As draft time rapidly approaches, sorting out position groups and which prospects are better fits than others for the Detroit Lions is a full-time gig. Sometimes an outsider with good knowledge can provide an interesting, informed perspective to blow through the localized smoke.
Such is the case for the Lions and NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah. In Jeremiah’s pre-draft conference call with media all around the country on Wednesday afternoon, “DJ” weighed in on how he sees the top interior offensive line prospects in next week’s draft in relation to the Detroit Lions.
“I’ve talked about that a bunch around the league is these three guys paired together and teams going through their meetings trying to sort these guys out,” Jeremiah said early in his conference call. “I would have Graham Barton, Jackson Powers-Johnson, and then Zach Frazier.”
That’s not necessarily true for the Lions, however. The longtime draft analyst and former NFL scout likes Frazier the best to fit what the Lions want in an interior offensive lineman.
“If you asked me who’s the Lion in the group, I would say the third one, Frazier,” Jeremiah declared. “The four-time state champ wrestler. A guy who’s got a tenacity and a physicality to and through the whistle. He kind of fits their style, as you know, there. I think he’s worthy of being taken there in the bottom of the first round. I have no problem with that at all.”
Frazier isn’t typically projected in the first round, though some mocks have slotted him in that range and to the Lions specifically.
As for Barton, it’s clear Jeremiah is a big fan.
“In terms of stylistically, Graham Barton is the best athlete of the three,” Jeremiah continued. “I think he has legit five-position flexibility. He can move around and do different things. Played left tackle. I think he’s best at center, but he can survive at tackle if you needed him to. I think he’s fully capable of playing guard as well. He’s the best in space, change in direction, just overall athleticism. He’s really, really talented there.”
What about Powers-Johnson?
“Jackson Powers-Johnson, he’s just bigger. He’s 328 pounds. He’s going to be
more set a firm pocket. You want more of a mauler/brawler in the run game.
He’s not a poor athlete. He’s just not the athlete the other two guys are out in
space. But he’s a physical, strong, sturdy presence there in the middle who
you’ll be able to set a nice deep pocket with him.”
While Jeremiah sees Frazier as the most “Lion” of the trio, he doesn’t think there’s a wrong decision to be made by Detroit with any of the trio.
“I think they’re three kind of distinctly different players, but I think all three of them are excellent, and I think all three of them are ready to start right away.”