Detroit Lions 2021 NFL Mock Draft: Trading down in the first round
By Bob Heyrman
With the 101st overall pick in the NFL Draft, the Detroit Lions select Andre Cisco.
There is no change here for me. In my previous mock draft, I had the Detroit Lions using the 101st pick on Andre Cisco, which will remain the same today.
Here is a prospect that projects to be a starting free safety at the NFL level that will likely fall in the draft due to his injury concerns. Despite posting back-to-back impressive seasons with the Syracuse Orange as a freshman and sophomore, the injuries started to mount.
Cisco ended his last two college seasons shelved with a lower-body injury.
The overall talent and positional need are far too important to pass up here for the Detroit Lions. Cisco recorded 13 interceptions while defending 14 passes and completing 125 total tackles in just 24 college games.
The Detroit Lions used a pair of third-round draft picks on Tracy Walker and Will Harris in recent years, so drafting another safety in the third-round won’t likely be a welcoming sight for many Lions fans.
Cisco is a bit of a wandering safety at times susceptible to a ball fake that may end with a busted coverage over the top. Still, his overall athleticism and ball skills are obvious, having an interception rate of every other game at the college level.
Like many, Cisco isn’t a flawless prospect; he will struggle in the run game plus at times in man coverage and is best suited as a single-high zone coverage safety. I hope Cisco could step in and play a similar role to what Duron Harmon provided the Patriots and Lions throughout his career.
For me, this decision came down to Ar’Darius Washington or Cisco, and I am likely in the minority, but I prefer Cisco.
Notable players available: Jay Tufele, Trey Sermon, James Hudson, Jordan Smith, Ar’Darius Washington, Tyler Shelvin, Alim McNeill.