In the latest 3-round mock draft from ESPN, analysts Mel Kiper Jr. and Todd McShay mix things up by using a different format. Kiper and McShay take turns making the picks based on their own takes on the draft board.
It’s a fun exercise that produces some more unpredictable results. For the Detroit Lions, it wound up creating a de facto Georgia Bulldogs reunion. Three of the five picks in the first three rounds hail from the national champs, including the Lions’ top pick.
At No. 2 overall, Kiper selects DE Travon Walker. McShay tabbed Michigan EDGE Aidan Hutchinson at No. 1, and that left Kiper grasping a bit,
I don’t have Walker ranked this high — he’s No. 10 on my Big Board — but he’s going to go in the top five picks because of his ceiling. If the Lions can’t get Hutchinson, they could get instant edge-rush help with Walker.
With the next two Detroit picks, at 32 and 34 overall, Kiper rolls with Cincinnati QB Desmond Ridder and Georgia safety Lewis Cine. Ridder at 32 has popped up a few times in recent mock drafts, so it’s clearly an idea that is out there. Cine is a very nice fit and good value for the Lions at No. 34.
The two third-round picks lean on the SEC, with Georgia LB Channing Tindall at No. 66 and Texas A&M RB Isaiah Spiller at 97. Tindall is a superb athlete and makes sense where the Lions drafted him. The same cannot be said–in either regard–on Spiller. Running back might be the lowest position of need on the entire Lions roster.
