Full Lions 2024 NFL mock draft with 3 weeks to go

Powers-Johnson won the Rimington Award as the nation’s top center in 2023, a year after he was the PAC-12 lineman of the year while playing guard. That’s a pretty safe baseline for a player who won’t have to start right away in Detroit but almost certainly will need to in 2025.

Aside from his playing accolades and athletic ability, “JPJ” is cut straight from the Dan Campbell/Brad Holmes cloth, as they like to say. There might not be a better Lions culture fit in the entire draft class, and it’s proven that matters a great deal to this regime.

Walker brings some size and speed as an outside wide receiver. At 6-1 and over 200 pounds, Walker can fly off the line and after the catch.

The Kent State transfer has had an interesting path to the NFL, with several setbacks involving injury and eligibility issues. At his best, “Tez” is a playmaking threat who plays with physicality and attitude, if also some drops (8.8% rate) and ball tracking issues. High risk/reward player that some teams are going to love more than No. 61 overall and others won’t consider before Day 3.

Trice is a very accomplished pass rusher at the college level, spearheading a great Washington defense over the last two seasons. Alas, he’s a mediocre overall athlete and a little bit undersized for the style he played in college to translate really well to the NFL. Still, there’s enough there for Trice to become an effective stand-up pass rusher in Detroit who also plays the run and defends mobile quarterbacks very well.

Vaki is another player cut from the Campbell/Holmes cloth. He plays every snap like the future of the planet depends on him getting his job done, but he does so with a high football IQ. Vaki also does it at multiple positions on both sides of the ball and on special teams, where he offers great potential as both a return specialist and coverage team demon. He would step right into Detroit as the No. 4 safety and No. 4 running back, with upward mobility at each spot.

JD Bertrand, LB, Notre Dame

Bertrand is a player the Lions have shown a lot of interest in for a position where the team doesn’t need to be actively looking for immediate on-field help. The Lions met with him at the Senior Bowl–where he was the best off-ball backer during the week–and at the NFL Scouting Combine and also at Notre Dame’s pro day.

I came away very impressed with Notre Dame linebacker JD Bertrand. Very knowledgeable and carries himself well. Loved his response about responsibility in zone coverage, what he’s focusing on there and the tendencies he focuses on when watching tape. #TheDraftStartsInMOBILE pic.twitter.com/9LnYWX1s8G

— Russell Brown (@RussNFLDraft) January 31, 2024

Good football player who might be too tempting for the Lions to pass even if they might have bigger needs elsewhere. As Lions fans should know by now, that’s what this regime does–and does it very well.

Travis Glover, OT, Georgia State

Glover brings ample experience, with 57 starts at left tackle in college. At 6-foot-6 and a heavy-handed 323 pounds, Glover can handle the run game blocking responsibilities in the Lions gap system. He proved capable enough in pass protection when thrown into the deep end as a mid-week Senior Bowl replacement, too. Glover could step right in as Detroit’s No. 3 offensive tackle, which just might be the biggest need on the entire offense entering the draft.

Bishop led college football in passes defended in 2023 with 24, and he caught four of those. He was also the fastest player at the recent Big 12 Pro Day, clocking in at a blazing 23.49 MPH. Bishop is smallish at 5-foot-9 and didn’t look like a player with an NFL future in his years at Minnesota before transferring to West Virginia. He could be a great find, but could also wind up being a three-year practice squad guy a la recent LIons seventh-rounder Jermar Jefferson.