Some Tough NFL Draft Evaluations for the Lions

As I am rounding out the final couple of spots on my scouting big board, there’s a few players I have gone back-and-forth on from a number of different avenues.

Remember, I tend to follow a couple of different things in evaluating fit, which is a combination of an on-field scouting report, athletic testing, and historic trends and tendencies from general managers in particular. Usually for each of these you’ll find that a player *fits* at least one of these sort of benchmarks, but might be lacking in another one or two to throw the fit into question.

This is pretty much me laying out the internal debate I have on these three players, but would love your opinions on them to follow…

# Georgia Tech defensive lineman Keion White

https://preview.redd.it/3s41kmqy4jsa1.png?width=1200&format=png&auto=webp&v=enabled&s=7db13b32780576f2725e8dda2851eab1153ad088

White is a very interesting one. Originally a tight end at Old Dominion, he switched to defensive end and was dominant in 2019, then transferred up to Georgia Tech, didn’t play much in 2021, and then broke out as a star in 2022 (14.0 TFL, 7.5 sacks). He’s currently a 6-5, 285 pound swing defensive lineman, meaning someone who can play a strong side defensive end role, or potentially kick inside to play as a defensive tackle. Lionswire’s Jeff Risdon has included White in not one, but [two of his mock drafts](https://lionswire.usatoday.com/lists/lions-post-combine-mock-draft-detroit-projections/), including his [most recent one.](https://lionswire.usatoday.com/lists/detroit-lions-7-round-nfl-mock-draft-spring-break-edition/) I’ll attach his quote/reasoning:

>**2nd round, 48 overall: Keion White, DL, Georgia Tech**
>
>This pick riffs off the [Brad Holmes comment from the owners’ meetings](https://lionswire.usatoday.com/lists/lions-gm-brad-holmes-press-conference-owner-meetings-top-quotes-takeaways/) about going over the top on loading up a position group. In Holmes’ example, he cited the then-St. Louis Rams overloading on the defensive line when he was in their scouting department.
>
>Flash forward to Holmes and the Lions. Do they need a versatile, freakishly athletic end/tackle who has yet to play his best football? Not nearly as much as they can use other pieces across the roster. But White is a unique high-end commodity at this level of the draft, a potential attack tackle at 285 pounds but with enough athleticism and twitch to play base DE too. I’d consider White at 18; to get him at 48 is a coup–albeit a risky one.

His previous mock draft to feature White had him listed as the Lions selection at #18 overall, with his stock sliding a little bit.

Now, Risdon is right about one thing: White is a versatile attack-minded tackle with athleticism and twitch. He was [very impressive at the NFL Combine](https://ras.football/ras-information/?PlayerID=23007&ovl=Georgia+Tech), both in his testing and with the on-field drills. He clears the hurdles very clearly for athletic benchmarks, coming at 92nd percentile or higher on 40-yard dash, 10-yard split, vertical jump, and broad jump. Both from a testing standpoint and from a scouting perspective, there’s a lot to love about White’s fit with the Lions. And even further, Lance Zierlein’s pro comparison for White is [DL John Franklin-Myers,](https://www.nfl.com/prospects/john-franklin-myers/32004652-4156-3573-c3f8-5ae812cf2f86) who was drafted by, you guessed it, the Los Angeles Rams in 2018 when their Director of College Scouting was none other than Brad Holmes.

**Problem?** White is a 24-year old defensive tackle who has been in college football since 2017 and is still a very raw, technically unrefined player with only two seasons of production out of his *six* seasons spread across two programs. Holmes’ historically has valued production and sharp hand usage for the interior defensive players, and he has drafted largely *younger* guys with early picks more than anything else. The lone exception there really is DT Levi Onwuzurike, though some of that as a suitable analogy is muddied by Onwuzurike opting out of the 2020 season like several others did.

White would come *in* to Detroit older than Aidan Hutchinson, Josh Paschal and Alim McNeill. The debate on this one ranges from a question of whether Holmes thinks that White is really coming into his own as a player. Traditionally, I find it a very hard sell to suggest that a guy who has been playing as long as he has is still as raw as he is. Now, coaching can be a factor here, as neither Old Dominion nor Georgia Tech are particularly known for their ability to build NFL defensive tackles, however, like I said, that’s still a pretty significant concern in my opinion.

**Bo77 Take:** Personally, I’m probably a pass on White. I see a *lot* of appeal, no doubt, and I wouldn’t be ticked or anything if Detroit took him. However, like I said, a 24-year old *raw* prospect is a very tough sell for me personally.

# Clemson linebacker Trenton Simpson

https://preview.redd.it/cnzdsda48jsa1.png?width=1013&format=png&auto=webp&v=enabled&s=cff51b516d8508f1f0d4906d17b080caa716518f

From a roster perspective, while a lot of folks such as myself do not particularly agree with the de-emphasis on linebacker, it is a known reality from Brad Holmes and co. at this point. With Alex Anzalone and Malcolm Rodriguez back, the Lions are likely content with their starting inside duo for the 2023 season, and have Derrick Barnes as a rotational piece to add into that mix. However, the only piece they are missing that they had last year was a coverage-oriented linebacker, such as Chris Board.

Enter Simpson. He’s going to check a lot of boxes for Detroit, and I do genuinely believe he fits the type of LB mold that Holmes [would consider drafting early.](https://www.reddit.com/r/detroitlions/comments/tsatdw/analyzing_brad_holmes_and_cos_history_with_the/) From the study on that, you’ll notice the mentioning of Alec Ogletree as a potential mold for the type of player that Holmes *may* target early. Simpson compares [as an even more athletic version of the former first-rounder.](https://ras.football/ras-compare/?&p1=10346&p2=20003&pos=LB)

Then on-field as well, Simpson flashes a lot of shades of Alex Anzalone coming out of college, a fast, athletic linebacker who can run and hit and man a handful of different linebacker positions. And his coverage, while not as lockdown as Ogletree’s was, a converted safety mind you, it is quite good, and I would likely suggest he would be able to step in and play at a rotational level early there.

**Problem?** The linebackers we look at recently from both *Detroit* and extending to the last few years in LAR where it’s fair to suggest Holmes had even further influence, those linebackers all tend to emphasize their football IQ, their quick diagnosis in the run game, and excellent tackling. Simpson isn’t a bad tackler, nor is he *bad* in regards to play recognition, but he is quite average with both.

So now, you have a high-end athletic prospect who fills an immediate roster need, who has the upside to become a significant player for the franchise down the road, but is sort of a direct contrast from the mental side of things to the players they have targeted recently, and would require a massive break in trend of how early they have shown they are willing to invest in the position.

**Bo77 Take:** I’m very much *in* on this one, and think Simpson’s versatility, coverage ability, and overall upside are enticing enough to break the valuation trend at linebacker and grab him. The other thing to mention, as Holmes has suggested intangibles are key, Simpson comes from a military family and was wicked smart off-field (Academic All-ACC multiple years). I think the Lions can give him a clear role to man from the start (more third down option as a coverage LB), while working on his recognition and form in the box to better develop him (not yet 22 years old) into a do-it-all inside backer.

# Miami cornerback Tyrique Stevenson

https://preview.redd.it/3kesw5qhjjsa1.png?width=3200&format=png&auto=webp&v=enabled&s=90b3c3619e36b9649372532fbb3720cc189eb8ef

Stevenson is certainly one of the less mentioned cornerbacks that the Lions will probably have some degree of interest in due to his physicality in man coverage. He started off at Georgia, where he was mostly a backup but rotated in and made a couple of starts due to injuries and such. He transferred to Miami to get a crack at being a full-time starter and he certainly excelled in that opportunity. Miami officially lists 9 pass deflections and 2 interceptions for Stevenson across ten games started in 2022.

From an athletic standpoint, Stevenson checks the boxes the Lions have gone after. The Rams size mold for CB tended to prefer 6-1 or taller on the outside, but Holmes has brought that average down in Detroit this offseason, signing a pair of 5-11 outside-capable cornerbacks in Cam Sutton and Emmanuel Moseley. So his 6-0, 198 pound build is likely no problem at all. And in terms of his athleticism, there’s not much doubt that Stevenson has what it takes. His agility testing was poor, and it shows up on film with some stiffer hips, but elite explosiveness, length and a [4.45 forty-yard dash.](https://ras.football/ras-information/?PlayerID=16106&ovl=Miami)

If the Lions avoid cornerback in the first-round, which is plausible, Stevenson likely would come into focus on Day 2, either the second- or third-round. In many ways, he’s a similar player to current Lions defensive back Ifeatu Melifonwu, who has bounced between cornerback and safety in Detroit.

**Problem?** This one becomes a bit of a question between how much you value *coverage* fit vs. most of the other criteria that goes into it. The Lions clearly desire players who can fit in man coverage, but there are other pieces to it, such as their recovery ability, their run support, and their overall football IQ. Right now, I would characterize Stevenson as lacking in those regards.

So here, the debate becomes *if* the team is more concerned with the primary feature of the position: coverage, or the more total package a player brings to the table. In many ways, this is also a debate question when weighing Christian Gonzalez vs. Devon Witherspoon earlier in the Draft, where Gonzalez checks all the coverage boxes at a higher level, whereas Witherspoon is better against the run, better from an intensity standpoint.

Stevenson is a second-round version of this question. He’s a clear fit for what the Lions want from a size, speed, athleticism, and footwork perspective. However, he likely falls short of their desired standing in terms of his run support, tackling, and overall play recognition. How heavy are the traits and coverage evaluated vs. the instincts and effort? That’s an important question we still don’t have a good feel for yet when it comes to Brad Holmes and cornerbacks in the Draft.

**Bo77 Take:** I tend to be a bit more hesitant on the traits-based cornerbacks on Day 2. Some of the guys who were lacking in the instincts and awareness aspects of coverage drafted in the Day 2 rounds lately? Teez Tabor, Akhello Witherspoon, Fabien Moreau, Cordrea Tankersley, Isaiah Oliver, Joejuan Williams, Lonnie Johnson…Not a ton of hits amongst those ranks and this is just a feel, rather than actual deep dive, but feels like these types don’t work out more often than not. Comparatively, even the guys who don’t workout overly well, but have the instinctiveness down, thinking like Sidney Jones here, they tend to stick a bit longer, even if they too struggle to reach the value expected from their draft status. Probably a pass here personally. Think what Holmes said about intangibles extends to how they play the game, not just their off-field demeanor. Guys with high football IQ and intense, driven demeanor tend to be a better investment than upside guys in my opinion.

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Anyways, like I said, curious what everyone else thinks. Simpson’s an easy take for me, but I go back-and-forth debating whether I think he’d be someone Holmes will pick, especially where he’d have to take him. The other two I’m a little less confident on, but I see enough value and fit that I wouldn’t dismiss it.