2022 NFL Draft: Toughest #2 Pick Ever

Once again, the Lions find themselves near the top of the draft, this time all the way up at #2 overall. While yes, that means the season was a bit of a drag, it was one of the more interesting 3-13-1 seasons you will ever see. The team played hard every single week and could have just as easily gone something like 8-9 if a few plays went their way (looking at you, Justin Tucker), which I think shows that the team has bought into what Dan Campbell is preaching. They also could have the #1 pick if they just lost to Green Bay the last game of the year like they were supposed to, but I will never complain about beating the Packers.

That being said, true to the luck the Lions generally have, this is not your typical #2 overall pick. Seemingly every top prospect has at least one glaring concern going into the draft, and the only one that does not is probably going #1 overall. If I had a dollar for every time the guy that I wanted the Lions to get went to the team picking right before them, I would be a rich man. (See: Anthony Barr before Eric Ebron, Josh Allen before T.J. Hockenson, Chase Young before Jeff Okudah, etc.). This draft is going to be one of the most interesting drafts to follow, because there is about zero consensus about who is going to get drafted where. Some years, you could mock the entire top 10 and very easily get 9 of those picks right. This year, nobody even knows who the first pick is going to be. GM’s are going to be earning their paychecks this year, since so few players really stand out immediately from looking at them. There is, however, a lot of promise in what these top prospects have to offer, and ultimately I think the Lions have a lot of different directions they could go, and it would be hard to say anything too bad about the pick.

It is worth noting that while a trade down is possible, I do not think there is any team willing to give up much to move up to #2, simply because it is not a top-heavy draft.

Let’s take a look at the names we could see the Lions draft with the 2nd overall pick.

Aidan Hutchinson – EDGE, Michigan – 6’7”, 260 lbs.

This is the player I assume will go first overall, but I am going to bring him up in case Jacksonville for some reason passes on him. Hutchinson to me is the best player in this draft. He stepped up in a huge way for Michigan en route to beating Ohio State, winning a Big Ten Championship, and making the College Football Playoff. Hutchinson set the single season record for sacks in Michigan football history, and was a Heisman finalist, where he finished second, and I will leave my opinions about that out of this particular post because they are unrelated. Hutchinson has only improved over his four years at Michigan, and I believe he will continue to develop in the NFL. He is athletic for his size, extremely strong, and provides consistent pressure off the edge. Not to mention he is one of the hardest working football players I have ever seen. Aside from continuing to refine his technique and add to his repertoire of pass rush moves, there is not a ton of weakness to his game. If his career at Michigan is any indication, he is going to work his tail off to develop in those areas of weakness as well. If Hutchinson is there for us as #2, I expect Brad Holmes to run that card up to the podium like he did with Penei Sewell last year. If Jacksonville takes him first overall, which I expect them to, then this pick becomes a lot harder.

Travon Walker – EDGE, Georgia – 6’5”, 272 lbs.

A fast riser up draft boards this offseason, Walker lit up the combine alongside his freak show of a teammate at Georgia, Jordan Davis. As I am writing this, Walker is actually the betting favorite to go first overall to the Jaguars. I do not personally buy that entirely, but it is interesting to note. Walker is a big, athletic force who is less known for being a pass rusher and more known for being a run stopper. That is not the most exciting proposition, but he has also shown the ability to drop in coverage and make plays on the ball, which adds another skill he brings to the table. The concern with Walker is that he was not very productive rushing the passer despite being part of a Georgia defense that may be one of the best we have seen in recent college football history. He shows flashes, but not much more than that. Can he develop a nice pass rush game? I am sure he will, it’s not like he is completely incapable of rushing the passer, but coming in that is not really his strong point, so he brings a considerable amount of risk. Especially with a team like the Lions, which desperately needs a consistent pass rush.

Kayvon Thibodeaux – EDGE, Oregon – 6’4”, 254 lbs.

One of the most polarizing prospects in this year’s draft class, Thibodeaux has slipped a bit down draft boards after it was assumed he and Hutchinson were at the top of this year’s class. Thibodeaux has been compared to Jadeveon Clowney in some respects, where he seems to disappear for plays and even entire series. I flipped on a number of Oregon games this year and every single game I felt like there would be extended periods of time where Thibodeaux’s name was not even mentioned. For comparison’s sake, when watching Michigan games this year, Hutchinson’s name would come up every few plays because even if he did not get the sack or the run stop, he was always disruptive. That in itself is concerning for Thibodeaux’s outlook, but then he intended to silence those who accused him of taking plays off by doing every single drill at the NFL Combine…before dropping out after only running the 40-yard dash and doing the bench press. He did go on to do everything at his Pro Day, for what it’s worth. He also seems to have a lot of interests outside of football, for example he started his own cryptocurrency. Now, having other interests is not inherently a bad thing, but when the concerns about your level of focus on your football career are already out there, it does not really help matters. On tape, Thibodeaux is an explosive athlete who attacks with speed on the pass rush, and has a good amount of power as well. He has all the physical tools you could possibly ask for, but is his head really in it? That remains to be seen. I think the comparison to Clowney is a bit overblown, let’s not forget that Clowney would just walk up to coaches and tell them he did not feel like playing that day. There is nothing like that out there on Thibodeaux that I am aware of. If the Lions decided to take him, I think it would be worth the risk. Thibodeaux certainly has all the ability to be a great pass rusher in this league, we would just have to hope he gives it his all.

Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner – CB, Cincinnati – 6’3”, 190 lbs.

Do I want the Lions to take a cornerback? No, I think edge rusher is our biggest need right now on defense. Especially after watching how the Jeff Okudah selection has played out for us. If you read my draft preview from that year, you know I expressed plenty of concern with him, but even I didn’t see Okudah becoming literally the worst cornerback in the NFL. Even with all that, Sauce may end up being worth taking a swing at. He has impressive size for a corner, and moves very well for that size. He also ran a 4.41 40-yard dash, which is not blazing fast, but far from being concerningly slow. Perhaps most impressively, he did not give up a single touchdown in his entire college career. I do not care that Cincinnati does not play the highest level of competition in college football, that is still impressive. People go back and forth on who the better corner prospect in this draft is between Sauce and Derek Stingley Jr. out of LSU, but I give the slight edge to Sauce just based on the potential that he still has. If the Lions took either, it would be hard to really complain because they are both so talented, but I think Sauce would be the one they would lean towards at #2.

Malik Willis – QB, Liberty – 6’1”, 219 lbs.

I am not going to go super in-depth on Willis here, if you want that be sure to check out my review of this year’s quarterback class. I think it is quite simple. If the Lions decide to take a quarterback with the second overall pick, it is going to be Malik Willis. He has the highest ceiling in the draft class, and the Lions have a lot of time to develop him before this team will really be in a position to win. It does make sense from a timing perspective. Personally, I would not take a quarterback this early. I think we have too many holes to fill, specifically on defense, BUT it sure would be exciting to bring in a flashy playmaker like Willis to develop under Goff for a year before handing him the reins.

Kyle Hamilton – S, Notre Dame – 6’4”, 220 lbs.

Admittedly, I did not see much of Notre Dame this year, but all I heard was people drooling all over this safety of theirs. The way he was talked up I thought he would flash on tape, but he did not. Watching film on him felt like how I felt watching Okudah’s film two years ago. I came away ultimately unimpressed, he did not pass the immediate eye test for me. Then the Combine rolled around, and I made sure to watch what this supposed physical freak was going to do. He lined up for the 40-yard dash and ran…a 4.59-second time. My real-time reaction was, “You have got to be kidding me.” When I heard that Hamilton was being hyped up as much as he was I figured he was going to destroy the Combine, but he lost me right off the bat with that time. He did fine in the other drills, but again, nothing particularly special. I truly do not get the hype around this guy. I think he would be way more appropriate as a mid-to-late-first round pick, not a top 5 pick. I am sure some of you who have followed my posts on here are saying, “Didn’t you love Isaiah Simmons?” Yes, I did. Simmons, however, was 18 pounds heavier than Hamilton, and ran a 40 time over 0.2 seconds FASTER at 4.38. Those two guys are not even in the same discussion to me. Plus, while Simmons has not been particularly stellar in Arizona, I would very much rather have him than Okudah right now. I have seen Hamilton’s stock drop considerably recently, which is quite relieving. I do not think the Lions are stupid enough to take Hamilton, but if they do, I think that is truly the only bad pick they could make here.

Trade Down Targets

As I said at the beginning, I do not think anybody is going to give up anything worthwhile to trade up for our #2 pick this year. If someone did, however, here are some players that I think the Lions could be looking at.

Jermaine Johnson II – EDGE, Florida State – 6’5”, 254 lbs.

Devin Lloyd – LB, Utah – 6’3”, 237 lbs.

Jordan Davis – DT, Georgia – 6’6”, 341 lbs.

Nakobe Dean – LB, Georgia – 5’11, 229 lbs.

Jameson Williams – WR, Alabama – 6’1.5”, 179 lbs.

Garrett Wilson – WR, Ohio State – 6’0”, 183 lbs.

Ok, the Lions are on the clock. Who is the guy I take? Obviously if Aidan Hutchinson is there he is the pick for me. If he is not available, I think I would lean towards Kayvon Thibodeaux just a bit over Travon Walker. He is more established as a pass rusher, and I think his upside is too high to pass up. If the Lions decide on Walker instead, am I going to be upset? No, I think Walker has a great chance of being a big contributor for our defense. While I think Malik Willis would be an exciting pick, I do not see him as the guy to bring in right now. I would rather try to load up other positions then get our quarterback next year. Honestly, as long as Kyle Hamilton’s name is not the one that is read for us at the #2 slot, I think I will overall be more excited than anything about whoever that player is. It is not a position I am used to being in, typically there is one guy I definitely want and anyone else would be a disappointment, but that will make draft night just that much more exciting. I trust Brad Holmes will make the right pick.