Lions 2023 draft preview: Detroit secure at safety, but a long-term play is possible

Over the next several days, leading up to the 2023 NFL Draft, we’re taking a position-by-position look at the Detroit Lions’ roster and evaluating how the team might address each unit. Today: Safeties.

▶ Current roster: Tracy Walker, Kerby Joseph, C.J. Gardner-Johnson, C.J. Moore, Ifeatu Melifonwu, Brady Breeze

▶ Short-term need: Two out of 10

▶ Long-term need: 4.5 out of 10

▶ Top prospects: Brian Branch, Antonio Johnson

▶ Day 2 options: Sydney Brown, Jordan Battle, JL Skinner, Ji’Ayir Brown

▶ Late-round considerations: Jartavius Martin, Brandon Joseph, Trey Dean III

▶ Analysis: Taking specialists out of the equation, safety might be the position the Lions are least likely to address in the draft. Obviously, you can’t rule out anything with general manager Brad Holmes, but it’s a position where the team is already in good shape, assuming there’s a high degree of confidence with the progression of Walker’s rehab from last season’s torn Achilles.

Walker, a captain, is the veteran leader of the group. And Kerby Joseph, the second-year man out of Illinois, emerged as a playmaking complement playing in Walker’s stead last season, netting four interceptions and two forced fumbles in the first 14 starts of his career.

To that mix, the Lions added Gardner-Johnson, who tied for the league lead with six picks in 2022. That was in Philadelphia, where he played more of a traditional free safety role. Prior to that, he spent three seasons in New Orleans, where he operated as a chess piece that saw the majority of his snaps manning the slot. His role in Detroit is to be determined, but given his former position coach with the Saints, Aaron Glenn, is coordinating the defense here, the early bet is a return to his former usage.

Then you have the special teams ace in Moore and a high-ceiling, oft-injured depth piece in Melifonwu. He will need to prove he deserves to maintain a roster spot this offseason, two years after the team selected him in the third round of the draft.

A big-picture consideration is Gardner-Johnson might not be a long-term play. While there’s always the possibility of an extension if the marriage proves fruitful, there are no sure things when a player is on a one-year deal. So while it doesn’t fill an immediate need, the possibility of taking Branch, a player with a similar skill set as Gardner-Johnson, at least merits some consideration in the back half of the first round.

Had the Lions not signed Gardner-Johnson, a safety who can play nickel would have made more sense. Like Branch, Texas A&M’s Johnson also fits that mold, and does so possessing a 6-foot-2, 198-pound frame and a tone-setting intensity.

There are some fun prospects who should be available on the draft’s second day, including Joseph’s college teammate Sydney Brown, who picked up the playmaking mantle for the lllini with six interceptions last season.

It’s also easy to be intrigued by Boise State’s Skinner. Standing 6-4, he offers rare size, presenting problems for an offense when he lines up closer to the line of scrimmage.

In the latter stages of the draft, Brandon Joseph is a heady player who split his college career between Northwestern and Notre Dame, piling up 10 interceptions. Meanwhile, Martin, another Illini product, offers nickel versatility, special teams experience and extraordinary leaping ability, posting a jaw-dropping 44-inch vertical at the combine.

jdrogers@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @Justin_Rogers