The Detroit Lions have an extra first-round pick this year, via the Matthew Stafford trade, and it’s critically important that they nail that pick too.
With two first-round picks this year, the Detroit Lions have a great chance to add two players that could really make a difference right from the start. The Lions have many options at pick No. 2, and can take any one of those players and feel good about it. But great teams draft well past their first pick, when the talent becomes a little more spread out.
Pick No. 32, acquired from the Los Angeles Rams in the Matthew Stafford trade of course, is close to being as important as No. 2. Here are three options the Lions should consider with their second first-round pick.
3 options for the Detroit Lions with the 32nd overall pick
S Daxton Hill-Michigan
Daxton Hill is a fluid athlete that has phenomenal coverage skills and is highly intelligent. He is also uber-athletic and was responsible for multiple big plays for the Michigan Wolverines this past year. He is a little small and thin to play safety but he certainly has room to fill out and put on some muscle. Detroit needs a lot of help in the secondary , and the chance to pair Hill with Tracy Walker would give hem a safety group they can feel really good about. He has the talent to be drafted higher, but if he falls to the end of the first round, this should be a no-brainer pick for the Lions’ front office.
WR Jahan Dotson-Penn State
Staying with prospects in the Big Ten, Jahan Dotson would provide a skill set Detroit could really use. After signing DJ Chark and with the emergence of Amon-Ra St. Brown as a red-zone presence, Dotson would be the perfect route-running and speed threat to compliment them. This may be a pick too early to take him, as Dotson has a chance to be available at pick No. 34. But to secure him at No. 32 would give Detroit a highly-skilled position player group taht might be the second-best such group in the NFC North.
EDGE Boye Mafe-Minnesota
This is a name that has been rising on the draft boards recently, so he may actually have to fall for Detroit to have a chance to draft him. Mafe is known for is his lightning-fast jump off the line. He is still very raw in terms of hand usage and as a run defender. But he would give Detroit a legit threat off the edge to pair with the re-signed Charles Harris, and ease the pressure on Romeo Okwara, who is returning from an Achilles injury. The Lions ranked 30th in the league last year in sacks (30). They have to get after the quarterback better. Mafe would certainly help with that.
Ultimately, Detroit has a lot of possible options at 32 and there are a lot of guys they can’t go wrong with. But building the roster up ahead of determining who the future quarterback will be seems to be the best way to go. With pick no. 32, Detroit has a extra opportunity to do just that.