The Detroit Lions have spent plenty of resources in free agency to upgrade their cornerback room, but another addition could be coming in the NFL draft.
With the first round set to begin April 24, there’s plenty of intrigue surrounding what the Lions will do with each of their selections in this year’s draft. In the eyes of NFL draft analyst Dane Brugler, the team could look to target a local product who has been one of the biggest risers at the cornerback position.
In his seven-round mock draft, Brugler has the Lions targeting Kentucky cornerback Maxwell Hairston with the 28th overall pick. It would be the second-consecutive year that the Lions select a cornerback with their first-round pick, with the team adding Terrion Arnold last year.
Hairston visited the Lions during the pre-draft process and grew up in Michigan, attending West Bloomfield High School. He would join a revamped cornerback room with Arnold, Ennis Rakestraw, Amik Robertson and free agents D.J. Reed, Avonte Maddox and Rock Ya-Sin.
“The Lions have been doing their homework on Hairston, who ran a 4.28 40-yard dash at the combine and jumped almost 40 inches in the vertical at his pro day,” Brugler wrote. “He might not have the tackling consistency that Dan Campbell prefers, but his cover skills would upgrade Detroit’s secondary.”
In his predictions for the Lions’ Day 2 haul, Brugler has the Lions selecting Ohio State defensive end JT Tuimoloau in the second round and West Virginia offensive lineman Wyatt Milum in the third.
Tuimoloau is coming off a national championship season in which he had a career-high 12.5 sacks with the Buckeyes. Milum, meanwhile, offers some positional versatility with both guard and tackle experience.
Brugler has the Lions opening the third day of the draft by selecting Oregon linebacker Jeffrey Bassa in the fourth round. He’s ranked 99th overall in Brugler’s Top-100 prospects and offers some intrigue as a MIKE linebacker.
Detroit adds Georgia defensive tackle Nazir Stackhouse in the sixth round, and San Jose State wide receiver Nick Nash and Navy safety Rayuan Lane III with its two picks in the seventh.
Stackhouse profiles as a nose tackle, meaning he would compete for reps with Brodric Martin behind veterans DJ Reader and Roy Lopez. Nash, meanwhile, was one of the most productive receivers in college last season with 1,382 receiving yards and a national-best 16 touchdowns.
Brugler projects Lane as a player who will impress and separate himself on special teams early in his career. He would also provide valuable depth at safety behind Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch after the departure of Ifeatu Melifonwu.
