The Detroit Lions have been one of the worst teams in the NFL over the past few seasons, and that isn’t expected to change for the 2022 season. The Lions have experienced an excessive amount of roster turnover and it hasn’t been beneficial for the long-term outlook of the franchise.
Detroit worked on rejuvenating its locker room in the 2022 NFL Draft this offseason it attempts to get any sort of momentum going in its rebuild. The time to pounce is now with the NFC North seemingly declining.
The Green Bay Packers are on their way out of relevance with Davante Adams departing and Aaron Rodgers following in the near future. The Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears are also in limbo.
Here’s what the Lions did in the 2022 NFL Draft:
Lions NFL Draft Picks 2022
- Round 1, Pick 2 (2nd Overall): Aidan Hutchinson, DE, Michigan
- Round 1, Pick 12 (12th Overall): Jameson Williams, WR, Alabama
- Round 2, Pick 14 (46th Overall): Joshua Paschal, DE, Kentucky
- Round 3, Pick 33 (97th Overall): Kerby Joseph, S, Illinois
- Round 5, Pick 34 (177th Overall): James Mitchell, TE, Virginia Tech
- Round 6, Pick 9 (188th Overall): Malcolm Rodriguez, LB, Oklahoma State
- Round 6, Pick 39 (217th Overall): James Houston, EDGE, Jackson State University
- Round 7, Pick 16 (237th Overall): Chase Lucas, CB, Arizona State
The Lions had eight picks in this draft after trading back into the first round to grab arguably one of the best wide receivers in this class in Alabama’s Jameson Williams. Overall, I loved what Detroit did in this draft and thought they nailed their picks.
Aidan Hutchinson was my top-rated player in this talented draft class, so landing him with the second pick was fantastic. Detroit finished 30th in the NFL in sacks last year, but that should change with a dynamic pass-rusher like Hutchinson.
Landing Kentucky defensive end Joshua Paschal in the second round was icing on the cake after drafting Hutchinson. These two can make an immediate impact on the defensive front, and after drafting a few more pieces on that side of the ball later on in the draft, this defense is taking steps in the right direction.
One of the biggest question marks surrounding the Lions is their quarterback situation. Detroit is clearly confident enough in Jared Goff that they didn’t grab a quarterback, even in the late rounds. Goff needs to improve in his second season with Detroit or they will almost certainly take another quarterback in next year’s draft.
All in all, the Lions did very well with their picks. I don’t typically give out draft grades, but if I did, Detroit would absolutely get an A.
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Note: The Lions NFL Draft predictions below were published before the 2022 NFL Draft.
Pre-Draft Lions NFL Mock Draft Predictions 2022
- Round 1, Pick 2 (2nd Overall): Kyle Hamilton, S, Notre Dame
- Round 1, Pick 32 (32nd Overall): Treylon Burks, WR, Arkansas
- Round 2, Pick 2 (34th Overall): Desmond Ridder, QB, Cincinnati
More Possible Lions Draft Targets: Malik Willis, QB, Liberty; Carson Strong, QB, Nevada; Christian Watson, WR, North Dakota State
Pre-Draft Lions Team Needs 2022
1. Quarterback
In the wake of the Matthew Stafford era reaching its end in Detroit, the Lions have a black hole at the quarterback position. Detroit was able to acquire Jared Goff from the Rams, but he’s declined with each passing season and doesn’t always look the part of a legitimate starting quarterback.
The time is now for the Lions to make a move. They should be in position to draft the best quarterback in the class. The Jacksonville Jaguars have the first pick and are set with Trevor Lawrence, all but taking them out of contention.
2. Linebacker
With a large majority of the linebacker corps for Detroit on the move, the Lions will need to front a major overhaul at the position. Detroit should be looking to improve in this area and should be expected to take a linebacker within the first three rounds.
3. Safety
A prominent reason why the Lions’ defense performed as poorly as it did this past season was the secondary. While Detroit’s corners performed far better than they were expected to, the depth at safety is pedestrian.
At the moment, there are almost no safeties who are of NFL starting caliber on the roster.
While the draft is certainly an option to upgrade at the position, there are plenty of elite safeties available in free agency this offseason as well.
Lions May Also Consider Drafting: Wide Receiver, EDGE