NFL Mock Draft roundup: Detroit Lions first round pick, trade predictions

2020 NFL Draft kicks off Thursday night

Ohio State defensive back Jeff Okudah stretches at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Sunday, March 1, 2020. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall) (Charlie Neibergall, Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

DETROIT – The Detroit Lions are on the clock.

The first live sporting event in several weeks is taking place starting Thursday night, as the first round of the NFL Draft kicks off. Teams will be drafting from their living rooms. It’l be a bit different.

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But, the setting doesn’t matter all that much, as long as the actual drafting of players is happening!

The Detroit Lions have the No. 3 pick in the draft this year, and they have a lot of options -- and leverage -- heading into the evening.

Here’s a look at what the experts are predicting for the Lions with the No. 3 pick tonight.

Detroit Lions NFL Mock Draft roundup:

CBS Sports: Lions trade No. 3 pick to Miami for No. 5, No. 39 and No. 185. At No. 5, Lions select: Jeffrey Okudah, CB, Ohio State. “Detroit is able to slide down a few spots and still select the player that they coveted.”

Sports Illustrated: Jeffrey Okudah, CB, Ohio State: “This is where the draft gets more interesting. Will Okudah become the first defensive back selected in the top three during Okudah’s lifetime? Will the Lions be able to entice a team to move up a few spots, which would then allow them to acquire more draft capital and still get their guy? Absent a trade back, the Lions will consider Derrick Brown and Isaiah Simmons here as well, but Okudah is a complete corner with an ideal blend of size, length, athleticism and competitiveness.”

USA Today: Jeff Okudah, CB, Ohio State: “Not since Shawn Springs in 1997 has a cornerback landed in the first three picks of the draft. Okudah is a sensible candidate to end that drought, especially for a Lions team whose secondary is in a perilous state.”

Peter King/NBC Sports: Detroit picks at No. 5 (trade with Miami): Jeff Okudah, CB, Ohio State

“Not sure of the return for Detroit, but let’s say Lions GM Bob Quinn deals the third overall pick for the fifth and 39th. Most Lions’ fans will scream and say, “Quinn should have gotten one of the other Miami first-rounders, either at 18 or 26.” I’m going to ask you this, Lions fans: If I told you before the draft that you could exit the weekend with CB1 on your first pick (Okudah), RB3 (Wisconsin’s Jonathan Taylor) on the second and G1 (Louisiana’s Robert Hunt) on the third, would you be doing cartwheels about that? Acquiring the 39th overall pick while still ensuring you’d get the corner you want would likely allow that.”

Yahoo Sports: CB Jeffrey Okudah, Ohio State. “If the season were to begin today, Lions would start Desmond Trufant, Justin Coleman, and some machination of Mike Ford, Darryl Roberts, and Jamal Agnew in nickel packages. This secondary immediately shifts from shaky to average with Okudah locking down one side of the field.”

MORE: NFL Mock Draft 2020: Predictions for Lions, other first round picks


About the Author:

Ken Haddad has proudly been with WDIV/ClickOnDetroit since 2013. He also authors the Morning Report Newsletter and various other newsletters, and helps lead the WDIV Insider team. He's a big sports fan and is constantly sipping Lions Kool-Aid.