Lions Mock Draft in 2016 Will Focus on the Offensive Line

As Ticket King continues the tour around the NFC North, we finish with our mock of the Detroit Lions draft. The following is in the words of our in-house analyst T.J. Bryce.  

Round 1: Jack Conklin/OT/Michigan State- The Lions, much like the Vikings, are in desperate need of an offensive tackle. Conklin is projected right into the area of the first round where the Lions are slated to draft at the moment. Conklin is a franchise left tackle who will be asked to protect Matthew Stafford's backside from day one.

Round 2: Kendall Fuller/CB/Virginia Tech- The Lions really need a play maker at the cornerback position. Fuller has ball hawking skills and can take the ball away at the moment, turning moment in his teams favor. The Lions might be tempted if Michigan State quarterback Connor Cook falls this far, but general manager Bob Quinn should avoid that temptation and stick to the Lions list of needs.

Round 3: Tyler Matakevich/ILB/Temple- The Lions also need to work on their inside linebacker depth. Matakevich isn't the most physically gifted player in the world, but he is smart, and can be the starter from day one.

Round 4: Maliek Collins/DT/Nebraska- The 4^th and final major need for the Lions in this draft is a defensive tackle. Haloti Ngata, who was brought in after the losses of Nick Fairley and Ndamukong Suh in free agency last year, isn't getting any younger and the Lions really need to replenish their depth at the position. Collins is a big body with great athleticism and a high ceiling.

Round 5: Charone Peake/WR/Clemson- This is a deep draft for wide receivers, which is why despite the retirement of Calvin Johnson the Lions can wait until this late in the draft to take one. Peake has excellent size, skill and ability, everything scouts look for. However, he played behind a bunch of super talents at Clemson, which is why he falls to round five.

Round 6A: Brandon Doughty/QB/Western Kentucky. The last quarterback the Lions drafted was Matthew Stafford in 2009. Yeah, they need to draft a project. Doughty has a good arm, and threw the ball a lot. He lacks the proper build though.

Round 6B: Mike Thomas/WR/Southern Mississippi- The Lions could really use two wide receivers from this draft. Thomas is a productive player.

Round 6C: Jordan Lucas/SS/Penn State- Lucas is the perfect type of depth player. Excellent understanding of the game, and can hold up his end of the bargain when called upon.

Round 7: Tre Madden/RB/Southern California- Would be much, much higher in the draft if it weren't for his injuries. If he can stay healthy, whoever ends up with him will have the steal of the draft.