The Detroit Lions have officially begun another rebuild. They have traded Matt Stafford to the Los Angeles Rams and are looking towards the future. They acquired Jared Goff, but it is likely they draft a new quarterback to focus their rebuild around. While the Lions will most likely not be competitive for several years, this year’s draft is a crucial moment that will set the tone for their rebuild. Here is a 2021 Detroit Lions mock draft.
Complete 2021 Detroit Lions Mock Draft
Round 1 – Zach Wilson, QB, BYU
Wilson is an impressive quarterback prospect from BYU. Wilson is entering the draft following his junior year of school and is expected to be one of the first quarterbacks taken in the NFL draft. Wilson had average seasons his freshman and sophomore years totaling 1,900 passing yards and 11 touchdowns. In his third year, Wilson broke out with 3,700 passing yards and 33 touchdowns. Additionally, he threw just three interceptions and ran for ten touchdowns.
Wilson showed off his dual-threat ability avoiding pressure and finding the end-zone with his arm and legs several times this season for BYU. Detroit has traded longtime quarterback Matt Stafford and now has an uncertain future at the position. They acquired Jared Goff from the Rams, but a fresh young quarterback seems like the likely decision for Detroit. Wilson would be a fresh change from the pocket passer days of Stafford. Getting Wilson would be a great first step for the new Detroit Lions. The position drafted in round one will be heavily debated in various 2021 Detroit Lions mock drafts.
Round 2 – Rondale Moore, WR, Purdue
Moore is an impressive receiver who could have been drafted much higher if not for an injury and a Covid-19 stricken 2020 season. Moore had an incredible freshman season posting 114 receptions for 1,258 yards and 12 touchdowns. This season would be his best as the following season Moore played just four games before an injury ended his season. Then, in 2020, Moore initially opted out of playing the season but ended up deciding to play. Despite this, Moore played in just three games.
He did, however, catch 35 passes for 270 yards in those three games. This proved Moore still had that high level of production he showed in 2018. Moore would be an excellent addition to an offense that is potentially losing their top two receivers in Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones Jr. The Lions offense is transitioning and a new young receiver to go with a new young quarterback is something the Lions would be smart to invest in.
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Round 3 – Levi Onwuzurike, DT, Washington
The defense for Detroit will also need to be revitalized as Detroit enters a brand new rebuild. The Lions have lacked strong talent in the interior defensive line since the days of Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley.
Levi Onwuzurike is a talented tackle from a talented Washington team. Onwuzurike is a fantastic player who can strive against the pass or run. His size and speed make him difficult to block one on one which can create problems for an opposing offense. Adding Onwuzurike would be good for Detroit who could use depth on the defensive line and he could even move into a starting spot sooner than later.
Round 3 – Carlos Basham Jr., EDGE, Wake Forrest
Basham is a senior edge rusher who had a dominant junior season. Like many second and third-round picks, Basham followed up his breakout season with a lesser performance lowering his stock out of the first round. This junior season saw Basham get ten sacks and 18 tackles for loss. He followed this up with a senior season that contained just six games played. However, Basham had five sacks in those six games.
This is an incredible pace and shows he still has a lot of talent for the next level. He also has the ability to generate turnovers forcing seven fumbles in those last two seasons. Basham would provide great depth for the Lions at the edge rusher position. He could even assume a big role in pass-rushing situations. Drafting players at key positions is a big step in any great rebuild. This is something that will occur often in various 2021 Detroit Lions mock drafts.
Round 4 – Dyami Brown, WR, North Carolina
Filling out the receiver position is going to be very important for Detroit if they do fail to bring back any of their unrestricted receivers this off-season. Brown had a consistent career as a starter with UNC. Brown had back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons and totaled 20 touchdowns over those two seasons.
His speed makes him a great vertical threat that would mesh well with the current receivers on the Lions’ roster. Or, he’d be a great weapon to build around if they do need to overhaul their receiver group. Detroit lacked speed in 2020 and Brown would be a great addition of speed to their roster. Multiple receivers are something that should be in all 2021 Detroit Lions mock drafts.
Round 5 – Tony Fields II, LB, West Virginia
Fields is another senior who had a consistent career, but for all four years. Fields had 104 tackles in his freshman season and had at least 88 tackles in each of his next three seasons. He showed his versatility too, getting at least a sack and an interception in three of his four seasons with West Virginia. He even had five sacks in his freshman season. He doesn’t have booming hit power, but he is great at tracking the ball.
Fields’ ability to get to the ball will make him a great addition to a Lions’ defense that struggled to stop the run in 2020. Linebacker is a position that other 2021 Detroit Lions mock drafts may see as a bigger need, but Detroit has bigger needs to fill at the beginning of this rebuild.
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