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Detroit Lions: 7-Round 2019 mock draft, version 2.0

By Zac Snyder

NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 26: Fans of the New England Patriots, Detroit Lions and the New York Jets wait in line to enter the venue for the 2012 NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall on April 26, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 26: Fans of the New England Patriots, Detroit Lions and the New York Jets wait in line to enter the venue for the 2012 NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall on April 26, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images) /
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Detroit Lions draft prospect T.J. Hockenson
WEST LAFAYETTE, IN – NOVEMBER 03: T.J. Hockenson #38 of the Iowa Hawkeyes catches a touchdown pass in the end zone as Kenneth Major #2 of the Purdue Boilermakers defends at Ross-Ade Stadium on November 3, 2018 in West Lafayette, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /

Despite tight end being a big need for a second offseason in a row, T.J. Hockenson as the Lions’ 2019 first round pick represents a disastrous scenario. The sting of Eric Ebron is still fresh in the minds of too many Lions fans but this is a serious scenario worth examining and that is what this mock draft series is all about.

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Whether or not Hockenson is worth the eighth overall pick can be debated, but whether or not he is has nothing to do with Eric Ebron. You don’t pass on Calvin Johnson because you whiffed on the likes of Charles Rogers, Mike Williams and, to a lesser extent, Roy Williams.

It is true that the tight end group in the 2019 NFL Draft is regarded as deep, but that doesn’t mean waiting to address the position later in the draft is the best strategy. For one, waiting means running the risk of missing out and what better way to get a really good player than to take the top player from a deep group of players?

To be completely honest, I’m not on board with standing pat and using the eighth overall pick on Hockenson or any other tight end. This has nothing to do with the Ebron history; it’s just that there is likely to be a defensive player who could have a bigger overall impact. If there is a trade down scenario that ends up with a tight end as the Lions first pick, so be it.

Part of me wonders if some of the Hockenson top ten hype is an over-reaction to the success George Kittle, another former Iowa tight end, has had since going to the 49ers in the fifth round of the 2017 NFL Draft. That was  clearly a miss league-wide as he should have gone much higher. With the top of the draft now set, on to the second round.

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