A look at the best remaining 2024 NFL Draft prospects available for the Detroit Lions on Day 2.
While the Detroit Lions enter Day 2 of the 2024 NFL Draft with just one pick (61) to make at this time, there’s still a lot of talent that could find its way down the board—just as it did yesterday when a record 14 consecutive offensive players were picked, causing a defensive talent landslide. The Lions don’t have a lot of draft capital left this year, but with the way Brad Holmes likes to maneuver around the board, anything’s on the table.
Here are the ten best available prospects for the Lions as we enter rounds two and three of this year’s draft.
Illinois DT Johnny Newton
The Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year from 2023 is still on the board after Round 1 came and went on Thursday. Newton—a 6-foot-1, 305-pound defensive tackle—racked up 7.5 sacks and 8.5 tackles for loss during his dominant senior season in Champaign, but there may be some combination of factors that led to teams passing on him in the first round. He is undersized with shorter arms for his position, and there may be lingering concerns about his medicals after he suffered a partial Jones fracture near his pinky toe during the second half of 2023. The recovery cost him most of the pre-draft process, but he did participate in Illinois’ Pro Day earlier this month.
Oregon G/C Jackson Powers-Johnson
Another prospect many believed to be a first-round pick, Powers-Johnson didn’t find a home on Day 1 due to some teams being scared off by medical evaluations and relatively little experience—he only started 17 games in three years at Oregon. The interior offensive lineman battled groin and hip injuries in 2023, the only year of his college career he managed to start all of his team’s games. Still, his positional versatility to play both guard and center at a high level, and his bulldog mentality, could make him an intriguing prospect worth the risk for Detroit on Day 2.
Florida State WR Keon Coleman
Seven (!) wide receivers were selected on Day 1, but there’s still a group of receivers the Lions could be interested in should they be available near the end of the second round. Coleman is the kind of X receiver Detroit could covet after losing Josh Reynolds in free agency. He’s big (6-foot-4), physical as both a receiver and run-blocker, and while he doesn’t possess the kind of speed to separate, his ability to haul in contested catches could make him a serious red-zone threat for this Lions offense.
West Virginia G/C Zach Frazier
Frazier is an interior offensive lineman who embodies all the qualities of a Dan Campbell-type player: high football IQ, plays with a mean streak, and lays it all on the line for his team—including crawling off the field after suffering a broken leg so West Virginia didn’t have to suffer a 10-second runoff during a two-minute drill. His lack of elite athleticism or size/length might deter some teams, but his competitiveness and mentality makes him an obvious target for Detroit.
Western Michigan EDGE Marshawn Kneeland
A local product from Grand Rapids who stayed in state to play at Western Michigan, Kneeland’s large frame (6-foot-3, 267 pounds) foreshadows his physical play style on the edge. Though he isn’t a twitched-up athlete and hasn’t developed a varied pass-rush attack, Kneeland’s max effort and power serves him well as a bull-rusher and in setting the edge in run defense. Detroit still needs to figure out what they have in Josh Paschal, though, so it’s fair to wonder how redundant Kneeland would be as yet another sound run defender and pocket pusher opposite of Aidan Hutchinson.
Texas WR Adonai Mitchell
Mitchell is another X receiver who could be an early contributor in the Lions’ offense, but in a much different way than Coleman. Mitchell is a speedster (4.34 40-time) with some good polish as a route runner for someone standing at 6-foot-2. He isn’t the physical player that Coleman is as a receiver or a run blocker, but what he lacks in play strength, he makes up for with athleticism and highlight-reel catches.
Iowa DB Cooper DeJean
DeJean is a defensive back who could play virtually anywhere: outside corner, the slot, or safety—he even won the Rodgers-Dwight Return Specialist of the Year award in 2023 for his contributions on punt return (31 returns for 406 yards and one touchdown). Regardless of where he ends up sticking in the NFL, his upside as a football player makes him one of the top prospects still available on Day 2.
Michigan DB Mike Sainristil
Despite moving up and drafting Terrion Arnold in the first round, that decision wouldn’t rule out Sainristil—or DeJean, for that matter—from being the pick at 61 should they be there. Competition and earning your spot have become hallmarks for this regime and that’s exactly what Sainristil would provide—not only for the nickel spot but also on special teams in kickoff and punt coverage. The only cornerbacks the Lions have signed past 2024 are the recently-drafted Arnold, the newly-signed Amik Robertson, and undrafted free agent Steven Gilmore. So counting on Sainristil for depth and special team contributions would be quite the upgrade and shore up the outlook for cornerback long term.
BYU OL Kingsley Suamataia
Known around these parts as the cousin of the highest-paid offensive lineman in the NFL, Suamataia is an unrefined and still green offensive lineman, but that makes Detroit and the tutelage of Hank Fraley, a great landing spot for him. At BYU, Suamataia split his time between both left tackle and right tackle, but he also has the size, power, and bend to move inside to guard where Detroit has a more immediate need for depth.
Alabama EDGE Chris Braswell
Another member of the Crimson Tide defense, Braswell played a hybrid spot in Nick Saban’s 3-4 defense that saw the linebacker line up in both two-point and three-point stances. In Detroit, Braswell could man the SAM linebacker spot, where the Lions have used the likes of Charles Harris, James Houston, and Jack Campbell last year. He still needs to put together more moves as part of his pass-rush plan, but if Detroit is serious about getting some edge pressure opposite of Hutchinson, Braswell might be the best fit of players on Day 2 who can also contribute in other phases.
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