Trent Baalke and Brad Holmes sounded like they were speaking from the same script when they addressed reporters at their respective pre-draft news conferences this week. Owners of the Nos. 1 and 2 picks in Thursday’s NFL draft, Baalke and Holmes both said they had a bunch of similarly graded players atop their boards.
“The cluster of players that we’re looking at are very, very evenly rated and graded,” Holmes said. “And I’ve always said it’s just what fits your team the best.”
For the Detroit Lions, that fit is about need, positional value, upside and much more. Holmes said football character, which he defined as “being a good teammate, being accountable, (having a) passion for football, perseverance, leadership, work ethic (and) preparation,” is an important part of fit. So, too, is dynamic playmaking ability, which the Lions are seeking on both sides of the ball.
The Jaguars are believed to be considering a quartet of players at No. 1 that includes offensive tackles Ikem Ekwonu and Evan Neal and defensive linemen Aidan Hutchinson and Travon Walker.
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Ekwonu and Neal are two of the best players in this year’s draft, but are unlikely choices for the Lions at two given their depth on the offensive line. These six players, however, could be fits.
Aidan Hutchinson
Position: Edge
College: Michigan
Vitals: 6-7, 260 pounds
Scouting report: Hutchinson earns high marks in the football character department as a mile-a-minute player who oozes leadership, but it would be wrong to characterize him as just a try-hard guy. He set a Michigan record with 14 sacks last season and turned in an impressive 6.73-second three-cone drill at the combine. Hutchinson has advanced pass rush moves and a high floor. He is a virtual lock to go in the top three picks of the draft.
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He said it: “In terms of the Lions up there at the top of the draft, Aidan Hutchinson to me is the run-the-card-up-if-he-gets-there (pick). … It’s too easy of a fit there. It’s a need. He brings everything that you want on the field and then you kind of add that other element with the leadership and what he could bring to a team that’s trying to get the corner turned here. I think he’s somebody that has the experience of getting that done.” – NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah
Kayvon Thibodeaux
Position: Edge
College: Oregon
Vitals: 6-4, 254 pounds
Scouting report: A college teammate of the Lions’ first pick in last year’s draft, Penei Sewell, Thibodeaux has been tabbed as the potential No. 1 overall pick since high school. He was dominant as a freshman but was less effective in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season and again last year, when he played through a high-ankle sprain. Thibodeaux is a blur off the edge and a game-wrecker inside, but his personality has been a turnoff for some in the pre-draft process. If the Lions are comfortable with how he’ll mix in their locker room, he makes sense at No. 2.
He said it: “Inside with his power, he’s tough to deal with. Outside, when you watch him, his get-off is as good as you’ll find at the defensive end/outside linebacker spot. He doesn’t have the pass rush moves. He doesn’t have the bend right now. A little stiff, doesn’t have great body — you talk about just overall, say a Myles Garrett type. Nobody’s going to be that way, but he’s not the (Jadeveon) Clowney, Myles Garrett type in terms of that bend and that agility. But he’s power, he’s speed, he chases, he closes. He’s got, like I say, great get-off. So with Thibodeaux, he maybe can be as good as he wants to be and coaching will dictate that with the pass rush moves he has to develop.” – ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr.
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Travon Walker
Position: DL
College: Georgia
Vitals: 6-5, 272 pounds
Scouting report: Walker is the fastest-rising player in this year’s draft after a standout combine in which he ran a 4.51-second 40-yard dash and jumped 35 ½ inches. A key cog in Georgia’s national championship defense, Walker earns high marks in the football character department for being all about ball. He has offensive tackle-length arms (35 ½ inches) but did not put up big big pass rush numbers (six sacks, 7.5 tackles for loss) in his lone season as a starter and might fit best as a three- or five-technique interior lineman or 3-4 defensive end in the NFL.
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He said it: “He played in a system where it was just everything was about do your job. Gap discipline. Let our linebackers go make the plays. Clog everything up, up front, and so he wasn’t asked to do that a lot. And he was dropping in coverage at times. They were reducing him inside as a defensive tackle in some passing downs. I think, and when you line him up as a pure edge and let him get after the quarterback, that his production numbers are going to be a lot better in the NFL than they were in college, and that’s saying a lot. And I wouldn’t often say that. I think he’s a special talent, he’s hungry, he’s disciplined and I think he’s got a chance to be a great player.” – ESPN analyst Todd McShay
Jermaine Johnson
Position: Edge
College: Florida State
Vitals: 6-5, 254 pounds
Scouting report: A one-time teammate of Walker’s at Georgia, Johnson played two seasons at Independence Community College and two more for the Bulldogs before earning ACC Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2021. He followed his 12-sack season at Florida State with a standout performance in front of Lions coaches at the Senior Bowl and is considered one of the best edge run defenders in the class. There is mixed opinion on whether Johnson is best suited to play in a 3-4 or 4-3 defense, and his age — he’ll turn 24 on the final weekend of the 2022 NFL regular season — has caused some to wonder how close he is to being maxed out.
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He said it: “I really like Jermaine Johnson’s tape a lot and it wouldn’t surprise me if down the road he becomes the best edge rusher in this group. He’s long, he’s wiry. I think that he has some work to do. He’s not a true bender, but he can bend. There’s a power element to his game. He plays stronger than what his build looks like since he is so wiry. He has what you look for. He’s got great arm length, he’s got natural quickness. I really like Jermaine Johnson’s game, plus for whatever it’s worth, he plays the run exceptionally well.” — NFL Films analyst Greg Cosell, on “Stoney & Jansen with Heather” on WXYT-97.1 FM
Ahmad Gardner
Position: CB
College: Cincinnati
Vitals: 6-3, 190 pounds
Scouting report: A Detroit native, Gardner is the most complete cornerback in this year’s draft. He has the requisite size, strength and play speed (a 4.41 40) to be a star in the NFL, and his long arms — 33 ½ inches, best of any cornerback at the combine — make him lethal in press coverage. Nicknamed “Sauce,” Gardner oozes confidence for good reason: He did not allow a touchdown during his college career. Scouts will nit-pick Gardner’s tackling and off coverage ability, but it’s worth noting that former NFL executive MIke Tannenbaum, who worked with Campbell in Miami, predicts the Lions take him at two.
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He said it: “I truly believe I’m the best cornerback (in this draft). I’ll put the work in … I make sure I’m leading by example. I’m not a smoker, not a drinker. I never have, never will, to make sure I do the little things right.” — Gardner, at the NFL combine
Kyle Hamilton
Position: S
College: Notre Dame
Vitals: 6-4, 220 pounds
Scouting report: The term “unicorn” gets thrown around too much with top draft prospects, but Hamilton is a rare player at the position given his size and ball skills. He had eight interceptions in three seasons as a starter and was widely projected as a top-five pick before he turned in disappointing 40 times at the combine (4.59 seconds) and his pro day. Still, Hamilton is considered far and away the best safety in this year’s draft. He missed time with a knee injury last season but can cover tight ends or play on a deep hash, and he’s a willing tackler close to the line of scrimmage.
He said it: “I think this kid’s pretty unique. He’s so tall and long and rangy. The ability to make plays from the deep middle as well as to drop down and play down low and be a physical player. He can erase tight ends. The interception he had against Florida State’s as good as it gets, and I think from a makeup standpoint, I haven’t got all of the background information on him, but when you watch him cover punts as a gunner and see how hard he plays, I think this guy checks all those boxes.” — Jeremiah
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.