The Detroit Lions need help on both the offensive and defensive lines. Specifically, they need tackles on both sides of the ball.
So it's no surprise Mel Kiper Jr. went with a defensive tackle for Detroit in his first mock draft of 2016, selecting Alabama's Jarran Reed at No. 16
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It's unclear what the Lions will do with their coaching staff -- Jim Caldwell is in limbo -- and new general manager Bob Quinn has never run a draft before. The most he's done is helped out Bill Belichick in New England. Quinn revealed some of his draft strategy at his first news conference Monday -- explaining that the Lions will draft with a mesh of need and best player available.
The Lions will clearly need tackles, with Haloti Ngata and Tyrunn Walker heading toward free agency. The Lions have been in a defensive tackle hole since last offseason, when the Lions let Ndamukong Suh, Nick Fairley, C.J. Mosley and Andre Fluellen go in free agency and did not compensate correctly.
They traded for Ngata and signed Walker, but both are now free agents. The Lions have C.J. Wilson and Caraun Reid under contract, so that is helpful, but they'll need help on the interior of the line. Reed provides that as a 6-foot-4, 313-pound space-eater in the middle of the field. In two seasons with the national champion Crimson Tide, Reed has made 112 tackles with 11 tackles for loss, two sacks, seven passes defended and a fumble recovery.
Kiper had other potential Lions targets off the board by No. 16, including Michigan State offensive tackle Jack Conklin, Alabama defensive lineman A'Shawn Robinson and Alabama linebacker Reggie Ragland.
The other player I might have considered at No. 16 was linebacker Jaylon Smith from Notre Dame. He's a top-5 talent but tore his ACL and MCL in the Fiesta Bowl against Ohio State. He declared for the draft, but his injury could hurt his draft stock. It's not clear what Quinn's draft philosophy is when it comes to injured players, but Smith would fit both need and value (the Lions need linebackers with speed) at No. 16 as well.
