NFL Draft 2018: Detroit Lions seven-round mock draft 3.0
By Zac Snyder
Round 3
The Lions secondary should be considered the strength of the defense but that doesn’t preclude adding to it through the draft. LSU’s Donte Jackson is good value here and gives the Lions a corner for the long-term with players like DeShawn Shead and Nevin Lawson on shorter-term deals.
Add in that Quandre Diggs is entering the last year of his deal and the Lions could be looking at some changes in their defensive backfield over the next couple years.
Quinn (hopefully) got ahead of that curve last year with the selection of Teez Tabor in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft and adding Jackson would bolster depth in much the same way Tabor’s selection did last year. With Tabor hopefully ready to step into a bigger role, Jackson can be brought along slowly like Tabor was a year ago.
Whereas Tabor was knocked for his athletic ability but shines by reading and reacting, Jackson is somewhat the opposite. It’s the athletic profile that will have Donte Jackson coming off the board in the first two days of the 2018 NFL Draft. His time of 4.32 seconds in the 40-yard dash was tied for the very best at the 2018 NFL Combine, regardless of position.
Tabor and Jackson as complementary pieces for the future of the Lions’ secondary is an intriguing possibility.