Bruce Feldman of The Athletic has released his latest 2022 NFL Mock Draft and he has the Detroit Lions going in a direction that many are starting to believe in.
As you can see below, Feldman believes the Lions will select EDGE Travon Walker with the No. 2 pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Here is what Feldman has to say about the Lions taking Walker.
2. Detroit Lions: Travon Walker, Edge, Georgia
There’s buzz that the Lions might nab a quarterback here. I’m skeptical there’s someone on whom they’d invest the No. 2 pick. They really could use a wideout, but again, there’s not one they’d spend this on. They go for a potentially dominant big-play edge rusher in Walker, who is considerably bigger physically than Kayvon Thibodeaux and has many convinced he has as much upside as any defensive player in this draft. Walker led Georgia in quarterback pressures in 2021 (36) and had six sacks.
The Coaching Intel
“I think he might end up as the best of all these Georgia players. He’s so long. He’s huge. He can run his ass off. He doesn’t have all the technique. He’s still very raw. I think there’s so much untapped potential there.”
“He has so much juice. He’s violent, man. He’s long and slippery and had some wiggle to him. He could wreak some havoc.”
“This is just a big, scary dude who can roll. He was a tight end’s worst nightmare.”
Most would be ok with the Lions selecting Travon Walker with the No. 2 overall pick but with the No. 32 pick, Feldman has the Lions making a head-scratching pick.
As you can see below, Feldman has the Lions selecting QB Desmond Ridder out of Cincinnati.
Here is what Feldman has to say about that pick.
32. Detroit Lions: Desmond Ridder, QB, Cincinnati
The 6-foot-3, 211-pounder, once ranked as the country’s No. 116 “athlete” in the 2017 recruiting class, had a tremendous career for the Bearcats as a four-year starter who had 87 total TDs and just 28 INTs; he never had more than nine picks in a season. He ran for 28 more touchdowns in his career. This past season, he led Cincinnati to the College Football Playoff, a remarkable feat for a Group of 5 program, especially one that was 4-8 the year before he arrived. Ridder excelled in the testing at the combine, running a 4.52 40, which was faster than most coaches we spoke to thought he plays on the field. He also vertical-jumped 36 inches and broad-jumped 10-7.
The Coaching Intel
“His improvement over the past three years was tremendous. You noticed it most on his downfield accuracy on deep balls. He had total command of that offense. He is mature and has a competitive nature. He’s savvy. You can tell how important it was to him just from watching him warm up. I think he has an above-average arm. It’s not elite, but he has good velocity and good touch.”
“I think he’ll struggle in the NFL. He’s tough as nails; that impressed me the most. He took hits — he’s got that wiry toughness, and he was a great system fit there, but I just don’t think he’s accurate enough.”
In my opinion, selecting Ridder with the No. 32 overall pick would be a huge mistake for the Lions as I just don't believe he will ever be a starting-caliber QB in the NFL.
Nation, would you be ok with the Lions taking Ridder with the No. 2 overall pick?
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