The Detroit Lions have selected Colby Sorsdal with the 152nd overall pick.
The Detroit Lions have selected William & Mary offensive lineman Colby Sorsdal with the 152nd overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. After a lengthy wait, the Lions have made their first pick of Day 3.
My grade: B
When you get into Day 3 of the NFL Draft, it’s less about finding starters and more about adding depth short-term and developmental pieces long-term. Sorsdal checks both of those boxes. Though purely a right tackle in college, his future in the NFL might be at guard. Jonah Jackson is firmly entrenched at left guard, while the right guard spot is up for grabs between Halapoulivaati Vaitai and Graham Glasgow. The loser of that battle would be the top reserve, with the likes of Logan Stenberg, Kayode Awosika, and Darrin Paulo fighting for a depth spot.
Sorsdal enters that mix and has a good chance to stick around. For one, Vaitai and Glasgow have one year on their respective deals, so a long-term need is there. If he can develop into a starting-caliber guard, the Lions would have suddenly solidified their already talented offensive line. Considering that none of Stenberg, Awosika, or Paulo are sure-things, Sorsdal is valuable purely as depth as well.
Sorsdal isn’t an elite athlete—he might need to add weight with a full professional offseason—but his explosiveness is definitely enticing. Lateral quickness in particular is important for the Lions offense, a unit that loves pulling its linemen. Sorsdal is also a team captain, checking the character box for Dan Campbell and company.
The reason for a B grade is that it seems earlier than many projected. PFF, for example, did not have him on their draft board, while Lance Zierlein from NFL.com had him as a sixth- or seventh-rounder. For a Day 3 pick, I think you can totally justify a reach—Brad Holmes cares little for your big board as well. Andrew Vorhees or Jarrett Patterson were higher on many boards with existing guard experience. That being said, both of those prospects went to major schools—USC and Notre Dame, respectively—so the grandeur of those programs likely helped. Sorsdal had some fans in the scouting community, so the Lions could very well be getting a sleeper pick here.
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