NFL Draft countdown: Focus on Lions' first-round pick at No. 28

The Detroit Lions own the 28th pick for the first time since 2015 when they selected Duke G Laken Tomlinson. This offseason, they’ve been linked to these players.

OL Grey Zabel | North Dakota State

In the eyes of CBS Sports’ Ryan Wilson, no player helped themselves at the Senior Bowl more than Zabel. At 6-foot-6 and 312 pounds, he has the size to play anywhere on the line, making 17 starts at right tackle, 16 at left tackle and four at left guard the three years with the Bison.

Senior Bowl coaches used him exclusively on the interior and according to Wilson, “Grey looked like a 10-year veteran no matter where he lined up.” Zabel led all offensive lineman with a 36.5-inch vertical jump at the NFL Scouting Combine, where he finished in the top-10 with a 9-foot-3 broad jump and 26 reps on the bench press.

Detroit lost Kevin Zeitler in free agency but guards Graham Glasgow and Christian Mahogany will both be back with Detroit next season. Still, a player with Zabel’s versatility could be hard to pass up so late in the first round.

DE Shemar Stewart | Texas A&M

Josh Edwards of CBS Sports sees things differently when it comes to the Lions’ first-round pick and believes the team will take Stewart, a 6-foot-6, 290-pound defensive lineman with plenty of room to grow. 

As Edwards points out, Stewart has incredible athletic potential for a player his size, but his overall production fell short of expectations. Stewart made 65 tackles over three seasons with the Aggies but had just 1.5 sacks in each.