Most mock drafts attempt to predict what will happen when the teams go on the clock in the selection process. This is not one of those predictive mocks.
In this edition, I put on the GM hat and make the choices based on what I would do with each of the Lions’ picks in the 2022 NFL draft. This is in no way any indication of what I expect the Lions and GM Brad Holmes to do in next week’s draft.
There are a couple of ground rules. First, no trades. I’d love to trade back from No. 2 overall to No. 8 and pick up three more Day 3 picks. I’d also like to lose 25 pounds without dieting or exercising and also to still be able to dunk a basketball, but no amount of wishing for those will make it happen.
Second, I can’t just play fantasy manager for all 32 teams. I did that here at RealGM, but for this team-specific situation, I had to incorporate some projective reality. So I ran three draft simulators–Pro Football Focus, The Draft Network and Pro Football Network–to make the selections for the other teams. If a player was gone on two of the three simulators, I considered them gone for my purposes here. As tempting as it was with one particular player at No. 32, I didn’t bend the rules.
Here’s how the Lions draft would play out if I were making the picks.
No. 2 overall: Kyle Hamilton, S, Notre Dame
(AP Photo/Gary McCullough)
Yeah, I’m taking a safety at No. 2. I’m also taking the best player, the surest hit impact talent and the best prospect at the Lions’ position of biggest need all in one with Hamilton.
The choice was made easier with Michigan EDGE Aidan Hutchinson being off the board. He would be the choice over Hamilton, but that’s not an easy decision.
Why Hamilton, aside from the superlatives above?
I think he’s a perfect fit for exactly how defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn wants to use both talent and scheme to dictate matchups. Hamilton is bigger than many linebackers in this draft, yet he’s got the…