

The health of the returning roster is good enough for Detroit to take some chances in this draft. Maybe make some trades. Ultimately, though, so long as the Lions are able to find another interior offensive lineman and more help in the secondary somewhere – it’ll be hard to hate on this draft.

Colton, final thoughts? I’m a fan of trading back off No. 29, but I also like Scenario A quite a bit.

Pouncy: It’s easy to fall in love with the haul of a trade back, but I kinda find myself liking Scenario B. We get an outside cornerback for the future, a starting X receiver and a guard who can move well and start in 2025. The only thing it’s missing is an edge, but maybe the Lions feel comfortable with the group they have.

I really like what we were able to do here, though. This exercise is all about presenting options. The Lions have many.

(Top photos of Xavier Legette and Chris Braswell: Jim Dedmon and Kirby Lee / USA Today)