We’ve finally reached the unofficial Super Bowl for the Detroit Lions (and just about every other team in the NFL).
The 2023 NFL draft.
This year’s annual player selection meetings are in Kansas City, Missouri, home to the actual Super Bowl champions. But fans and observers will declare if the Lions are winners or losers by Sunday (let’s be honest, well before then) based on what they do with the nine selections they have.
Most eyes will be on their first two picks, Nos. 6 and 18. The first of those picks comes from the Matthew Stafford trade in 2021. What the Lions do at No. 6 will be dependent on how many quarterbacks will go in the top five. Some prognosticators have four going among those spots: Bryce Young of Alabama, C.J. Stroud of Ohio State, Will Levis of Kentucky and Anthony Richardson of Florida.
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But a couple hundred more dreams will come true over this weekend. So here’s everything you need to know about this year’s draft:
What time is the NFL draft?
When: Round 1, 8 p.m. Thursday; Rounds 2-3, 7 p.m. Friday; Rounds 4-7, noon Saturday.
TV: ABC, ESPN, NFL Network, ESPN Deportes.
Radio: ESPN Radio.
The Lions enter Thursday with nine of the 259 picks in the three-day, seven-round draft (full draft order here), including A second pick in Rounds 1, 2, 5 and 6.
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Local names to watch
There’s a chance no one from the state of Michigan goes in Round 1. The best hope is Michigan cornerback DJ Turner, who set a blazing pace in the 40-yard-dash during the NFL combine, running a 4.26, the best this year.
As for MSU, the first Spartan likely to go is wide receiver Jayden Reed, who will be celebrating his birthday on Friday. That’s the likely day an NFL team will be calling him to do more than just wish him a happy birthday.
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Thanks to solid drafting and player acquisition the last two offseasons under Holmes, there aren’t a great deal of holes on the roster. But last season’s defense screamed for help, especially early in the season. With three new starting defensive backs via free agency, perhaps those gaps have been adequately filled.
All good teams are well established on the offensive and defensive lines, and the Lions are getting there. Another early pick on both sides wouldn’t be surprising.
What would be surprising is if the Lions picked a quarterback early in the draft. Both sides of the argument boil down to “yeah, but they have Jared Goff.”
A new need may have cropped up in the last week after the NFL suspended Jameson Williams six games and fellow wide receiver Quintez Cephus for all of next season (he was subsequently released). The depth at receiver has been zapped.
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