In case you weren’t already convinced, the Lions’ NFC Championship Game loss to the 49ers should have done the trick. It should’ve proved that Detroit clearly needs secondary help. And Lions general manager Brad Holmes could very well choose to address the need with the team’s first-round pick in this April’s NFL Draft (No. 29 overall). If Holmes decides to go in that direction on the first night of the draft, Toledo cornerback Quinyon Mitchell would be a near-perfect pick. In recent mock drafts, Mitchell has been a popular pick for Detroit with the 29th overall selection – and for good reason. In the immediate aftermath of the end of the 2023 season, the Lions’ most-pressing need exists at cornerback. Cam Sutton, Kindle Vildor and Will Harris, among others, all took their turn getting burned by opposing wideouts this past season, including in Detroit’s NFC title game loss to San Francisco. Subsequently, it’s become crystal clear that the Lions need to upgrade their cornerbacks room this offseason – and in a major way. And, drafting Mitchell would be a great start to accomplishing just that.
Mitchell grew into one of the top corners in the nation in his final two seasons with the Rockets. The 6-foot, 190-pound defensive back recorded at least 19 passes defensed in each of the past two seasons, and also grabbed six total interceptions in his final two collegiate seasons. He also impressively allowed a passer rating of just 34.8 and 51.1 in back-to-back seasons. And, for his efforts, he was an AP All-America selection in both 2022 (third-team) and 2023 (second-team), and earned high marks from Pro Football Focus in both seasons. In 2022, he logged 883 defensive snaps, including 481 snaps in coverage, and received a 92.5 overall grade from PFF
