"It shouldn't surprise anyone if the Lions address their offensive line early, although I am intrigued by which prospect Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell would see as the best fit."
Lomu is a terrific athlete, but is still considered raw in his run blocking ability, something the Lions have always prioritized. He was the third tackle off the board in this mock draft. Spencer Fano (Utah) and Francis Mauigoa (Miami) were both off the board in the top 10.
As Taylor Decker weighs retirement, the Lions must find a long-term solution at LT.
27 comments
OL or DE – whichever is better and less injured
I’d really like Fano. But he’d probably have to be traded down for and losing a 3rd feels bad.
Lomu would be good though I’m definitely crossing my fingers Fano is there.
The more Polynesians, the better
long as they fill the holes dont really care where it comes or how, could be trades signings or picks. if there is an edge there at 17 and you trade or sign a tackle, whats the difference. Just dont promote your BS next man up mentality again or expect a project to be ready
I would rather have Mauigoa but as long as they are on the right issue
Gigantic crazy athletic Polynesian Tackle?
Worked pretty well the last time.
Needs in order:
1) OT
2) C
3) DE
4) LB
If Lomu is there and we snag him, I’m doing a happy dance.
Sign me up
as a Michigan fan it pleases me to see Utah has 2 OL projected to go in the first round after UM just poached Utah’s OL coach
I thought I saw a note on him somewhere about lacking physicality, which sounds like something Brad and Dan wouldn’t touch
I’m already mentally preparing for Brad to take Sonny Styles with the 17th pick.
I think Proctor moves up on draft boards and Lions take him. He’s gargantuan.
There is nothing more useless than a mock draft. It’s funny to see how wrong consensus is year in and year out.
As an Utah native and Lions diehard, this would be awesome. Fano is not going to slide this far, so either we trade up for him, or hopefully take Lomu with this pick.
This was legitimately my hope for rd 1 knowing that his teammate Fano will likely be taken before us.
If they draft a single skill position this draft I’m going to be a little annoyed.
I’ve seen him go as high as 6 in mocks. I don’t know anything about prospects this year but from what I’ve seen I don’t know that he’ll be available
We need to trade back and accumulate picks to replenish our depth. If we pick at 17 I’ll be disappointed
BPA, that’s how we role. Was DT our top draft need last year? Stop projecting picks based on position, has 5 years taught us nothing?
If the top guy on the board is, let’s say, a gritty and talented DB (corner or safety), you don’t think we grab him. If we lose Thor, a LB is on the table as well.
You’re thinking only 2026, fortunately our GM thinks differently or we’d never have taken than RB you love, or that WR, or that LB, or fill in the blank.
I’ve assumed Penei moves to LT if Decker goes, but I’ve also heard that Goff prefers his best blocker at RT or something?
Either way, o-line is a clear need and if they double dipped first round and second round, I wouldn’t be mad.
I like that center from IU. can we get that guy?
He’s the best pass protector of the 4 tackles being mocked in the 1st. Only the guard from Penn State, Ioane, is a better one. The knock on him is firmly in his run blocking ability. Which isn’t bad. It’s just not good. In my opinion, he’s the 1st or 2nd best tackle prospect overall because of how good he is as a pass blocker. It’s between him and Mauigoa, who I think projects to be a guard.
Those that want Proctor think he’s Trent Williams 2.0 because they seen a few clips of him pulling and running corners over. Outside of what he is as a downhill blocker, the fact that he’s even projected to get drafted in the first round is laughable. He’s fat, slow and lazy. Detroit wouldn’t pick him because he’s so damn slow off the ball they’d only be able to run power. They want to run multiple blocking schemes.
I haven’t seen a ton of Lions fans drooling over Lomu, but just to get it out there, he’s an amazing run blocker. For our team alone there’s a conversation worth having. Do you value the run game more than a clean pocket? Because it’s mind blowing how weak he looks on film as a pass blocker. I don’t think he’s as bad a Proctor because he’s more athletic and can at least try to keep himself in the path of the edge rusher, but his lack of playing strength takes away from the possibility of having any solid technique.
Tackle at 17, Slaughter might be there at 50, edge or linebacker if you trade up a bit, Riley Nowakowski is probably falling into the 6th at tightend would be a great addition, and then an extra safety wouldn’t hurt.
That would be a dream
I think whilst this sub has completely written Giovanni Manu, given their track record of perseverance, I wouldn’t be surprised if the FO hasn’t.