Such as general manager Brad Holmes is married to drafting for need (he isn't, unless it's blatantly obvious), the general consensus points to the Detroit Lions addressing their clear-cut biggest need, edge rusher, in the first round of the upcoming draft with pick No. 28.
If we were to list out the Lions' biggest needs heading into the draft, guard or defensive tackle would land second and third in some order. Beyond that, depth and future outlook at other spots is surely on the radar.
It's also a deep draft class of edge rushers this year, so the Lions could easily wait until Day 2 to add someone.
Lions matched with interesting, outside the box first-round fit by PFF
Pro Football Focus' Mason Cameron has freshly outlined a first-round fit for each NFL team in the upcoming draft.
The player choice for the Lions in that context seemed sure to be focused on certain positions, but Cameron went outside that box to tab Iowa State wide receiver Jayden Higgins.
"While pass rusher is the consensus target for Detroit, it’s a deep class at the position, making it easier to wait. True X-receivers, however, are harder to find later. Higgins, the class’s highest-graded outside receiver (89.6), offers size, range and contested-catch ability — the perfect complement to Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams."
Higgins (6-foot-4, 215 pounds) should not be pigeonholed as just an "X" receiver, as he lined up in the slot quite a bit for the Cyclones (222 slot snaps last season, according to PFF). He also showed his speed with a 4.47 40 at the NFL Combine, to go with an 80-inch wingspan.
FanSided's Mike Luciano lamented Higgins not always being the contested catch maven his size says he should be, while broadly noting he "plays like what would happen if a 5-foot-11 slot receiver was suddenly transplanted into someone with A.J. Green's frame." That should be taken as a complement, even if it'd be nice if Higgins showed more aggression on contested catches.
The Lions grabbed some attention when news came they had a late pre-draft visit with a different wide receiver who is lined to be a first-round pick. While an early draft pick can simply be seen as an injection of youth and the addition of a needed skill set to the position, taking a wide receiver at pick No. 28 would seemingly say it all, definitively, about Jameson Williams' long-term future in Detroit.
