If Detroit Lions fans want the team to draft Jared Goff’s replacement, Mel Kiper Jr. has the mock draft for you.
Kiper Jr. dropped a new 2022 NFL draft projection Tuesday, as well as his latest Big Board and positional rankings, with the scouting combine beginning.
There aren’t a ton of surprises, with an offensive lineman going No. 1 and a familiar pass rusher going No. 2 to the Lions. But then Kiper throws in some mid-round trades and has a quarterback headed to Detroit.
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A couple of Michigan football stars are first-round picks, and standout Michigan State football running backs and Central Michigan and Western Michigan offensive players make the top 10 at their respective positions, too.
More from Kiper:
Lions get a pass rusher, then a passer
In Kiper’s last mock Jan. 19, Michigan edge and Heisman finalist Aidan Hutchinson went No. 1 overall and the Lions selected Oregon’s Kayvon Thibodeaux No. 2. Kiper switched it up more recently, with the Jacksonville Jaguars taking North Carolina State tackle Ikem Ekwonu and Hutchinson going to the Lions.
“This is not just a sentimental pick because he went to Michigan; Hutchinson is an elite defender,” Kiper writes. “Detroit’s defense is still a few pieces away from being average — there are big questions in the secondary, too — but this should be a rush-to-the-podium selection.”
DAVE BIRKETT: How Lions landed Hutchinson in my 2022 NFL mock draft 1.0
Hutchinson had 14 sacks, multiple forced fumbles and finished fifth in the country in pressure rate (16.5%).
Kiper made a change in the Lions’ second pick as well. Before, he had Detroit picking Sam Howell of North Carolina as the fourth quarterback off the board.
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In Tuesday’s update, the Lions go with Matt Corral of Ole Miss as the third quarterback taken:
“Yes, they have several needs, but if they can get a quarterback with a fifth-year option, they could continue the positive momentum of their rebuild. Corral took a step forward in 2021, throwing 20 touchdown passes and just five picks. He’s a dual-threat quarterback who can beat teams with his legs, but he ran an RPO-centric offense at Ole Miss, and he’s going to need to learn how to adapt in the NFL. He can spin the football, though.”
Fans won’t get to obsess over his scouting combine numbers: Corral is out with a high ankle sprain suffered in the Sugar Bowl, and won’t showcase until the Rebels’ pro day March 23.
Western Michigan duo should be drafted
A couple Broncos should be draft picks, according to Kiper’s positional rankings.
Kaleb Eleby (6 feet 1, 210 pounds) had preseason buzz as one of the nation’s top mid-major quarterbacks and finished a solid season with 23 touchdowns, 3,277 yards and six interceptions on a 63.5 completion percentage.
Kiper has him as the eighth-best QB prospect in the class, fifth among mid-major passers, making him a possible middle-to-late round draft pick.
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Skyy Moore (5-10, 195) is one of the fastest players in the class and Kiper’s No. 8 wide receiver.
He broke out for 95 receptions, 1,292 yards and 10 touchdowns last year and figures to be one of the first receivers taken in a deep class; a Day 2 pick a la former teammate D’Wayne Eskridge.
Michigan State, CMU players get some love
Kenneth Walker III, the Walter Camp national player of the year and Doak Walker Award winner, is the No. 4 running back in the class. He rushed for 1,614 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns and was among the nation’s leaders in rushing yards after contact (1,154), carries of 20-or-more yards (21) and missed forced tackles (89).
With teams spending less first-round capital on tailbacks, Walker is a likely Day 2 pick. Connor Heyward could be a Day 3 selection, but is more likely an undrafted signee, as a do-it-all offensive player, ranked the No. 5 fullback/H-back.
Bernhard Raimann, a converted lineman out of Central Michigan, is one of Kiper’s top tackles (No. 5) but he wasn’t quite a first-round pick.
Michigan rush linebacker David Ojabo was, however, projected at No. 11 to the Philadelphia Eagles. Dax Hill, another possible first-rounder out of Michigan, is the No. 2 safety, according to Kiper.
Hutchinson was his top prospect overall.
Follow the Free Press on Facebook and Twitter for more news. Tyler Davis can be contacted at tjdavis@freepress.com or on Twitter @TDavisFreep.
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