The 2007 SB Nation Mock Draft has made its way to the second round. After finishing the first round up yesterday, the Lions were back on the clock with the #34 overall selection. If you remember back a couple weeks ago, I traded down with Tampa Bay and drafted defensive end Gaines Adams in round one. That left the Lions with a dire need at the positions of middle linebacker and cornerback. With Detroit's second round pick, I chose to target the latter.
So, with the #34 overall pick of the 2007 SB Nation Mock Draft, the Detroit Lions select cornerback Marcus McCauley out of Fresno State. This pick wasn't too tough to make. From the moment I picked Gaines Adams in the first round, my strategy immediately moved on to my first second round pick. I knew the Lions needed a cornerback or middle linebacker, but in the end felt that there wasn't as much depth to my liking at CB. That meant that with my earlier second round pick I went the route of a CB as there will still be a few good players at MLB around when I go on the clock again with the #64 overall pick.
Why did I choose Marcus McCauley? Well, I felt that straight up, he was the best cornerback out there. There were a couple that went in the first round that I had hoped would fall to the second, but other teams drafted them before I had a shot. Also, I had a couple of other players in mind, but saw McCauley as the best fit for the Lions.
One of the things I like most about McCauley is his physical style of play, which is a big component of the Cover-2 defense. He also has great speed and size to compliment his other skills. If Detroit drafted McCauley in real life, I would definitely approve of it and would commend the Lions for doing so.
With my second pick of the draft out of the way, the strategy now focuses on pick #64, which I acquired from Tampa Bay by trading down in the first round. Obviously, I will focus on drafting a MLB now. That is another of the Lions' many needs that still needs to be addressed. I already have a list of four or five players in mind as I expect a few of them to be taken before I have a chance to. I'm holding out hope that two particular players will be available, but still have others in mind in case they are off the board before I get back on the clock.
I'll have a full update of the SB Nation Mock Draft up later today that looks back at the first round and shows who has been drafted in the second round.