The Detroit Lions add a lengthy tough cornerback 101st overall

Day two would be a busy night for the Detroit Lions, who had three picks in the third round and three on the evening.  The additional third-round selection came courtesy of the Los Angeles Rams as a part of the deal that sent Matthew Stafford to the West coast.

Also, in the deal, the Detroit Lions received two future first-round picks, one in 2021, the other in 2022, plus 26-year old quarterback Jared Goff.  Any way you look at it, the Lions received a tremendous amount for their former first overall selection and the best quarterback in franchise history.

General manager (GM) Brad Holmes and company had a clear plan to rebuild this organization from the ground up.  Holmes started building the foundation by picking Penei Sewell seventh and followed that by selecting defensive tackle Levi Onwuzurike 41st overall, leaving a host of dynamic playmakers such as Rondale Moore, Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, and Trevon Moehrig on the board.

Before the pick was announced, I assumed Owusu-Koramoah would be the pick, but the expected first-round talent continued to free fall until the Cleveland Browns used the 52nd overall pick on him.  Moore went 49th to Arizona, and Moehrig went two choices after the Lions selection to Las Vegas.

The Detroit Lions used their first three selections in the 2021 NFL draft on beef.  I can’t stress this enough, Brad Holmes has a clear vision here and continues to bolster both sides of the trenches.

After drafting Sewell, and Onwuzurike Holmes opted to draft a very athletic nose tackle in Alim McNeill with the 72nd overall pick.  McNeill is expected to grow into a three-down interior lineman for the Lions, but it may not be in 2021, but that is the expectation down the road.

With the 101st overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, the Detroit Lions selected cornerback Ifeatu Melifonwu.

Ifeatu Melifonwu is a smooth big, 6-foot-3, 215-pound press-corner that loves to get his nose dirty and isn’t afraid to make a tackle in the backfield.

Melifonwu led Syracuse with eight pass breakups in 2019.  The junior classman totaled 54 tackles; six passes defended in 2020, plus one interception in 10 games with the Orange.

The Lions need help in their secondary and opted to go with a corner a pick after Elijah Molden landed in Tennessee. Michigan’s Ambry Thomas went to San Francisco a pick later.

There is nothing wrong with healthy competition, and that is exactly what we will see at the corner position this summer when it comes to the Detroit Lions starting two outside CB positions.