Coming off of a 9-8 season, things are looking up for the Detroit Lions. While they just missed out on a postseason berth, the franchise is certainly heading in the right direction under Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell. Heading into the 2023 NFL Draft, there aren’t many teams in a better spot than Detroit.
The Lions had a good free agency, filling some of the gaps on their roster. They attacked the defensive side of the ball aggressively, upgrading the secondary in a major way. Cameron Sutton and Emmanuel Moseley were signed to bolster the cornerback spot while C.J. Gardner-Johnson was signed at safety.
Detroit can continue bolstering that side of the ball in the draft, as they have numerous premium assets. The Lions have four selections in the first 55 spots, which provides them ample opportunities to address needs on the roster.
For the first time in a long time, Detroit should also be able to take the best player available, a luxury not always afforded to them. That is exactly what Todd McShay has them doing in a recent mock draft.
With the No. 18 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, McShay has the Lions selecting Texas running back Bijan Robinson. Robinson is easily a top-five talent in this year’s draft class, but because he plays a position that has been de-emphasized in recent years, he will slide down the draft board.
It would make a lot of sense for a team that has two first-round picks to take a shot on a player as talented as Robinson despite not playing a position of need. An already-explosive Lions offense would become that much more dangerous with Robinson as part of it.
Detroit did sign David Montgomery in free agency to replace Jamaal Williams, but he doesn’t offer anywhere near the explosiveness that Robinson does. Over the past two seasons, Montgomery has managed to pass the century mark only three times. Over the same span of time, Robinson has missed the 100-yard mark only three times.
With D’Andre Swift struggling to stay healthy and heading into his contract year, it would make sense for the Lions to snag a long-term option at the running back spot. Robinson is the best of the bunch and the backfield would be set for years to come with him leading it.
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