Detroit Lions 3-Round 2022 NFL Mock Draft 4.0

The Detroit Lions get a high-impact pass rusher and address plenty of needs in this three-round 2022 mock draft.

Buckle up, Detroit Lions fans. It's time for your favorite part of each Lions season: Mock draft season. 

It's in full bloom now, as Detroit's 2021 campaign has mercifully come to an end. 

Lions general manager Brad Holmes will have the chance to address multiple needs in the first round, with two first-round selections.

Detroit will draft at No. 2 overall and then again in the late first round, as the result of the trade from last offseason that sent Matthew Stafford to the Los Angeles Rams.  

The Rams' first-round pick will come somewhere between No. 23 overall (if Stafford & Co. lose in the wild card round) and No. 32 overall (if they win the Super Bowl).

Without further ado, here's my latest crack at predicting which players Holmes & Co. will select in the first three rounds of the 2022 NFL Draft. 

First round, No. 2 overall: Michigan EDGE Aidan Hutchinson

The Lions get their pass-rusher of today and the future with this pick. 

Hutchinson, the University of Michigan's single-season sacks leader, has the ability to come in and immediately upgrade Detroit's subpar pass-rushing unit. 

The Dearborn (Mich.) Divine Child product and Wolverines fan favorite would be a home-run selection, from both an on-field and public relations perspective. 

First round, No. 27 overall (via Rams): USC WR Drake London 

The Lions get their complementary piece for fellow USC product Amon-Ra St. Brown with this pick here. 

St. Brown profiles more as a possession-type, slot receiver long term, while London is a big-play threat who can beat you vertically. 

I believe the two ex-Trojans would complement each other well and form a dynamic duo in the Motor City for years to come.

If available, London would definitely be my selection at No. 27 overall.  

Second round, No. 34 overall: Utah LB Devin Lloyd

The Lions get great value here with the versatile Lloyd. 

Lloyd, a consensus 2021 All-America selection, can line up at both outside and inside linebacker, and is capable of being productive as both a pass rusher and a coverage linebacker. 

As The Draft Network's Brentley Weissman writes,

"Lloyd is a long and athletic linebacker with excellent range. Excellent speed to run through from backside and redline-to-redline range. Has very good burst and can close on the ball carrier in a hurry. Shows above-average ability to take on blocks and is strong and firm at the point of attack. A run-and-hit player who makes plays sideline to sideline. Lloyd is an efficient mover and fluid in coverage. He shows good awareness in zone and can get very good depth in his drops with closing burst on anything in front of him. Length allows him to make open-field tackles with ease and he’s also an effective blitzer."

I believe Lions fans would quickly fall in love with Lloyd, and the first-round talent is an easy selection for me with the second pick of the second round. 

Rob Gray, USA TODAY Sports

Third round, No. 66 overall: Baylor S Jalen Pitre

EDGE defender: Check.

Linebacker: Check. 

Next up: Safety. 

The Lions get a pretty good one here in third round, too, in the form of Pitre.  

Heck, the Baylor product "arguably" was the best safety in all of college football in 2021.  

At least NFL Draft Bible's Jack Borowsky thinks so. 

As Borowsky pens,

"Pitre is going to outplay his draft stock wherever he goes. He checks every box teams look for in a difference-making player and then some. It wouldn't be shocking to look back at the 2022 draft and view Pitre as one of the special players from the class." 

I might be simply drinking the "Kool-Aid," but sign me up for a player like that in the third round. 

Third round, No. 98 overall (projected compensatory pick from Kenny Golladay signing with N.Y. Giants): Tennessee CB Alontae Taylor

Holmes & Co. round out the first two days of the 2022 draft by getting more secondary help. 

Not a bad idea when you consider the Lions allowed 31 passing touchdowns and a league-worst 7.2 yards per pass attempt this past season.

The 6-foot, 195-pound Taylor started all 12 games of the 2021 regular season for the Tennessee Volunteers, and racked up a career-best 60 tackles, to go along with six pass breakups and two interceptions.

In his four-year career at Tennessee, he suited up for 45 games, and logged 162 total tackles, including five tackles for loss, four interceptions, 19 passes defensed and three forced fumbles.

He profiles as a press coverage corner at the next level.

According to NFL Draft Bible,

"Taylor thrives in press coverage, where he has a very powerful strike to disrupt and redirect receivers at the line of scrimmage. Despite landing his blow, he stays composed and on balance. Taylor squeezes vertical routes to the sideline effectively. Excellent mental alertness, processing and high energy allow him to recognize plays and routes early and make plays on them. His length allows him to break up passes from behind. Taylor turns for the ball if he is in position to do so. He baits quarterbacks in zone coverage. Getting in the face of receivers and feisty play in general shows that he has the mentality to succeed in the NFL."

Taylor could be a nice piece for Lions defensive backs coach Aubrey Pleasant to mold in 2022 and beyond.