On Tuesday, Connor Orr of MMQB (Sports Illustrated) released his latest 2022 NFL Mock Draft and he believes the Jacksonville Jaguars will select OT Evan Neal with the No. 1 overall pick, leaving Aidan Hutchinson to fall into the Detroit Lions‘ lap.
If this scenario plays out, Orr believes the Lions would take Hutchinson and not look back.
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2. Detroit Lions: Aidan Hutchinson, edge, Michigan
Pair the guy with the Middle Ages ground warfare face paint and Dan Campbell together and you really have something, no? Hutchinson’s film was a blast to scroll through, though the Georgia game gave me some momentary pause. Is it fair to criticize a potential No. 1 pick for playing in a bowl game? Probably not. Is it fair to criticize Hutchinson when, defensively, he is going to be keyed on every down? Probably not. That said, there were moments when he was blocked out of running plays by non-offensive linemen. He had his best rushes when switched to the nondominant tackle. This would have been my internal argument for Neal vs. Hutchinson, anyway.
That said, Hutchinson was a Tarzan-like character for most of his Michigan career. He is athletic, furiously competitive and fluid in the trenches. The Lions desperately need this kind of homegrown superstar, raised in Dearborn, to come and provide the franchise with a legitimate building block of the future.
Landing Hutchinson with the No. 2 overall pick would be a cause for celebration for the Lions and most of their fans, but what Orr has the Lions doing next is a real head-scratcher.
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Following their selection of Hutchinson, Orr has the Lions trading up to No. 27 to select WR Drake London out of USC.
Here are the details and what Orr has to say about the pick.
Projected trade: The Buccaneers send pick No. 27 to the Lions. The Lions send picks No. 32, No. 66 (a third-rounder), No. 177 (a fifth-round comp pick) and No. 235 (the Browns’ seventh-round pick) to the Buccaneers.
27. Detroit Lions (via the Buccaneers): Drake London, WR, USC
The Lions, who own pick No. 32, move up ever so slightly to park ahead of the Chiefs and Packers, two teams that also need wide receiver help. While I couldn’t find a place for London anywhere else in the draft, he makes a good deal of sense in Detroit, where his physical skills can help in tight coverage. The Lions can pair him with D.J. Chark, Josh Reynolds and Amon-Ra St. Brown for an intriguing combination of size that could help Jared Goff in contested situations and in the red zone. London caught end zone fades at USC with almost no vision of the ball save for the moment it hit (one) of his hands. If Detroit brings in its eventual successor at QB in 2023, he’ll be happy the Lions moved up a few picks in ’22.
Now, I am a big Drake London fan but there is no way I would EVER give up that much draft capital to move up and take a wide receiver in the first round. I believe Brad Holmes would agree.
Nation, what would you think about this trade if it went down?
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