2023 Mock NFL Draft: The Detroit Lions land a pair of defensive players

The 2023 draft test season is gathering momentum. Midfielder Dane Brugler kicked things off last week with his first mock draft pick From the season, we restarted Black Fake Roundup Series Over the weekend, and ESPN’s Todd McShea posted his first mock draft Tuesday.

On Thursday, the 33rd team took part in the event. If you’re not familiar with Team Thirty-Three, it’s a collection of Current and former NFL players (including the Lions’ Amon-Ra St. Brown), executives, coaches, and broadcasters that teamed up to provide a different perspective on how the NFL is covered.

For their coverage of the draft, TJ McCreight—former executive director of player personnel for the Philadelphia Eagles and Director of Scouting’s College Indianapolis ColtsLeads a group of former NFL scouts to produce First dummy project of the season.

Let’s set the table for Detroit Lions first choice. Alabama quarterback Bryce Young left first for Houston, followed by Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter to Seahawksand the Bears countered their offensive line with a tackle Ohio State Left tackle Paris Johnson. For those who have followed coverage of this year’s draft, it should be fairly clear who the Lions have been paired with.

Round 1, pick 4 (across rams): Will Anderson, Edge, Alabama

Let’s go straight to the 33rd team for their reasons for choosing:

The opportunity to pair Anderson with Aidan Hutchinson is too good to pass up. The Lions need help in the secondary, but no corner or safety is worth picking this high. This truly is a MVP selection available.

Anderson could be the best player in this draft class, and if the draft goes this way, the Lions will have All-Pro cap studs on the defensive edges. Blessed with the gifts of the elite, Anderson can win in a multitude of ways and is a beast whether attacking or running against.

If the Lions are lucky enough to add Anderson, they will need to make a decision on how to adjust their defensive front. Their simplest option would be to put Hutchinson back on the closing end, then field Anderson in the open, but that would reduce Hutchinson’s influence. Their second option would be to convert the front into a more modern Fangio-style front, where they would deploy two lower line defenses and stand on the edge of the rush allowing them to attack from wide angles.

With the Lions next pick, the 33rd selected the Detroit…

First round, Pick 15: Christian Gonzalez, CB, Oregon

Let’s explain to the thirty-third team their reasons:

“The Lions continue to fend for themselves. Gonzalez has height, speed, and production. He needs to finish playing at the snapping point more consistently, but he has all the tools NFL teams are looking for.”

The Lions will certainly be in the market to add some depth — and a potential starter — to their cornerback collection and Gonzalez, 6-foot-2, 200 pounds, has the physical attributes to succeed as a starter in the NFL. It’s a normal outside angle, but has the speed to turn inward and cover the hole, and the size to fit tight ends. It’s a plug-and-play player in the Lions scheme.