With four games in the books and a better idea of both needs and projected draft order, it’s time for the first edition of the Lions Wire’s 2024 mock draft.
Detroit is 3-1 and currently holds the No. 25 overall pick in the first round, based on the NFL standings after Week 4. This projection covers all the rounds. Obviously, it’s still early in the draft process, making this more about ideas and prospects than predictions. The players here are ballparked in terms of where they appear to project (as of October 5th) in the 2024 NFL draft, which will be held in Detroit in April.
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The first two rounds are taken directly from my first full NFL mock draft for 2024 over at Draft Wire. This should help sort out some questions about player availability for those picks.
1st round, No. 25 overall: Rome Odunze, WR, Washington
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Odunze brings a lot of traits that the Lions covet. He’s fiercely competitive, above-average athletically and smart on and off the field. Those boxes all get checked with the Huskies standout.
Then there’s the act of actually playing wide receiver. Odunze does that very well, too. He’s a bigger wideout at 6-foot-3 and a solidly built 215 pounds. He’s got strong hands and excellent timing on catching balls away from his frame and contested catch situations. While he doesn’t play to it often, Odunze has run a 4.34 40-yard dash and has decent agility for a receiver of his size. He’s tough to tackle.
In Detroit, Odunze would boost up the starting role currently held by Josh Reynolds, who will be a free agent at the end of the season.
2nd round: Quinyon Mitchell, CB, Toledo
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If you watch any #MACtion, you likely know about Mitchell already. He’s been the conference’s best prospect from the start of the offseason. A 6-foot, 196-pound outside corner with a documented 4.34 40-yard dash time and GPS timing by the program over 22 MPH, the physical tools are clearly there.
Mitchell has always had the ball skills and the confidence in his game. In 2023, he’s improved his reactions and vision when he’s not the targeted cornerback. Mitchell is a pretty strong run defender who is not easy to block. He does still have the occasional gambler’s misses in coverage; think Darius Slay, who is my early working comparison for Mitchell.
The Lions have already had two different members of the scouting staff check out the Rockets’ standout.
3rd round (from MIN): Matt Goncalves, OT, Pittsburgh
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Goncalves was an above-average right tackle for the Panthers for two years before moving to the left side in 2023. He’s not allowed a sack since his freshman year and has made the transition nicely. Goncalves fits the gap-blocking scheme the Lions run more than he does a zone-blocking line. He’s not going to wow with his athleticism, but he’s got polished technique and excellent recovery quickness for a 6-foot-6, 330-pounder (his listed weight, which looks high based on 2023 film).
In Detroit, Goncalves would be the swing tackle to start his career. He has starting upside at either OT spot, depending on how the Lions choose to deploy Penei Sewell once Taylor Decker moves on in time.
This is the pick swap from the T.J. Hockenson trade. Detroit acquired Minnesota’s third-round pick (currently No. 67 overall) and sent back the Lions’ fourth-round pick (No. 126)
3rd round: Zach Frazier, OC, West Virginia
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Frazier is an experienced pivot whose game has taken a jump in 2023. He is smart and physical as a run blocker, though Frazier doesn’t have the range of top-end centers.
The Lions would view Frazier as a replacement–a year later–for Evan Brown as a reserve center who can also slide to guard if needed. With uncertainty beyond 2023 in Detroit at both guard spots and Frank Ragnow not practicing all the time, it’s a bigger need than might be perceived from afar.
5th round: Howard Cross III, DT, Notre Dame
Howard Cross III DL of the Fighting Irish at Notre Dame football practice at the Irish Athletic Center on August 7, 2023.
The son of longtime NFL tight end Howard Cross, the Irish DT keeps playing great in 2023–enough that this fifth-round projection might seem laughably low come April.
At 6-foot-1 and 288 listed pounds, Cross is undersized but doesn’t lack strength. He wins inside with quickness and seizing the leverage battle, which he does consistently. There is a limit to his top-end athleticism, but Cross plays like you’d expect in being the son of a blue-collar NFL teammate of Lions head coach Dan Campbell.
6th round: Miyan Williams, RB, Ohio State
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Williams is a 225-pound ball of downhill energy and power as a runner. He’s very good at maximizing what’s blocked between the tackles. Running back isn’t exactly high on the Lions’ list of needs, but finding a back with a specific role like what the fresh-legged Williams can do is a definite option for Detroit in the late stages of the draft.
7th round: Zach Heins, TE, South Dakota
The Lions tend to focus the late-round picks on players who offer one defined skill that can help the team and hopefully develop into something a little more than that, a la Chase Lucas as a slot corner who could impact special teams. For Heins, he’s a blocking tight end with size (6-foot-7/260) and inline power, but also reliably soft hands as a red zone target.
The Jackrabbits are becoming the FCS version of Iowa in cranking out NFL-ready tight ends, and Heins plays with the grit and emotional intensity that should appeal to the Lions.