Todd McShay got on the Travon Walker hype train in his two-round mock, and if all three picks turned out this way it would be an A-plus for the Detroit Lions.
ESPN’s Todd McShay gave a frank and not very bright assessment of the Detroit Lions position with the second overall pick in the draft. But in his new mock draft out on Tuesday, stretching to two rounds, the scenario for the Lions is about as good as it gets.
With the second overall pick, McShay climbs aboard the hype train and gives Georgia defensive lineman Travon Walker to the Lions (h/t to Pride of Detroit for the quotes of McShay’s assessment, here and further down).
“Walker might not have the career sack production (9.5 across 36 career games), but he has the versatility and explosion to anchor the Lions’ defensive line,” McShay wrote.
The Lions’ move to more four-man defensive fronts makes Walker look like a very nice fit. He can line up inside as a 3-technique or nose in certain packages, or all they way out on the edge. Second overall still feels aggressive to take him, but McShay had Aidan Hutchinson going No. 1 to Jacksonville and Walker is among the options at No. 2.
Detroit Lions get A-plus scenario in Todd McShay’s two-round mock
Many Lions fans don’t want any of the quarterbacks in this draft. But if I have a list of “my guys” in this draft, McShay’s choice at No. 32–Cincinnati quarterback Desmond Ridder–is on it.
“Ridder isn’t a sure thing, and he has too many ball-location misses, but his strong arm, good mobility and high-end ability to read the field make him an intriguing pick to cap off Day 1,” McShay wrote.
Ridder would have the ability to sit behind Jared Goff for a year, or maybe even compete for the starting job right away if he were allowed (the latter seems unlikely). The last pick of the first round is a spot it will makes sense for the Lions to take a quarterback, should they want to.
With the 34th overall pick, the second pick of the second round, McShay lands Michigan safety Daxton Hill with the Lions.
“Hill probably belongs in the first round, but the Lions get lucky with the smooth, speedy safety on Day 2,” McShay wrote. “He reminds me a bit of Budda Baker and would be an upgrade on the back end of the Lions’ defense. Detroit allowed 70 plays for 20-plus yards last season (sixth most), but Hill has the range to limit those big plays.”
Hill, as a safety who’ll mix it up against the run and has cornerback skills, looks ideal to pair with Tracy Walker on the back end of the Lions’ defense.
In my own recent mock, I had the Lions taking Ridder and Hill in the other order. So that certainly impacts my assessment of McShay here, but Detroit emerging from their first three picks with Walker, Ridder and Hill later this month would earn an A-plus from draft analysts far and wide.