17. Detroit Lions - Nic Scourton, EDGE, Texas A&M
The Detroit Lions had a brutal loss in Week 2 at the hands of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but they’ll be fine. They’ve been my pick to make the Super Bowl in the 2024 NFL Season, and I won’t go back on that. Detroit may end up losing stud offensive coordinator Ben Johnson to a head coaching job in 2025, so they may want to embrace trying to stock up more on offense to make up for the likely regression the unit faces without Johnson.
However, in the first round of the NFL mock draft, the Lions look to boost their pass rush, which could hit new heights this season. The Lions take Nic Scourton, a pass-rusher from Texas A&M. The Lions are going to make pass-rusher Aidan Hutchinson one of the highest-paid at his position next offseason in all likelihood, but no one said you could have too many rushers.
Lions GM Brad Holmes seems to largely have a good grip on the offense, so he could look into the free agency market to fill any holes on that side of the ball, but the Lions will also still have their other draft picks to boost the offense. For them, at pick 17, they’ll take a pass-rusher and help out defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn.
18. San Francisco 49ers - Emeka Egbuka, WR, Ohio State
The San Francisco 49ers already have seen Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, and George Kittle hurt. It could be shaping up to be another one of those years for the Niners, who seem to have the injury bug nearly every season. San Francisco has a ton of high-dollar contracts and may need to shed a couple next offseason.
The team is probably going to make QB Brock Purdy one of the highest-paid QBs in the NFL, and we saw just how hard it was to get Brandon Aiyuk on a new deal. The Niners could choose to part with someone like Deebo Samuel and try to continue getting younger and cheaper at the position. At pick 18 in this 2025 NFL mock draft, they’ll take Emeka Egbuka, a wide receiver from Ohio State.
OSU has had an amazing track record in recent seasons with wide receivers making a successful jump to the NFL. Guys like Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and Marvin Harrison Jr all figure to have long, successful careers. Can Egbuka be the next one to follow in their path?