KDawg's Official 2012 Detroit Lion's Mock Draft

With the 23rd pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, the Detroit Lions select...

Hello Lion's fans, and welcome back to The Mane Attraction!  I have been resting my mind so far this offseason, so that I might come back with a great post about the upcoming 2012 NFL Draft.  In this post, I will talk about the different possibilities for the Lion's first round selection, by predicting who I think will go where and why, as the draft leads up to the Lion's first pick.  After I discuss the first round possibilities in depth, I will provide you with my predictions for the Lion's draft this year.  I'm not going to say that I will be right, or even that my ideas will be anywhere near what the Lion's have in mind, but rather I will speak from my own perspective and try to incorporate what I believe Mayhew and company will be thinking when they choose draft prospects this year.  I will begin my analysis, after the jump...

First of all, I am going to share the top 150 prospects list, from Scout.com, with all of you.  I believe that Scout.com does a great job of keeping up with the changes that occur to this list, prior to the draft.  As such, I also believe that it is a good model to go by in determining who will go where.  Here is the list:
First Round Talents
1. QB Andrew Luck (Jr.), Stanford Proj. 1 
2. CB Morris Claiborne, LSU (Jr.) Proj. 1 
3. OT Matt Kalil, USC (Jr.) Proj. 1 
4. DE Quinton Coples, North Carolina Proj. 1 
5. OT Jonathan Martin, Stanford (Jr.) Proj. 1 
6. DE Melvin Ingram, South Carolina (OLB) Proj. 1 
7. DT Michael Brockers, LSU (Soph.) Proj. 1 
8. RB Trent Richardson, Alabama (Jr.) Proj. 1 
9. DT Brandon Thompson, Clemson Proj. 2 
10. QB Robert Griffin III, Baylor (Jr.) Proj. 1 
11. DT Fletcher Cox, Mississippi State Proj. 1 
12. OLB Courtney Upshaw, Alabama Proj. 1 
13. CB Dre Kirkpatrick, Alabama (Jr.) Proj. 1 
14. OT Zebrie Sanders, Florida State Proj. 2 
15. OT Riley Reiff, Iowa (Jr.) Proj. 1 
16. OG David DeCastro, Stanford (Jr.) Proj. 1 
17. C Peter Konz, Wisconsin (Jr.) Proj. 2 
18. OLB Zach Brown, North Carolina Proj. 2 
19. ILB Luke Kuechly, Boston College (Jr.) Proj. 1 
20. CB Janoris Jenkins, North Alabama Proj. 1 
21. SS Mark Barron, Alabama Proj. 2 
22. DT Jerel Worthy, Michigan State (Jr.) Proj. 2 
23. OT Mike Adams, Ohio State Proj. 2 
24. QB Brandon Weeden, Oklahoma State Proj. 2 
25. CB Alfonzo Dennard, Nebraska Proj. 1 
26. WR Justin Blackmon, Oklahoma State (Jr.) Proj. 1 
27. OT Kelechi Osemele, Iowa State (OG) Proj. 2
28. WR Michael Floyd, Notre Dame Proj. 1 
29. OG Cordy Glenn, Georgia (OT) Proj. 1
30. DT Dontari Poe, Memphis (Jr.) Proj. 2
31. DT Devon Still, Penn State Proj. 1
32. WR Alshon Jeffery, South Carolina (Jr.) Proj. 2 

Second Round Talents
33. OG Kevin Zeitler, Wisconsin Proj. 2
34. FS Markelle Martin, Oklahoma State Proj. 2
35. RB Doug Martin, Boise State Proj. 3
36. OT James Brown, Troy Proj. 3
37. OG Brandon Washington, Miami (Jr.) Proj. 2
38. DE Whitney Mercilus, Illnois (Jr.) Proj. 2 
39. TE Orson Charles, Georgia (Jr.) Proj. 2
40. WR Mohamed Sanu, Rutgers (Jr.) Proj. 2
41. TE Dwayne Allen, Clemson (Jr.) Proj. 2
42. RB Lamar Miller, Miami (Jr.) Proj. 2 
43. QB Nick Foles, Arizona Proj. 2
44. WR Kendall Wright, Baylor Proj. 1 
45. DE Nick Perry, USC (Jr.) Proj. 2
46. OLB Lavonte David, Nebraska Proj. 2
47. RB Isaiah Pead, Cincinnati Proj. 3 
48. OLB Bobby Wagner, Utah State (ILB) Proj. 2
49. DE Vinny Curry, Marshall Proj. 2
50. RB David Wilson, Virginia Tech (Jr.) Proj. 2 
51. DT Mike Martin, Michigan Proj. 4
52. WR Dwight Jones, North Carolina Proj. 3 
53. OT Andrew Datko, Florida State Proj. 4 
54. ILB Dont’a Hightower, Alabama (Jr.) Proj. 1
55. CB Brandon Boykin, Georgia Proj. 3
56. SS Harrison Smith, Notre Dame Proj. 3
57. ILB Audie Cole, NC State Proj. 3
58. OLB Keenan Robinson, Texas Proj. 2
59. DE Andre Branch, Clemson Proj. 2
60. FS George Iloka, Boise State (FS) Proj. 3
61. DE Cam Johnson, Virginia Proj. 3
62. OG Brandon Brooks, Miami Univ. Proj. 4
63. OT Nate Potter, Boise State Proj. 5
64. TE Michael Egnew, Missouri Proj. 3

Third Round Talents

65. TE Coby Fleener, Stanford Proj. 2
66. WR Jeff Fuller, Texas A&M Proj. 4
67. OG Senio Kelemete, Washington Proj. 3
68. RB LaMichael James, Oregon (Jr.) Proj. 3
69. TE Deangelo Peterson, LSU Proj. 4
70. DE Trevor Guyton, California Proj. 3
71. RB Chris Polk, Washington Proj. 3
72. WR Rueben Randle, LSU (Jr.) Proj. 2
73. DE Jake Bequette, Arkansas Proj. 3
74. WR Chris Givens, Wake Forest (Jr.) Proj. 3
75. TE Ladarius Green, Louisiana-Lafayette Proj. 4
76. OLB Bruce Irvin, West Virginia (DE) Proj. 2
77. OG Amini Silatolu, Midwestern State Proj. 3
78. WR Marvin McNutt, Iowa Proj. 4
79. DT Kendall Reyes, Connecticut Proj. 3
80. DT Josh Chapman, Alabama Proj. 2
81. WR Joe Adams, Arkansas Proj. 4
82. DE Chandler Jones, Syracuse (Jr.) Proj. 3
83. OT Matt Reynolds, BYU Proj. 4
84. WR Stephen Hill, Georgia Tech (Jr.) Proj. 3
85. OLB Sean Spence, Miami Proj. 2
86. QB Kirk Cousins, Michigan State Proj. 4
87. RB Cyrus Gray, Texas A&M Proj. 3
88. OLB Ronnell Lewis, Oklahoma (Jr) Proj. 3
89. DT Billy Winn, Boise State Proj. 2
90. OT Jeff Allen, Illinois Proj. 5
91. OLB Jonathan Massaquoi, Troy (Jr.) Proj. 3
92. OLB Nigel Bradham, Florida State Proj. 3
93. DE Jack Crawford, Penn State Proj. 4
94. DT Marcus Fortson, Miami (Jr.) Proj. 3
95. WR Tommy Streeter, Miami (Jr.) Proj. 4
96. QB Ryan Lindley, San Diego State Proj. 3

Fourth Round Talents 
97. DT Jared Crick, Nebraska Proj. 2
98. ILB Mychal Kendricks, California Proj. 4
99. CB Jayron Hosley, Virginia Tech (Jr.) Proj. 3
100. SS Antonio Allen, South Carolina Proj. 2
101. QB Brock Osweiler, Arizona State Proj. 3
102. OLB Jerry Franklin, Arkansas Proj. 4
103. C Ben Jones, Georgia Proj. 3
104. FS Trent Robinson, Michigan State Proj. 4
105. CB Trumaine Johnson, Montana Proj. 2
106. OLB James-Michael Johnson, Nevada Proj. 4
107. QB Russell Wilson, Wisconisn Proj. 5
108. DE Malik Jackson, Tennessee Proj. 5
109. C David Molk, Michigan Proj. 4
110. CB Dwight Bentley, Louisiana-Lafayette (S) Proj. 4
111. OLB Vontaze Burfict, Arizona State (Jr.) Proj. 2
112. QB Ryan Tannehill, Texas A&M Proj. 2
113. C Michael Brewster, Ohio State Proj. 4
114. SS Duke Ihenacho, San Jose State Proj. 4
115. CB Leonard Johnson, Iowa State Proj. 2
116. FS Aaron Henry, Wisconsin Proj. 4
117. OLB Chris Galippo, USC Proj. 5
118. OG Lucas Nix, Pitt Proj. 4
119. CB Donnie Fletcher, Boston College Proj. 3
120. OT Bobby Massie, Ole Miss (Jr.) Proj. 3
121. CB Chase Minnifield, Virginia Proj. 3
122. WR Gerrell Robinson, Arizona State Proj. 5
123. RB Terrance Ganaway, Baylor Proj. 5
124. QB B.J. Coleman, UT Chattanooga Proj. 4
125. FB Bradie Ewing, Wisconsin Proj. 5
126. WR Brian Quick, Appalachian State Proj. 3
127. DT DaJohn Harris, USC Proj. 3
128. QB Chandler Harnish, Northern Illinois Proj. 6

Fifth Round Talents
129. DT Alameda Ta’amu, Washington Proj. 4
130. WR Nick Toon, Wisconsin Proj. 4
131. DT Derek Wolfe, Cincinnati Proj. 4
132. RB Tauren Poole, Tennessee Proj. 5
133. OT Brandon Mosley, Auburn Proj. 3
134. OG Desmond Wynn, Rutgers Proj. 5
135. DT Kheeston Randall, Texas Proj. 3
136. DE Donte Paige-Moss, North Carolina (Jr.) Proj. 6
137. DE Oliver Vernon, Miami (Jr.) Proj. 5
138. DT Mike Daniels, Iowa Proj. 4
139. OLB Brandon Lindsey, Pitt Proj. 4
140. OLB Danny Trevathan, Kentucky Proj. 4
141. RB Bernard Pierce, Temple (Jr.) Proj. 3
142. OLB Travis Lewis, Oklahoma Proj. 3
143. WR T.Y. Hilton, FIU Proj. 4
144. WR Jarius Wright, Arkansas Proj. 4
145. OLB Emmanuel Acho, Texas (ILB) Proj. 4
146. WR Ryan Broyles, Oklahoma Proj. 5
147. DE Shea McClellin, Boise State Proj. 4
148. WR T.J. Graham, NC State Proj. 5
149. DT Brett Roy, Nevada Proj. 4
148. WR T.J. Graham, NC State Proj. 5
149. DT Brett Roy, Nevada Proj. 4
150. CB Casey Hayward, Vanderbilt Proj. 4


As we all know, it is very likely that the first two picks of the draft will be Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III.  This comes beside the fact that Luck is listed as the #1 prospect, while Griffin III is listed as the 10th best prospect.  I'm not going to go into detail about why I think Washington will reach for Griffin III, but all signs point to him being their first pick if the Colts do in fact draft Luck #1.  Anyway, as it stands I believe pick 1 will be Luck, followed by Griffin III at pick 2.

That brings us to the 3rd pick, to be made by Minnesota.  With Luck and Griffin III gone, this pick is also as much of a no brainer as it could be.  The Vikings believe that they are set at QB with Christian Ponder, and because of the fact that they are a cover 2 defense, it is very unlikely that they would choose Ryan Tannehill or Morris Claiborne this high in the draft.  Matt Kalil is the top rated prospect at this point, and the Vikings desperately need a LT.  Therefore I believe Kalil will be the 3rd pick in the draft.

The Browns have the 4th pick, and this is where things get a bit dicey.  The Browns already have Colt McCoy, who many believe has the tools to be the franchise QB the Browns want.  Many others disagree however, so it is entirely possible that the Browns reach for Ryan Tannehill at this point, IF they feel he will be a better option than Colt McCoy.  I personally do not believe this at all, but I would laugh my ass off if they did reach for Tannehill at pick 4.  Other possibilities for the Browns include WR, RB, and CB.  The best available WR in the draft is Justin Blackmon, without a doubt.  That said, because of the fact that he is listed as the 26th best prospect in the draft, it is very unlikely that Mike Holmgren will be looking to make this much of a reach for him at pick 4.  Morris Claiborne is the best CB prospect in the draft, and Trent Richardson is the best ranked RB.  Both of these players are far superior prospects to either Tannehill OR Blackmon.  I could see the Browns reaching for Tannehill if they think he is the real deal, but not Blackmon.  If the choice is therefore between Trent Richardson and Morris Claiborne, I think the Browns will choose the RB.  I believe this because the Browns already have players returning on defense that produced a top ranked pass defense last season, because they are already paying top dollar for players at the CB position, and because of the fact that the Browns lost Peyton Hillis to the Chiefs.  They will need a good RB, Holmgren loves him some Alabama running backs, and Trent Richardson fills both roles.

If you thought pick 4 was dicey, enter the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at pick 5.  The most obvious choice would be Morris Claiborne, but the Bucs are notorious for head scratching picks in the draft.  The problem is nobody knows how high they are on Eric Wright, or what will happen with Aqib Talib.  In all likelihood however, Talib will be going to jail and the Bucs will have a no brainer on their hands this time.  I could see them possibly taking Trent Richardson here if the Browns pass on him, but Morris Claiborne is the obvious pick for Tampa.

At pick 6 we have the Rams.  This pick is a major crap shoot.  I say that because the most obvious choice for the Rams at this point would be a WR.  However, Justin Blackmon and Michael Floyd are ranked 26th and 28th respectively, and as such it would seem like a major reach for the Rams to select one of them at pick 6.  The Rams need a CB just as badly as they need a top flight WR, even though they recently landed Cortland Finnergan.  The options at this point should be Dre Kirkpatrick, Janoris Jenkins, Alfonzo Denard, and Stephen Gilmore at CB, along with Justin Blackmon and Michael Floyd at WR.  Kirkpatrick is the highest ranked player of all of the above, and it would make a lot of sense for the Rams to take him at pick 6.  That said, many pundits claim that the Rams should ignore defense in this draft and focus on offense.  The problem I see with that idea is simply the reach factor.  The 26th ranked prospect at pick 6?  Kirkpatrick, Jenkins, and Denard are all ranked as better prospects than Justin Blackmon, while Stephon Gilmore is not even on the radar (even though it has been said that he is the 3rd best CB in the draft, ahead of Jenkins and Denard).  I am going to go ahead and say that barring a trade down scenario, the Rams WILL reach here and take Blackmon, simply because they signed a top 10 CB in Finnergan already, and because the Rams practically have no weapons to which Sam Bradford can throw.  Blackmon definitely fills a major need for the Rams, and it gives Bradford at least one dangerous option offensively.


Pick 7 sees the Jaguars at the podium.  While the most obvious need for the Jags, in my opinion, is OT, and while Riley Reiff is the best rated available player that fills a team need, this pick is anything but certain.  The Jaguars have had a major shakeup in the front office this off season, and it makes predicting their pick that much more difficult.  If I were their GM, I would pick Reiff.  However, they also need a pass rusher in a bad way, making DE a very distinct possibility.  WR is another position on their radar, but with Justin Blackmon already being the major reach pick of the Rams, it would be even more insane if the Jaguars reached for Michael Floyd at this point.  As I said, the smart pick would be Reiff.  The dumbest pick would be Floyd.  As such, I am going to go to the middle and say they will pick Melvin Ingram, who is the 6th ranked prospect on the board.  I say Ingram, and not Coples (who is ranked 4th), because there are concerns about Coples and his effort level.  Also, I have read that the Jaguars are targeting either Ingram or Blackmon, and with Blackmon gone that leaves Ingram.


The 8th pick belongs to Miami.  As we all saw, Miami was the biggest loser in the FA hunt for QBs.  Peyton Manning went to the Broncos, Matt Flynn went to Seattle, and Alex Smith literally LAUGHED at the Dolphins.  This is going to be a major reach pick for Miami, who will take Ryan Tannehill simply based on desperate need alone.  While DE or OT would likely be the smarter pick here, the question is whether or not Miami can afford to pass on Tannehill with the hope that he will fall to them later in the draft.  IF they believe that could be the case (which I seriously doubt), then maybe they go DE or OT with this pick.  As it stands, my bet is on Tannehill.


The 9th pick is held by the Carolina Panthers.  The Panthers have needs that include DT, OT, and LB.  At this point, Jonathan Martin and Riley Reiff would be the BPAs at the OT position.  Michael Brockers and Brandon Thompson are the highest ranked DTs, but darkhorse Dontari Poe is moving up very quickly, and he could be the best of the three.  The best rated LB is Luke Kuechly, hands down, but he is ranked quite a bit lower than the rest of the above mentioned players.  I believe the Panthers will look to insure their OTs, and the versatility that Riley Reiff shows, in his ability to play either guard or tackle, could prove to seal the deal on this pick.  That is my prediction.  The Panthers will take Reiff at pick 9.


Pick 10 resides in the hands of the Buffalo Bills.  The Bills will be recently miffed with the Panthers taking the player that they covet at pick 9, and they could very easily take the higher ranked Jonathan Martin instead.  They do have a need at WR and LB, but I do not see them reaching for a positional need here.  If they can not resign Bell, this pick is a no brainer and will be Jonathan Martin.  If they manage to bring Bell back, then possibilities include Luke Kuechly and Michael Floyd.  My bet is that Bell signs elsewhere, and the pick for the Bills is Martin.


Pick 11 belongs to the Chiefs.  The Chiefs needs are OLB, G, and OT.  Courtney Upshaw, David DeCastro, and Zebrie Sanders are the best available players at these positions.  With DeCastro being hailed as the second coming of Steve Hutchinson, the Chiefs will be hard pressed to pass on him at this point.  I choose DeCastro over Upshaw and Sanders simply because DeCastro is heads and shoulders above any other guard in this draft, and because his addition would immediately solidify the interior of the Chief's offensive line, especially since they also recently acquired Eric Winston.  With the Chiefs being power running minded, this pick makes great sense.  DeCastro it is.


Pick 12 is in Seattle.  The Seahawks would have liked to take Melvin Ingram or Riley Reiff, but with both of those players already gone, they will settle for the best inside linebacker in the draft.  This is where I see Luke Keuchly going, and that is what I predict.


Pick 13 has the Cardinals on the clock.  The Cardinals really need help on the offensive line, but with OTs Martin and Reiff gone, and G DeCastro gone, their options are limited to Zebrie Sanders, Mike Adams, and Kelechi Osemele at OT, and Cordy Glenn at guard.  The Cardinals definitely need protection for Kolb, so my prediction here would be Sanders, who is the highest ranked offensive lineman left on the board at this point, if Reiff and Martin are already gone.


Pick 14 is up to the Dallas Cowboys.  The Cowboys should be looking at DE or Strong Safety here.  As such, Quinton Coples, who has fallen in my predictions, would be the best available player to fill a team need.  Mark Barron is the best ranked SS, but if Coples falls to pick 14 I could definitely see him going to Dallas to play opposite DeMarcus Ware.


Pick 15 is the Eagle's pick.  I hate trying to predict what the Eagles and Andy Reid will do, not to mention the fact that the Eagles do not really have that many glaring needs.  Andy Reid likes to be overly sure that he has plenty of depth on his defensive line, and so I am just going to go with the consensus pick and say the Eagles will take one of Fletcher Cox, Michael Brockers, or Brandon Thompson, and just for certainty of who is gone from my list I'll go ahead and say Cox.


Pick 16 has the Jets in the spotlight.  This could be that pick where you see someone actually sprint to the podium.  The Jets will take Courtney Upshaw if he is available at pick 16.  He's the 12th ranked prospect on the Scout.com board, and the Jets desperately need help with their pass rush now that Bryan Thomas has a torn achilles.


Pick 17 belongs to the Bengals.  It's almost a guaranteed fact that the Bengals are targeting a CB here.  Dre Kirkpatrick, Janoris Jenkins, Alfonzo Denard, and Stephon Gilmore are all still on the board.  At this point, Kirkpatrick is the clear cut best CB available, with Gilmore and Jenkins close behind.  My bet is that the Bengals take one of the two with "character issues", meaning Kirkpatrick or Jenkins, and my call is Kirkpatrick.


Pick 18 belongs to the Chargers.  The Chargers have need of a rush linebacker/DE, CB, and safety.  The Chargers might reach here for a player like Whitney Mercilus or Nick Perry.  That said, I believe it is far more likely that they will pick a higher ranked player.  My bet is that they go after a CB at this point, possibly moving Quentin Jammer to safety.   Some may call it a reach, but my bet is that the Chargers take Stephon Gilmore over Mercilus, Perry, or Mark Barron.

Pick 19 belongs to the Bears.  The popular view is that the Bears need a #2 WR with Johnny Knox coming off of back surgery.  That means they could reach for players like Alshon Jeffery or Kendall Wright, but not with Michael Floyd still on the board.  The only other player I see as an option for the Bears would be Cordy Glenn, as they need help at guard and Glenn fits the scheme, but since Mike Tice seems to have an unnatural man love for J'Marcus Webb, my bet would be on Floyd at this point.

Pick 20 belongs to the Titans.  The Titans need help in the interior of their defensive line, and Michael Brockers would be the BPA if he fell to pick 20.  It's a no brainer.

Pick 21 belongs to the Bengals (again?).  Yep, the Bengals have two first round picks (17 and 21).  With their selection of a CB at pick 17, that leaves them needing a guard and a WR.  With the departure of Bobbie Williams, and with Cordy Glenn still on the board, again this pick seems to be a no brainer.  Cordy Glenn it is.

Pick 22 belongs to the Browns (yes, again...4th and 22nd).  Since the Browns addressed the need for a RB with the 4th pick, they now have need of an OT, WR, or possibly QB.  Personally I think the pick here will be Mike Adams, because the Browns are likely secretly hoping that someone like Jonathan Martin will fall to them here, but since he is not available, Adams is the next best thing.  Of course, the Browns could reach for Alshon Jeffery, Kendall Wright, or Stephen Hill here, or even more for a QB like Nick Foles, Brandon Weeden, Landry Jones, or Matt Barkley, but Mike Adams is ranked above all of these guys and he fills a major hole on the right side of the Brown's O-line.  Mike Adams at pick 22.

RECAP:

Pick 1 - Andrew Luck

Pick 2 - Robert Griffin III

Pick 3 - Matt Kalil

Pick 4 - Trent Richardson

Pick 5 - Morris Claiborne

Pick 6 - Justin Blackmon

Pick 7 - Melvin Ingram

Pick 8 - Ryan Tannehill

Pick 9 - Riley Reiff

Pick 10 - Jonathan Martin

Pick 11 - David DeCastro

Pick 12 - Luke Keuchly

Pick 13 - Zebrie Sanders

Pick 14 - Quinton Coples

Pick 15 - Fletcher Cox

Pick 16 - Courtney Upshaw

Pick 17 - Dre Kirkpatrick

Pick 18 - Stephon Gilmore

Pick 19 - Michael Floyd

Pick 20 - Michael Brockers

Pick 21 - Cordy Glenn

Pick 22 - Mike Adams

And finally we come to pick 23, which is of course the pick of our beloved Detroit Lions.  The Lions have needs at OT, C, G, CB, DE, LB, and S.  With all of the top rated OTs, Gs, and DEs gone, the Lions will be left looking at C, LB, CB, and S at pick 23.  Available, highly ranked (according to Scout.com), players at those positions include Peter Konz (17), Zach Brown(18), Janoris Jenkins(20), Alfonzo Denard(25), and Mark Barron(21).

Peter Konz is without a doubt the best center in this draft.  Hands down he is the top rated prospect at his position.  He is intimidating, smart, nasty, and a great run blocker, which is something the Lions have been missing in the middle of their O-line for a very long time.  However, he is projected as a round 2 prospect because of the fact that he is a center.  Zach Brown is second only to Courtney Upshaw at the OLB position.  However, he is also projected as the best 4-3 OLB in the draft.  Since the Lions run a 4-3, Zach Brown fits their scheme very well AND he is the best 4-3 OLB in the draft.  Again, Brown is projected as a 2nd round prospect however.  Janoris Jenkins is ranked by many as the 2nd best CB in the draft.  He is also ranked by many as the 3rd or 4th best behind Claiborne, Kirkpatrick, and sometimes Gilmore.  That said, Janoris Jenkins is a consensus first round pick.  Alfonzo Denard is also a consensus first round pick, but he is ranked behind Claiborne, Kirkpatrick, Jenkins, and sometimes Gilmore.  Mark Barron is the consensus #1 SS in the draft, but he is also projected as a round 2 prospect.  So what will the Lions do at pick 23?

Based on what Mayhew and company have done in the recent past, they will be looking to draft the best player available.  If one of those players is ranked as the best player at their position, both by the "experts" and on their big board, then they will choose that player.  It is almost a God given certainty.  That said, Mayhew has also made it clear that this draft is not as much about who they will take as who they will not.  Does that mean they will not choose Jenkins because of his "character issues".  Janoris Jenkins is the highest ranked player available that projects as a first round pick at this point.  That said, Peter Konz is the definite best player at his position, as is Zach Brown and Mark Barron.  Is this a difficult decision?  Maybe not for the Lion's front office, but it is certainly difficult to project from my standpoint.

My opinion is that the pick SHOULD be Janoris Jenkins if the rest of the draft were to play out as I have suggested.  However, my heart says that the Lions will not draft Jenkins.  If the Lions are to draft a player at pick 23, who projects as a second round prospect, rather than give Jenkins a chance, then my hope is that they either trade down OR draft Peter Konz.  Since the Lions re-signed Tulloch, the need for a LB shifts down some.  They could potentially afford to take a wait and see approach on a LB in the 2nd or later rounds.  The Lions have, and are apparently very high on, Louis Delmas and Amari Spievey at safety, so that may not be a very high priority either, which could allow them to also take the wait and see approach there.  In my opinion the Lion's greatest need is at CB, followed by solid run blockers up front.  Clearly the Lion's propensity has been to draft the "BPA", but that has often been the highest ranked player at their position rather than by consensus rank alone.  Matt Stafford was the best QB, Brandon Pettigrew was the best TE, Nick Fairley and Ndamukong Suh were the best DTs, in their respective drafts.  Were all of these guys the "best player available" at their draft positions, or were they simply the best player at their positions and also high on the Lion's big board?  An argument could be made against both Pettigrew and Fairley, but you get the idea.

My prediction here is not going to be based on what I think the Lions should do, but rather what I believe they WILL do if the situation is as I have outlined.  My mind says they should give Jenkins a chance and choose him, but my heart says the pick will be Peter Konz.  I will be happy with this pick, but I will always feel that the pick SHOULD have been Jenkins.

OK...so now I have talked about everything leading up to the Lion's pick, who went where and why, and have determined my prediction for the Lion's pick based on that scenario.  Now I will provide you with the rest of my mock draft for the Lions:

Pick 23 - Peter Konz, C, Wisconsin

Pick 54 - If they can't move up for Zach Brown, they'll take Brandon Boykin, CB, Boise State

Pick 85 - It's a toss up depending on who does or does not fall, or whether or not they move up again for a RB like LaMichael James, but if they sit at 85 I think they could draft Trumaine Johnson, CB/FS, Montana.

Pick 117 - If Vontaze Burfict is still on the board, I don't know how you pass on him here.  Maybe they go  Travis Lewis if he falls and Burfict is gone.  That said, the Lions will probably look at an OT/G to develop here, or a safety.  Some think it will be George Iloka, S, Boise State.  I'm thinking more along the lines of Nate Potter, G/OT, Boise State.  He needs to put on weight and gain some leg strength for drive blocking, but he should have time to do just that in Detroit, and he has the potential to be the replacement for Backus in the near future.

Pick 158 - It's a major crapshoot at this point.  BPA.  Probably a DE, LB, QB, or OL...Maybe Jake Bequette, DE/OLB, Arkansas.

Pick 219 (round 7, from Seattle...forfeiture of 6th round pick) - BPA.  Maybe a LB or S.  Perhaps they take a shot on someone like Sean Cattouse, SS, California, Tony Dye, SS, UCLA, or Lance Mitchell, S, Oregon State should they fall.  I think they will keep an open mind and wait to see who is available.  They'll pick someone who has value.

Pick 230 - BPA...maybe a developmental QB...maybe a guy like Dominique Davis, QB, East Carolina.

Well, there you go.  I hope you enjoy.  GO LIONS!!