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Detroit Lions Mock Draft Roundup 6.0


Throughout the year and leading up to the 2021 NFL draft, we will update our Detroit Lions Mock Draft Roundup showing picks for the Detroit Lions from several prominent sites and draft analysts.

For a more inclusive lists of mock drafts for the Detroit Lions, check out our 2021 Detroit Lions Mock Draft Database.

The following are picks in recent mock drafts for the Lions:

EDSFootball - Hanson (3/5)

7. DeVonta Smith, WR, Alabama

The Lions have signed Tyrell Williams, who missed all of 2020, to a one-year contract this week, but many of the team's top receivers -- Kenny Golladay, Marvin Jones, Danny Amendola, Mohamed Sanu and Jamal Agnew -- are unrestricted free agents as well.

An outstanding route-runner, the sure-handed receiver has been been uber-productive over the past two years. If Smith had declared last year, he would have joined Henry Ruggs and Jerry Jeudy as first-round receivers. This year, he'll join teammate Jaylen Waddle as first-rounders.

Despite the star-studded receiving corps, it was Smith that led the team in receiving yards (1,256) and touchdowns (14) last season. This year, the Heisman Trophy winner really stepped up with the injury to Waddle as he led FBS in receptions (117) and yards (1,856) and is second in touchdowns (23).

ESPN - McShay (3/4)

7. Ja'Marr Chase, WR, LSU

It's tough to favor either Chase or Alabama's DeVonta Smith over the other, but the former might have an edge thanks to better physical traits. Perhaps his opt-out season has some forgetting that Chase posted 20 touchdowns and close to 1,800 receiving yards in 2019. The Lions' wide receiver corps is expected to see major turnover over the next few weeks, and new Detroit GM Brad Holmes needs to find some playmakers for the recently acquired Jared Goff.

Michael Rothstein on his fit with the Lions: Wide receivers Marvin Jones Jr., Danny Amendola and Jamal Agnew are set to be free agents, and questions loom about whether Detroit will tag Kenny Golladay or let him walk. Detroit signed veteran Tyrell Williams this week, but the Lions are obviously seeking playmaking cornerstones for their rebuild. Chase fits in that mold perfectly.

CBS Sports - Trapasso (3/3)

7. DeVonta Smith, WR, Alabama

The Lions could go quarterback, but new GM Brad Holmes was with Jared Goff in Los Angeles for years. He with rides him for a season or two and addresses the receiver spot with Smith.

The Athletic - Beat Writers (3/1)

7. Jaylen Waddle, WR, Alabama

A trade might be the most productive move for the Lions as they start rebuilding and don't have to be in a rush to take a quarterback if they're not 100 percent sure about him. It'll be on the table, though. Overall, the Lions offense needs more speed. Waddle is as dangerous as it gets with the ball in his hands. He can be a threat over the top, underneath, maybe even a factor in the run game if new head coach Dan Campbell and offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn want to get creative. -- Nick Baumgardner

Touchdown Wire - Farrar (2/26)

7. Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, LB, Notre Dame

A linebacker with the seventh overall pick to the Lions, who need all kinds of roster help? It sounds ridiculous until you watch Owusu-Koramoah's tape and realize that linebacking, albeit at a very high level, is only part of the story. Last season, Owusu-Koramoah played 212 snaps in the box, 331 snaps in the slot, 88 snaps on the defensive line, 14 snaps at outside cornerback, and two snaps at free safety (!).

Just as Clemson's Isaiah Simmons broke the mold in 2019 with his multi-positional acumen, Owusu-Koramoah has all the tools to define a defense with his speed to the ballcarrier, agility in coverage, and ability to move past blocks to create pressure. And as proved to be true for Simmons, Owusu-Koramoah will have to be in the right scheme with the right defensive coordinator to make this work. The Cardinals seemed confused by Simmons' versatility; perhaps new Detroit defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn -- who just spent five seasons as the Saints' secondary coach -- would have a better sense of how to make the best home for a truly unique player.

NFL.com - Casserly (2/25)

7. Micah Parsons, LB, Penn State

The Lions are in desperate need of talent throughout the roster. They take the best defensive player in the draft here -- if they don't trade back.

MLive.com - Meinke (2/25)

7. Ja'Marr Chase, WR, LSU

Yes, a first-round receiver for the Detroit Lions. And before you make your dumb jokes about the Lions always drafting receivers in the first round, please remember they haven't actually done it since taking Calvin Johnson second overall all the way back in 2007. They've still managed to field one of the better receiver corps for years, thanks in part to hitting on guys like Kenny Golladay in the draft and Golden Tate and Marvin Jones in free agency. But Tate is long gone, Jones is about to join him and Golladay can become a free agent in a matter of weeks. When the only receivers you have under contract are named Quintez Cephus and Geronimo Allison, you have a need at the position regardless of what happens. Want to save Jared Goff's career? Cool. But he's going to need people to help him do it, and Chase has the talent to do just that. Yes, the defense needs repairs all over the place. But this draft is top-heavy with offensive playmakers, and the Lions need a few of those too.

San Diego Union Tribune (2/24)

7. Micah Parsons, LB, Penn State

New head coach Dan Campbell is going to find the cupboard completely bare at linebacker. Parsons is another elite prospect who opted out of the 2020 season, citing “the potential risk to the health and well-being” of his young son. I haven't come across any bitten knee caps in studying Parsons, but I know he makes plays all over the field, tackles anybody within reach and occasionally some who aren't.

Previous update: Detroit Lions Mock Draft Roundup 5.0

MORE TEAMS: All NFL Team Mock Draft Roundups

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