Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Shifting to the second and third rounds of the 2022 NFL Draft, here’s a Day 2 mock draft for the Detroit Lions.
By most if not all accounts, the Detroit Lions did quite well in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft Thursday night. Fortune smiled on them when Aidan Hutchinson was indeed available at No. 2 overall. Then came a bold move to trade up to No. 12, which brought Alabama wide receiver Jameson Williams into the fold.
In the deal to move up for Williams, the Lions sent picks 32, 34 and 66 to the Vikings, while also acquiring pick 46. So they now have two Day 2 picks instead of three, barring any further moves–and a move up is unlikely, as it is all but sure to require digging into next year’s draft capital. An extra first-round pick again next year does stand as a potential trade chip though.
With needs to fill at safety and linebacker, the Lions can stay put at No. 46 and No. 97 and fairly easily add someone at both positions. A quarterback could even be in play with one of those picks if the board falls a certain way.
Using FanSpeak’s draft simulator for the first time this year, for something different, I did a three-round mock with the first-round picks going (obviously) as they really did and then making the Day 2 picks for the Lions.