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Detroit Lions’ 2018 draft needs evident just six games into 2017 season

By Zac Snyder

CHICAGO, IL - APRIL 28: (L-R) Taylor Decker of Ohio State holds up a jersey with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell after being picked #16 overall by the Detroit Lions during the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University on April 28, 2016 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jon Durr/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, IL - APRIL 28: (L-R) Taylor Decker of Ohio State holds up a jersey with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell after being picked #16 overall by the Detroit Lions during the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University on April 28, 2016 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jon Durr/Getty Images) /
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The Detroit Lions’ 2017 season is only six games old but it is already clear where they need to look in the 2018 NFL Draft.

DETROIT, MI – SEPTEMBER 10: General view of Ford Field before the game between Detroit Lions and Arizona Cardinals on September 10, 2017 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images)
DETROIT, MI – SEPTEMBER 10: General view of Ford Field before the game between Detroit Lions and Arizona Cardinals on September 10, 2017 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images) /

There have been plenty of years in which you couldn’t blame Detroit Lions fans for looking forward to the next NFL Draft well before the season was over. At 3-3 with the easier portion of the schedule on the horizon, this Lions season doesn’t qualify (at least not yet). That being said, it hasn’t been difficult to find some faults with the current state of the roster and player performance.

There is often significant roster turnover each year in large part because of the influx of a new crop of rookies. The best picks will strike a balance between improving the team in the near-term while also taking a longer view to maximize draft pick value.

A lot of evaluation and scenarios will have to play out before the value part of the equation can come into focus but the needs are becoming clear as we watch the Lions play.

Those needs are sure to shift as the rest of the season plays out but it is more likely priority order will change than for what looks like a need now to fall off the list completely. With that in mind, here is a snapshot of how the Lions’ 2018 draft needs are trending after the team’s first six games.

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