Detroit's second-round pick of the 2008 SB Nation Mock Draft is coming up, and I figure it's time to start looking at potential picks. Going back to the first-round, with the 15th pick of the draft I selected Vanderbilt offensive tackle Chris Williams. I had hoped that Derrick Harvey, Ryan Clady, or Rashard Mendenhall would be available, but as luck would have it, all three of those players were drafted in succession right before the Lions went on the clock. Because of that, I settled on Chris Williams, which really isn't a bad thing as he is a good player. Obviously it wasn't my first choice, but in the end I was able to fill one of the Lions' many needs.
As pick #45 approaches, I'm really only considering drafting a player that is a linebacker or a running back. Detroit still will have needs at defensive end, defensive tackle, and cornerback, but with the players available at this time, I think LB or RB is the way to go.
My hopeful pick for a linebacker was Tennessee's Jerod Mayo, but the Saints just drafted him with pick #40. I was shocked he lasted this long and started to get my hopes up that he would fall a little bit more to Detroit. In real life I doubt he will last longer than the first-round considering he is really receiving a lot of praise, but you never know. The Lions could end up selecting him in the first-round, which really would've made it a steal if I could've gotten him this late in the mock draft.
With Mayo out of the picture, I am setting my sights on Oklahoma linebacker Curtis Lofton. He is someone that would likely come in as an outside linebacker and then eventually move to the middle once he has experience in the Lions' defense. Although I would have preferred Mayo over Lofton, just as the first-round showed, plan B can work out well too.
If Lofton is not around when I go on the clock in a few picks, then I will look in the direction of a running back. As my mock draft board shows, the best RB still available is East Carolina's Chris Johnson. He had the fastest 40 time at the NFL Combine and is someone that could make an impact in a variety of ways. I would rather hold off on a RB until the third-round as a solid player will still likely be on the board, but if I have to jump the gun to fill another need then I will.
To find out who I will pick for the Lions' second-round selection, head on over to Mocking the Draft Thursday morning. Picks 42, 43, and 44 will be posted today, giving me the night to sleep on who should become the newest member of the Detroit Lions.
Update [2008-4-16 12:29:14 by Sean Yuille]: The Broncos have picked Chris Johnson, so hopefully Lofton is still around when Detroit goes on the clock. If not, it looks like I'll be back to square one yet again.