The Lions rebuilt their cornerback room this offseason. But did they make some questionable picks later in the draft?
It is a good time to be a Detroit Lions fan. The team just enjoyed one of its most successful seasons in franchise history and followed that up by hosting the NFL Draft. Things are looking up in Detroit, but the roster is far from perfect.
The Lions entered the offseason with a huge need at cornerback. Detroit’s secondary was by far the weakest position group on the team and arguably in the entire NFL. The Lions rolled into the NFC Championship with Cameron Sutton and Kindle Vildor as their starting outside cornerbacks. Cameron Sutton was cut earlier this offseason, which left the cornerback room needing a complete redo. GM Brad Holmes wasted no time addressing the positing during free agency. The team traded for Carlton Davis III from Tampa Bay and signed Amik Robertson away from the Raiders. They followed that up by picking Terrion Arnold and Ennis Rakestraw Jr. with their first two picks in the 2024 NFL Draft.
It’s hard to argue with Detroit’s first two draft picks because they filled a critical area of need for the team. However, some of Detroit’s mid-round picks are more questionable. Here are three draft mistakes from the Detroit Lions in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Did the Lions spend too much to trade up for Terrion Arnold?
The Lions traded up from 29th overall to select Terrion Arnold at pick 24. Much of the problem with this move is how expensive it was to trade up five picks, as well as who was still available at that time
Detroit traded a third-round pick (73rd overall) to move up and get Arnold. At the time, Quinyon Mitchell was the only cornerback off the board. It seemed like regardless of who Detroit’s top cornerback was, somebody would fall into their lap at 29.
The following cornerbacks were available at pick 29 and selected before Detroit came back on the clock at 61: Nate Wiggins, Kool-Aid McKinstry, Cooper DeJean, Kamari Lassiter, Max Melton, and Mike Sainristil. Wiggins, McKinstry, or DeJean would have been excellent picks at 29.
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