Trade: Detroit Lions trade No. 18 to Eagles for No. 21, 170, 2021 third-round pick
Sitting at the No. 18 pick that they received from the Dolphins, the Lions are in a position to really do some damage in this mock draft, most notably by trading down again. They sit at this selection with C.J. Henderson, Xavier McKinney and Grant Delpit on the board and the teams immediately picking behind them are all fits for those players.
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Subsequently, they make a deal with the Eagles to move down three spots and pick up more draft capital.
Thus, the Lions end up with the 21st overall pick and are able to get a guy that fits like a glove into what they would like to be in their front seven, Iowa’s A.J. Epenesa. From the moment we saw Epenesa break out with a monster 2018 season, he’s just felt like a player that Bob Quinn and Matt Patricia would be in on, so getting him here feels perfect.
Coming in at 6-5, 275 pounds, Epenesa is a load coming off of the edge and a perfect complement to Trey Flowers on the edge for the Lions as they are built in the same mold. Epenesa is a technically refined player that boasts long arms (34.5 inches) and great strength when coming off the edge. Those tools translate to a player who can come in and affect the NFL game right away.
What makes Epenesa even more enticing, however, is the versatility he offers due to his size and play strength. The Lions could not only line him up as a starting base defensive end in their 4-3 system but could also move him inside to a 5-technique role in sub-packages and see him thrive with explosiveness at his size. He’s a fantastic addition that could really get Patricia’s defense working in the way his units in New England did.