17. Detroit Lions: Akheem Mesidor, EDGE, Miami
The Detroit Lions need to address the trenches on both sides of the ball with their primary assets this offseason. If they could somehow swing it to get Tyler Linderbaum in free agency and trade this pick for Maxx Crosby, they’d really be cooking with gas.
But the Lions get beaten in the trade sweepstakes for Maxx Crosby in this mock draft scenario. Sorry, Lions fans.
Ultimately, it would definitely feel like a consolation to stick with this selection and whoever is on the board as an option to pair up with Aidan Hutchinson off the edge, especially because Mesidor is not much younger than Hutchinson. But does that really matter? This Lions team is in a win-now window, and they need to find ways to get after the quarterback.
18. Minnesota Vikings: Kenyon Sadiq, TE, Oregon
It’s not impossible that we could see some massive changes coming to the offensive personnel for the Minnesota Vikings this offseason. In fact, it would be surprising to see anything but that, given the fact that the Vikings fired general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and didn’t even trust him to get through this year’s NFL Draft.
One of the moves that could make some sense for the Vikings this offseason is to offload veteran tight end TJ Hockenson for draft compensation and cap relief, and if they end up doing that, Kenyon Sadiq would be a hand-in-glove fit with this selection.
Sadiq can block, he’s a playmaker in the passing game, and he’d be a tremendous weapon for Kevin O’Connell to keep some pressure off of Justin Jefferson.