Detroit Lions NFL draft Day 3 fits: Time to take a kicker?
Two trades have left the Detroit Lions with an unusually long wait between draft picks.
The Lions made their only pick on Day 2 of the NFL draft at Pick No. 61 late in Friday's second round, and they're not scheduled to pick again until No. 164 in Round 5 on Saturday.
The gap is due to two trades the Lions made more than a year apart. On Thursday, they sent their third-round pick to the Dallas Cowboys to move up and take cornerback Terrion Arnold in Round 1, and in 2022 they sent their fourth-round choice to the Minnesota Vikings as part of the T.J. Hockenson trade.
Lions general manager Brad Holmes said Friday he went into the draft "with kind of an aggressive mindset" of trying to move up, but decided against dealing future assets.
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"We also have meetings about, ‘OK, what’s that going to look like when this time comes next year?’" Holmes said. "Or, ‘What’s that going to affect what we might have to do in the future?’ I try to be very, very mindful of not being a prisoner of the moment, and it seems like every single year there’s going to be a Day 2 darling that you’re like, ‘Oh my gosh, I really want (him),’ and sometimes you’ve got to catch yourself. Last year, it was (Sam) LaPorta. It’s always going to be that personnel — we had that pick to acquire him, but you’ve got to just be disciplined from that standpoint and kind of go through the consequences if there are any for what those move-ups can mean for the future.”
Barring a trade, the Lions have four picks to use on the final day of the draft Saturday: No. 164 in Round 5, Nos. 201 and 205 in Round 6, and No. 249 in Round 7.
Here are 12 potential Day 3 fits
WR Troy Franklin, Oregon — Productive deep threat might require a move up to draft.
WR Malik Washington, Virginia — Undersized slot receiver (5 feet 9) had FBS-leading 110 catches last season after transferring from Northwestern.
DL Khristian Boyd, Northern Iowa — Combine snub was popular on the pre-draft visit tour as potential late-round pick.
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Edge Ovie Oghoufo, LSU — Farmington Hills Harrison product spent time at Notre Dame and Texas before finishing career at LSU.
Edge Javon Solomon, Troy — Undersized pass rusher who led FBS with 16 sacks last seaon.
OG Brady Latham, Arkansas — Four-year starter with experience at left guard and center.
OT Mike Edwards, Campbell — Wake Forest transfer is one of the draft's biggest linemen at 6 feet 7 and 353 pounds.
LB Tommy Eichenberg, Ohio State — Two-time Ohio State captain would be immediate NFL contributor on special teams.
TE Theo Johnson, Penn State — Just 54 catches the past two seasons, but tested well at combine with sub-4.6-second 40-yard dash.
TE A.J. Barner, Michigan — Solid in-line blocking tight end who had modest production (22 catches, 249 yards) last season.
RB Will Shipley, Clemson — Averaged 26.6 yards on kick returns in three seasons at Clemson.
K Cam Little, Arkansas — In a down draft, this might be the year to take a kicker.
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on X and Instagram at @davebirkett.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions NFL draft: Day 3 fits include ... a kicker?
