This upcoming draft is a very crucial time for the Lions as they prepare to finish off the rebuild and start moving towards some real wins. The Lions are looking at two first-round picks at this moment and here is who I believe they should consider with their first one at pick 6.
Devon Witherspoon, CB, Illinois
Devon Witherspoon is one of my favorite draft prospects in the entire draft, he has everything you want from a first-round corner, he has great length and standing at 6¨1, and he has tremendous speed, most recently clocking in at a 4.39 40-yard dash. He has shown the ability to absolute lockdown in man coverage, he reads quarterbacks’ eyes extremely well and has the speed to jump routes like it is nothing. When in coverage he moves about as fluid as anybody you will see come out of the draft, a lot of people have been comparing him to Sauce Gardner as a prospect. The only real knock on Witherspoon is his tackling ability in the open field, but I believe that this is not as big of an issue as people think and he will come around. Witherspoon is the perfect player for the Lions and would fit our needs extremely well.
Myles Murphy, DE, Clemson
The first of two Clemson players on this list is Myles Murphy. Myles Murphy is one of those guys that you can just tell is NFL-ready. Murphy has a combination of size, speed, athleticism, technique, and fluidity that you do not see very often. Murphy is a perfect fit for the Lions because he can play in just about any scheme and will succeed in that scheme. Imagine him coming off of the edge on the other side of Aidan Hutchinson, that would be terrifying opposing tackles for years. The only big knock on Murphy is that he doesn’t finish plays very often, and he has a tendency to get evaded by quarterbacks in the pocket. Hopefully, this can be corrected by NFL coaches because he has the potential to be one of the best defensive linemen in the league.
Bryan Bresee, DL, Clemson
The last player on this list is Bryan Bresee, Bresee is a great player who can play at various spots on the defensive line, ideally, you want him on the inside. Bresee thrives when he is defending the run and often shows off his speed and athleticism when teams try to run near him. He thrives while moving laterally to the ball as well. Bresee can play in many schemes and will certainly thrive in most schemes in the NFL. The physical traits are there, he just needs to stay on the field. There are many durability concerns with him as we have not seen a full season from him in college, aside from those issues I do not see a reason why the Lions would not consider taking Bresee if he is there at 6.
