Pre-Combine Mock

[Superduperman]

In conjunction with my QB Carousel Mock, here's a Lions mock based on a couple assumed premises:

- The Lions don't see a QB (that they can get) who they like better than letting Goff have a year to show what he's got
- Gregory Rousseau rises up draft boards in the workout process by reminding everyone that with his size, athleticism and production, he belongs in the top 10

TRADE
Trey Flowers to Cincinnati for #150
Jamie Collins to New England for #241

CUT OR LET WALK
Nick Williams
Danny Shelton
Chase Daniel
Romeo Okwara
Oday Aboushi
Jamal Agnew
Danny Amendola
Jahlani Tavai
Duron Harmon
Everson Griffen
Adrian Peterson
Marvin Jones
Reggie Ragland
Darryl Roberts
Christian Jones
Desmond Trufant
Austin Bryant
Kenny Golladay

RE-SIGN
Matt Prater
Jarrad Davis
Jalen Reeves-Maybin
C.J. Moore
Miles Killebrew
Matt Nelson
Elijah Lee
Marvin Hall

FREE AGENTS
QB Tyrod Taylor
RB Chris Carson
WR Will Fuller
WR Josh Reynolds
DT Dalvin Tomlinson
DT Roy Robertson-Harris
LB Jayon Brown
CB Chidobe Awuzie
CB Mike Hilton

DRAFT
#7 Gregory Rousseau, Edge, Miami
#41 Jabril Cox, LB, LSU
#72 Jackson Carman, T, Clemson
#88 Tommy Togiai, DT, Ohio St.
#112 Jordan Smith, Edge, UAB
#150 Elijah Mitchell, RB, Louisiana-Lafayette
#154 D.J. Daniel, CB, Georgia
#241 Zach Smith, QB, Tulsa
UDFA:   Austin Watkins, WR, UAB
             Tommy Doyle, G, Miami (OH)

2021 ROSTER
QB - Goff, Taylor, Z. Smith
RB - Swift, Carson, Johnson, Mitchell
WR - Reynolds, Fuller, Cephus, Allison, Watkins, Hall
OT - Decker, Crosby, Carman, Nelson
OG - Jackson, Vaitai, Dahl, Doyle
C - Ragnow, Stenberg
TE - Hockenson, James, H. Bryant
FB - Cabinda
DT - Tomlinson, Robertson-Harris, Penisini, Togiai
DE - Rousseau, Hand, J. Okwara, J. Smith, Cornell
LB - Cox, Brown, Davis, Hamilton, Lee, JRM
S - Walker, Harris, C.J. Moore, Killebrew
CB - Okudah, Oruwariye, Hilton, Awuzie, Coleman, Daniel
K - Prater
P - Fox

Edited February 13, 2021 by Superduperman

[StLunatic88]

Just a couple of questions;

Why cut Austin Bryant? He’s on. Cheap deal and feels like the type of guy the new staff would want to evaluate?

You let Golladay walk, but you’re ok with spending what will likely be similar money on Fuller? Who has one substance strike and who might be the most injury prone WR out there?

I would be shocked to see Austin Watkins be a UDFA as things are right now

[flyguy1609]

Yeah I don’t get the kg/fuller swap. I can get behind most of it tho

[NFL_Fan]

5 hours ago, StLunatic88 said:

Just a couple of questions;

Why cut Austin Bryant? He’s on. Cheap deal and feels like the type of guy the new staff would want to evaluate?

You let Golladay walk, but you’re ok with spending what will likely be similar money on Fuller? Who has one substance strike and who might be the most injury prone WR out there?

I would be shocked to see Austin Watkins be a UDFA as things are right now

agree with all these. rather have an empty spot then fuller. I would want any trade down if take Rosseau. i think hell be there by 14-16 range. 

[Superduperman]

5 hours ago, StLunatic88 said:

Just a couple of questions;

Why cut Austin Bryant? He’s on. Cheap deal and feels like the type of guy the new staff would want to evaluate?

You let Golladay walk, but you’re ok with spending what will likely be similar money on Fuller? Who has one substance strike and who might be the most injury prone WR out there?

I would be shocked to see Austin Watkins be a UDFA as things are right now

- Bryant simply can't stay on the field. I expect he'll go into camp with the team, but in this scenario I chose Jashon Cornell to come back from injury and beat him out for the last DE slot

- You sure Fuller will get the same money as Golladay? I was looking a WR representing the next step down in money, maybe $12m instead of $15+ like I think Golladay will get. If I was wrong there, then you tell me, who's in that range I'm thinking of

- There are so many WRs all the way through this draft, you never know who will end up where. Watkins might certainly get drafted but then again, maybe some teams say, we've drafted a WR or two already and they pass on him in the 6th-7th. Just speculation, but I certainly could be wrong. I feel like there will be a couple of decent WRs who lose the musical chairs battle and end up there to sign as UDFA.

[jrry32]

That's a lot of money being spent in FA. I also am curious as to why you are trading Trey Flowers. The Lions wouldn't save much cap this year. The draft looks good. I'm still not a Josh Reynolds fan.

[Superduperman]

On 2/14/2021 at 3:35 AM, jrry32 said:

That's a lot of money being spent in FA. I also am curious as to why you are trading Trey Flowers. The Lions wouldn't save much cap this year. The draft looks good. I'm still not a Josh Reynolds fan.

yeah the problem with doing a full roster mock like this is that typical lists of NFL free agents only contain the big-ticket guys, the washed up veterans, and the young guys who cost too much. I don't have the deep knowledge or the time to research all of the cheap, practice-squad and third-tier types who the Lions will probably choose from to replace all the guys they're going to cut this off-season. I am assuming that the Lions will sign a handful of guys I have barely heard of instead of, say, Carson or Reynolds or Awuzie.

Flowers is one of the only guys who you might be able to get a decent draft pick for, so why not. It's not a savings thing as much as a getting younger and blowing out the former Patriots.

[Karnage84]

22 minutes ago, Superduperman said:

yeah the problem with doing a full roster mock like this is that typical lists of NFL free agents only contain the big-ticket guys, the washed up veterans, and the young guys who cost too much. I don't have the deep knowledge or the time to research all of the cheap, practice-squad and third-tier types who the Lions will probably choose from to replace all the guys they're going to cut this off-season. I am assuming that the Lions will sign a handful of guys I have barely heard of instead of, say, Carson or Reynolds or Awuzie.

Flowers is one of the only guys who you might be able to get a decent draft pick for, so why not. It's not a savings thing as much as a getting younger and blowing out the former Patriots.

I'd be open to adding a 3rd - 5th (maybe even as a future pick) for Flowers if the team decided he isn't going to fit the scheme this year or isn't a part of the team's plans moving forward. He's a lot more valuable to a NE style team, he was highly rated by PFF despite our historically bad defense. 

[jrry32]

2 hours ago, Karnage84 said:

I'd be open to adding a 3rd - 5th (maybe even as a future pick) for Flowers if the team decided he isn't going to fit the scheme this year or isn't a part of the team's plans moving forward. He's a lot more valuable to a NE style team, he was highly rated by PFF despite our historically bad defense. 

I would think he might fit Glenn's scheme if it's similar to NO's. He's similar to Cameron Jordan, not as good but similar.

3 hours ago, Superduperman said:

yeah the problem with doing a full roster mock like this is that typical lists of NFL free agents only contain the big-ticket guys, the washed up veterans, and the young guys who cost too much. I don't have the deep knowledge or the time to research all of the cheap, practice-squad and third-tier types who the Lions will probably choose from to replace all the guys they're going to cut this off-season. I am assuming that the Lions will sign a handful of guys I have barely heard of instead of, say, Carson or Reynolds or Awuzie.

Flowers is one of the only guys who you might be able to get a decent draft pick for, so why not. It's not a savings thing as much as a getting younger and blowing out the former Patriots.

Fair points. That's understandable. I typically use the Spotrac FA list and go off of guys who have flashed to me while watching their teams. But that's very imprecise haha.