2018 Post Combine Detroit Lions Big Board
1. Saquon Barkley, RB, Penn State
-For obvious reasons, we wont spend much time discussing here. Barkley is a lock for at least the top half of the first round, but no doubt the Lions have at least considered trading up for the prospect if he falls.
2. Bradley Chubb, EDGE, NC State
-See Above.
3. Quenton Nelson, OL, Notre Dame
-See Number 1.
4. Vita Vea, DL, Washington
-With Haloti Ngata unsure if he will return next season, and the Lions depth shaky enough as is with out Ashawn Robinson penciled into the roster, the Lions need depth at this position bad. Transitioning to more of a hybrid scheme under new coach Matt Patricia, Vea could be a building block a la Vince Wilfork.
5. Derrius Guice, RB, LSU
-The Lions have the most talented offensive line the city of Detroit has seen in over a decade. It is time to turn around that god awful stat of having no 100 yard rusher since 2013 and no 1000 yard rusher since 2004. RBs can be had in the later rounds -- check our Kyles article on the front page -- but Guice is a special talent and would have been a better prospect last season than McCaffrey who went top 10.
6. Tremaine Edmunds, LB, Virginia Tech
- After selecting their thumper of the future in Jarrad Davis last season a la Donta Hightower, the Lions need to prioritize finding a compentant weapon to use on passing downs to match up with tight ends and slot recievers. Similar to Jamie Collins, Tremained Edmunds can play in nickel packages and come off the edge as well.
7. Harold Landry, EDGE, Boston College
- Having used their franchise tag on 28ish year old Ziggy Ansah, the Lions should have a contingency plan in the event Ansah cannot be signed to a long term deal. Landry was a freak in 2016, much like Arden Key, but struggled this past season. Landry blew up the combine, however, and would provide much needed depth on the DL. Landry would play a Rob Nikovich role with the Lions, allowing them to become more scheme versatile. Boston College DL coach Paul Pasqualoni was also hired by Matt Patricia as defensive coordinator recently, so the connection and familiarity is there.
8. Marcus Davenport, EDGE, UTSA or Daron Payne, DT, Alabama
- It is no secret that the Lions have no depth and barely starting caliber talent all along the defensive line. Help is needed at those positions. Detroit Lions new DL coach Bo Davis was the DL coach for Alabama 2 years ago with Payne and Hand and current Lions Ashawn Robinson on the roster. For the past two years, Bo Davis has been coaching the DL at... you guessed it.... UTSA, where he had a first hand glimpse into Davenports skill set.
9. Nick Chubb, RB, Georgia
- With one of the most talented lines in the NFL, it is shameful that Detroit still has not found success running the ball. Drafting Chubb would give the backfield an injection of life from an uber athletic hulking running back. Chubb blew up the combine and likely has found himself as RB3 in this class.
10. Isaiah Wynn, OG, Georgia or Taven Bryan, DL, Florida
- Trenches, trenches, trenches. Lions are expected to lose starting center Travis Swanson to free agency. Drafting Wynn would allow Graham Glasgow to slide into his more natrual and experienced center position and solidify an already solid offensive line. Bryan has one of the most impressive combine workouts for his position since Dontari Poe, and measured in with the length and size to play an position along the DL in nearly any scheme.