Detroit Lions 2016 Draft Preview

The NFL draft will be held in Chicago for the second year in a row in 2016.

Flip back in your calendars to November 1, 2015. It's a Sunday, and the Detroit Lions are playing the Kansas City Chiefs across the pond in London, England.

Football fans in Michigan and Missouri are waking up to watch the 9:30 a.m. kick off, and some, I imagine, are drinking a Bud Light with their scrambled eggs and bacon.

Both teams enter the international game with disappointing records. The Lions stand at 1-6 – their only win an overtime game versus the Chicago Bears – and the Chiefs are 2-5.

While the teams come in on relatively level terms, the game is anything but even. Wembley Stadium seemingly belongs to the team that wears the same color as the stadium's normal tenants – the English national soccer team – and that color is red. The Chiefs roll Detroit, 45-10.

The loss completes the first half of the season for the Lions, dropping them to 1-7, and severely hurts their playoff chances.

The loss also puts fans of the Honolulu Blue into a situation which they had seen a time or two – root for the team to win games the remainder of the season, or hope for a high draft pick and the selection of a dynamic, young player who will be a cornerstone of the franchise for years to come? (For the pessimist, this decision may have come far sooner, say, after losses in week 4 or 5).

Well, because the Lions do what the former want, which is win six of their final eight games, it puts the franchise in a tough position to do what the latter were hoping for.

Finishing at 7-9, Detroit is slotted in the 16^th position in the draft order. Who is likely to be available to Detroit in this position, and given changes in the roster and front office, who will the Lions take in the 2016 draft? Here are my predictions.

Round 1 – Pick 16 – Overall 16

Kevin Dodd – Defensive End – Clemson

– While I would prefer to see the Lions go offensive line in the first round, new general manager Bob Quinn has said that although the offensive line needs to be upgraded, it is not Detroit's top concern. Besides Ezekiel Ansah, the Lions lacked consistency on the defensive line. They hope to find someone who will terrorize quarterbacks opposite Ansah in Dodd.

Round 2 – Pick 15 – Overall 46

Jason Spriggs – Offensive Tackle – Indiana

– I'm going to say that Spriggs will be the Lions' second pick – whether or not he'll be there at 46 is another question. Don't be surprised to see Detroit move up in order to select the former Hoosier. Spriggs has great size and could play either tackle position.

Round 3 – Pick 33 – Overall 95 (Compensatory)

Josh Forrest – Inside Linebacker - Kentucky

– The Lions have a lot of questions at the second level of the defense with Stephen Tulloch expected to be released, DeAndre Levy coming off an injury, and the other two linebacker spots up for grabs. Josh Bynes and Tahir Whitehead played well in 2015, but neither were expected to be starters when brought to Detroit. Forrest would be a great value pick in the third round for the Lions and would fill an immediate need.

Round 4 – Pick 13 – Overall 111

Miles Killebrew – Safety – Southern Utah

– The Lions let safety James Ihedigbo go after two years in Detroit, and in his place, signed Tavon Wilson and Rafael Bush to short term deals. Detroit looks for a long term solution with Killebrew in the fourth round, a player who would be a hard-hitting, run-stuffing compliment to Glover Quin's cover-centric game.

Round 5 – Pick 12 – Overall 151

Chris Brown – Wide Receiver – Notre Dame

– Detroit did their best in trying to replace Calvin Johnson in free agency by picking up Marvin Jones. While Jones and Tate are great receivers, neither has great size. Unfortunately, this draft doesn't provide a lot of size, as even the “big” receivers with first round grades (Laquon Treadwell, Josh Doctson) are both around 6'2”. Brown also provides a 6'2” target, but much later in the draft.

Round 5 – Pick 32 – Overall 169 (from Denver)

Maurice Canady – Cornerback – Virginia

– With the retirement of Rashean Mathis, the Lions will rely on the talents of Darius Slay and Nevin Lawson to be their starting cornerbacks. Slay had a good 2015, while Lawson's was shortened by injury. In Canady, Detroit selects another big-bodied defensive back that can develop along with last year's draft picks Alex Carter and Quandre Diggs.

Round 6 – Pick 16 – Overall 191

Jake Brendel – Center – UCLA

– The Lions select Brendel to push third-year interior lineman Travis Swanson, who struggled in his first season as the team's starting center. In Swanson's defense, Detroit's offensive line was a carousel of players, and it's difficult to direct an offensive line when that is the case. Regardless, offensive line depth is always important, and Brendel adds that for the Lions.

Round 6 – Pick 27 – Overall 202 (from Seattle)

Lawrence Thomas – Defensive End – Michigan State

– The Lions add a hometown prospect with their six round pick in Lawrence Thomas. A graduate of Renaissance High School, Thomas totaled 6.0 career sacks and 9.5 tackles for loss in two starting seasons along the defensive line for MSU. Was overshadowed in his time in East Lansing by Shilique Calhoun.

Round 6 – Pick 35 – Overall 210 (Compensatory)

Luther Maddy – Defensive Tackle – Virginia Tech

– You can never have enough depth in the trenches, something Detroit found out last season. The Lion started five different players at defensive tackle, and needed to add three players midseason in order to keep enough depth on the roster. Maddy is an experienced tackle that will add depth behind Haloti Ngata, Caraun Reid, and Tyrunn Walker.

Round 7 – Pick 15 – Overall 236

Jeff Driskel – Quarterback – Louisiana Tech

– Something that Bob Quinn has said he will do in Detroit is draft a quarterback every few years. It is something that the Patriots have done for a while (Matt Cassel, Ryan Mallett, Jimmy Garoppolo), so expect a quarterback somewhere in the draft for Detroit. 

Thanks for reading, and go Lions!