Detroit Lions Draft 2016: What to Watch for on Day Two

The Detroit Lions are slated for two more draft picks on day two after adding Ohio State offensive tackle in the first round. Here is what to watch for.

The NFL Draft is often filled with twists and turns and while that was certainly the case as the first round played out last night, the Detroit Lions’ pick was not unexpected. A popular pick in mock drafts throughout the pre-draft process, the Lions landed Ohio State offensive tackle with the 16th overall pick.

It was a match of need and value to get the Lions’ 2016 draft off to a good start. Now comes day two.

Just like with the wide-open intrigue of what the Lions would do with their first round pick, there are a number of ways they could go on day two even after having filled a need on the offensive line. Here are some things to watch for during the second and third rounds tonight.

Alabama defenders
Taylor Decker was a popular Lions mock draft pick that came to be but a trio of Alabama players on the defensive side of the ball were also popular Lions mock draft picks and fell out of the first round completely. Linebacker Reggie Ragland was an early fan-favorite while defensive tackles Jarran Reed and A’Shawn Robinson were more commonly picked in national media mock drafts.

Defense in round two
Including the Alabama guys above, the Lions look to be in good position for a pick on the defensive side of the ball in round two. Defensive ends Kevin Dodd and Emmanuel Ogbah, defensive tackles Jarran Reed, A’Shawn Robinson, Chris Jones and Andrew Billings, linebacker Reggie Ragland and cornerback Mackensie Alexander were no strangers to first round mock drafts and all will be available to start day two. Add in strong safety options like Su’a Cravens and Jeremy Cash and the Lions will have no shortage of options to add to their defense with the 15th pick in the second round.

Thinking outside the box
While the Lions look to be in a good spot to start day two with a defensive player, they could pull a pick out of left field by doubling down on their efforts in round one. Jason Spriggs was a hot offensive line prospect in some scouting circles and remains available after day one. Would the Lions go offensive tackle with back-to-back picks? It’s hard to say yes, but it could also make sense.

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The offensive line wasn’t addressed in a meaningful way in free agency despite being one of the team’s biggest needs. Riley Reiff will play the 2016 season on the fifth-year option picked up by the team but there hasn’t been any indication that the new Lions front office is hot to lock him up beyond that. If they decide to move on from Reiff next year that makes offensive tackle a need once again and puts pressure on Decker to pan out as a left tackle after likely starting his career as a right tackle.

If they could get Spriggs in the second round the Lions will have added both of their tackles of the future while needing only one of the two to replace Reiff. A likely scenario? Probably not, but I was pleasantly surprised by the response I got from other fans when I posed the question on twitter after the first round last night.

Trades
If the Lions engage in any trading activity on day two it would figure to be to move up into the third round or down in the second round. The Lions are without their original third round pick because of the trade that netted them the pick used to select Gabe Wright in the fourth round in the 2015 NFL Draft. They do have a compensatory pick at the end of the third round – a pick that can not be traded.

There is a gap between the Lions pick in the second round (46th overall) and that third round compensatory pick (95th overall) that it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Lions fill one way or another.

Myles Jack
It was a tremendous fall for UCLA linebacker Myles Jack who went from an expected top five pick to completely out of the first round over concerns about his knee. That will lead to water cooler talk from fans of all 32 teams about the possibility that their team takes the round two risk in hopes of a rich reward.

Next: Full NFL Draft Coverage on Detroit Jock City

If the slide continues into the middle of round two, don’t expect the Lions to be the landing spot when their turn arrives. Bob Quinn said he’d stay true to his board in making picks so passing on Jack in round one for Decker is a good indication that Jack is off the Lions’ board, as SideLion Report’s Jeff Risdon has tweeted.

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