Media Mock-2.0 is for real – as real as it gets when our media members and internet personalities are asked to make a dream pick and a real pick for which player the Lions will draft 21st overall.
They made a dream pick for the Lions on Media Mock 1.0 in February. Media Mock 2.0 gives them a chance to double down and get it right – or stay wrong – with a dream pick and a reality pick for the Lions.
Here are their picks. As always, feel free to disagree – but don't touch the dial or the remote, or the delete button.
**Dan Miller, Lions' play-by-play voice, Fox2 sports director.
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Dream pick:LB Reuben Foster, Alabama. I realize that his falling would be an indication of some red flags, but this is a special talent. I don't think they ever get a sniff, though, as he will be long gone. So then I'm looking for the next-best linebacker or defensive end. We are left to guess which players they like, and which will be there?
Realistic pick: Reddick? Charlton? Peppers? Let's go linebacker Jarrad Davis out of Florida. He checks all the boxes and helps out at a position of need. A dark horse, if he's there – WR Corey Davis. He's a freak. Maybe teams get spooked by the ankle and the lack of a 40 time, Value. Value. Value. The draft doesn't end after Round 1, and he will help this team for years to come.
Steve Courtney, Sports Director, WJR-760 AM.
Dream pick: I'm sticking with LB Reuben Foster of Alabama. The Combine incident does NOT take away what he has on tape. Linebacker need would be filled nicely for the Lions IF he was to fall!
Reality pick: DE T.J. Watt, Wisconsin. Since he played in the Big Ten, I saw a lot of him. Great motor/technique. Would be a nice pass-rush complement to Ziggy.
Ken Brown, Mitch Albom Show, Lions pre-game show, WJR-760. Dream pick: DE Derek Barnett, Tennessee.
Reality pick: DE Carl Lawson, Auburn. The Lions' top priority is to get a DE partner for free-agent-to-be Ziggy Ansah. Lawson is the best pass rusher available at that point in the draft. He has great bend and can get after the QB.
Rico Beard, Spartan Beat host, 92.1-FM, Lansing.
Dream pick: LB Reuben Foster, Alabama. Linebacker is a position of need for the Lions for the last couple of years. They finally released DeAndre Levy and desperately have a hole to fill. Foster would give the Lions a playmaker and is an every-down linebacker with speed and can tackle.
Reality Pick: RB Dalvin Cook, Florida State: Cook will give the Lions an every-down back to balance their passing attack. He has good vision along with homer speed the likes of which the Lions haven't seen since Jahvid Best. Right now they are too much of a one-dimensional team. It is time to invest in a good running back instead of always using the running back by committee.
**Doug Karsch, cohost, 97.1-FM, The Ticket.
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Dream pick: Haason Reddick, Temple. This year is a great year for the Lions to be slotted at 21. There are likely to be a lot of draftable players on the board, at positions of need. In the best case scenario, Reddick —a playmaking athlete -- is still on the board. Reddick played on the edge and rushed the QB at Temple but then proved he could cover at the Senior Bowl. This allows for him to have a unique skill set, allowing him to pass rush or drop into coverage.
Reality pick: There should be a host of defensive players that can help. Given Bob Quinn's early work, my read is that he would go defensive line and start to build the trenches on that side of the ball like he has on the offensive side of the ball. If Reddick is gone I expect Quinn to go with one of the following defensive ends: Derek Barnett of Tennessee, Taco Charlton of Michigan, Charles Harris of Missouri or Takkarist McKinely of UCLA.
Scott "The Gator" Anderson, cohost 97.1-FM, The Ticket.
Dream pick: LB Reuben Foster, Alabama: If nothing else, think of how clever the restaurant community would be in coming up with various food items associated with his name! A corned beef and Swiss cheese sandwich with a caramelized banana dessert. And he's a tackling machine at a position that screams NEED! Yes please! Alas, I doubt he's there for the picking at 21 and the price to move up a likely 10 spots is too high.
Realistic pick: Jabrill Peppers, Michigan. The NFL is a passing league, and the Lions simply need playmakers and he fits that description. Safety. Corner. Nickleback. Black Sabbath. Iron Maiden. The Irish Rovers, it doesn't matter, he's athletic enough to shine at the next level, and I'm a proud Spartan blathering about this guy.
Jennifer Hammond, Fox2 sports reporter.
Dream pick: LB Haason Reddick, Temple: It could be a reality pick. Defensive lapses cost the Lions last season, and after bulking up on offense during free agency, Bob Quinn is ready to get to work and solidify the other side of the ball. If there's one thing GMs and scouts love on their draft boards, it's athleticism, and Reddick has it – as well as the talent to make him versatile and a strong rusher off the edge – something the Lions need and would greatly improve the front seven.
Realty pick: DE Charles Harris, Missouri: Several mock drafts point to the Lions poaching in their back yard and scooping up Michigan DE Taco Charlton. This has become a sexy pick, but not one I think Quinn will make. Look for the Lions to head to the SEC and grab Harris. If his nickname "Black Ice" doesn't intrigue you, then his skill set will.
Jeff Risdon, RealGM draft analyst, USA Today wire.
Dream pick: Temple LB Haason Reddick. He played safety in high school and rush end in college, so he understands how to play against all facets of offense. He's an exceptional athlete who showed during Senior Bowl week he won't need much time to adjust.
Reality pick: Miami TE David Njoku. With Ebron a potential free agent and a pressing need for receiving help, I understand it. I just don't think he's worthy of a first-round pick for any team.
Devin Scilian, news anchor WDIV-Channel 4, and musician.
Dream pick (to the tune of 'Lyin' Eyes).
I am sure if the Lions pick was early
Then I'd take Reuben Foster and have it made.
But he won't be there at twenty-one, I worry,
So I'm hoping that we work a special trade.
Way out west, a cover man is waiting,
Looking for another place to play.
And I dream of Sundays when we're activating
Two cornerbacks named Sherman and Slay.
(Chorus)
So let's try to Lionize.
Lockdown speed and lockdown size.
The NFC's best corner guys.
And that's the way we finally Lionize.
Reality pick: Alas, LB Jarrad Davis, Florida. Repeating my mantra from my first mock pick several months ago, we need THREE new LBs. This is a start.
Matt Shepard, morning host WDFN 1130-AM, and FoxSportsDetroit.
Dream pick: The Lions have plenty of needs, none more than playmakers on the defensive side. My dream pick, like most, is DE Myles Garrett, Texas A&M. He's everything the Lions need. Or Jonathan Allen of Alabama – versatile to play inside or outside. But neither will be there.
Realistic pick: LB Jarrad Davis, Florida. The Lions will have a choice between a collection of guys like Haason Reddick, Zach Cunningham, Taco Charlton, Charles Harris or Davis. I'll take the Florida Gator. He can play inside and outside and be an every-down 'backer. Take him, and he starts for 10 years.
