When the Detroit Lions are on the clock with the No. 7 pick in the 2021 NFL Mock Draft, GM Brad Holmes will have a monumental decision to make. Does he take the best available wide receiver? Another tight end? Does he reach for a linebacker? Or, does Holmes find a team willing to trade up to No. 7?
Time will tell what Holmes will decide to do but until that moment, we can only speculate as to what the best-case scenario will be.
That being said, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press recently unveiled what he thinks the Lions dream scenario would be and it sure sounds like he has been reading my work. (Probably not)
So many mock drafters have the Lions taking a receiver at No. 7 right now because it makes a ton of sense. The Lions have a huge need at the position (more on that later) and there are three premium receivers who should come off the board somewhere around where the Lions pick, Ja’Marr Chase, Jaylen Waddle and DeVonta Smith.
I absolutely would not rule out the Lions taking at receiver at No. 7, with Chase being the most attractive candidate. But by no means do I think that is their dream scenario. Three or four quarterbacks should go in the first four picks. If one of those quarterbacks fall, I could see Brad Holmes who attended pro days for Trey Lance, Zach Wilson and Justin Fields taking his signal caller of the future. Short of having an eye for one of those players, I think Holmes’ dream scenario would be either a trade down that nets additional draft capital or having the draft’s top offensive lineman, Oregon’s Penei Sewell, fall in his lap.
On the trade front, the Panthers at No. 8, New England Patriots at No. 15 and Washington at No. 19 are quarterback-needy teams who might be in the market to move up. Sewell, meanwhile, ranks alongside Chase and Florida tight end Kyle Pitts as the best non-quarterbacks in the draft. Knowing the makeup of their front office, and understanding positional value in the NFL, I believe the Lions would prioritize Sewell over either skill position player should they have their choice of all three.
As for Parsons, I believe he is the best defensive player in the draft, but I do not have a good read on how the Lions view him, on and off the field. In a trade down with Carolina, the Lions still would be able to nab a top offensive player. Going to 15 or 19 would put a different caliber prospect in the mix. It’s possible Parsons falls to that range, but a more realistic candidate in the teens might be rangy Notre Dame linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah.
Yes! Dave Birkett is echoing EXACTLY what I have been preaching for quite some time now!
Taking a wide receiver at No. 7, in my opinion, would be a huge mistake that only an incompetent GM would make. If Sewell is available, and it is not possible to trade down, snagging him would be the perfect move.
I also like taking an offensive tackle at #7. The top ones can play for a decade and it would really strengthen our run game which would help Goff a lot. Sewell may not be available so I would not even mind if they looked at other OT candidates (Slater, Darrisaw), and if not, then either Pitts or Chase. I do think they can get WR’s later in the draft though so it would depend on if they think they can find a number one WR later on.