Credit: Online Athens-USA TODAY Sports
During college football’s Week 11 action, on Friday night and Saturday as it were, here are five draft prospects for Lions fans to watch.
With two first-round picks and 11 total selections right now, the Detroit Lions will be able to fill the roster with some young talent in the 2022 NFL Draft. With needs all over the field, any criticism of draft picks will come based on perception of value over “oh, they didn’t need that.”
The Lions are trending toward having the No. 1 overall pick, in a year (and a case of bad timing) where there isn’t a slam-dunk quarterback prospect worthy of that status. Even in a best-case scenario where they win three or four games, a top-five overall pick is a lock.
Last week there was no Lions game on the schedule, so fans could get their football fix by watching some draft prospects on Saturday. For this week’s college football action, two quarterbacks who should be on the Lions radar have already played Thursday night.
Shifting focus on the rest of the Week 11 college football slate, here are five draft prospects the Lions and their fans should have an eye on.
Detroit Lions 2022 NFL Draft: 5 prospects to watch in Week 11
5.
Desmond Ridder
QB Cincinnati
Venerable ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Kr. thinks Ridder is the quarterback with the most upside in the 2022 draft class (despite being his No.4 ranked quarterback prospect right now), with a comp that’s interesting and somewhat aggressive all the same time.
The comp to Josh Allen when he was coming into the league is apt, as Ridder is big (6-foot-4, 215 pounds) and mobile with a scattershot downfield arm. He also has a chance to go in the first round, or he may fall into the second, where the Lions could take him there early on Day 2 too.
Ridder is trying to lead the unbeaten Bearcats to the College Football Playoff, with their toughest games to make an impression on the committee behind them. But a national stage is coming on Friday night.
How To Watch Ridder On Friday night: at South Florida, 6:00 p.m ET, TV: ESPN2