2018 NFL Mock Draft: 10 Big trades create mass chaos

As bad as it sounds, moving on from Jim Caldwell at head coach was a move that should have happened a long time ago by the Detroit Lions, and it’s great to finally see some excitement with the recent hiring of Matt Patricia. When looking at how much success the former defensive coordinator had over the years with the Patriots, Patricia should quickly get this defense to the necessarily level to give them a better chance of competing in the NFC North while hopefully making another push for the playoffs.

Sadly, Detroit failed to take advantage of being in control of their own playoff destiny this past December after losing a key game to the Cincinnati Bengals. To top it off, the Lions rewarded Matthew Stafford with  quite the hefty extension at the beginning of the season, so falling short of the playoffs was even more frustrating to deal with, but at least there’s every reason to believe the former No. 1 pick should continue to keep this offense in great shape.

While Detroit could easily focus on offense in the first round, using the No. 20 pick on a linebacker like Rashaan Evans could provide Patricia with a fun project to work on during his first year as head coach due to his length and speed. It was one thing to worry about the Packers in the division, but with the rise of the Vikings, the Lions’ defense will need to be on top of their game in 2018 just to have a fighting chance, and Evans could give the unit exactly what they need at linebacker.