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The 2012 SB Nation NFL writers mock draft is rolling right along, and the Detroit Lions' pick, as made by me, was posted on Thursday. Now I can finally reveal that I went with North Alabama cornerback Janoris Jenkins.
Unfortunately, the timing of this pick is not very good given that Jenkins has had issues with marijuana in the past. Considering all that has happened this week with Mikel Leshoure and Nick Fairley, now is not a good time to try and advocate picking Jenkins. I actually made the pick last Friday, but even with all that has happened this week, I wouldn't change it.
Going into this mock draft, I had my eye on offensive linemen and cornerbacks. Unfortunately, by the time I went on the clock, guys like Jonathan Martin, David DeCastro, Stephon Gilmore, Dre Kirkpatrick and Cordy Glenn had all been picked. This left me with deciding between going with last year's approach and strengthening an already strong position (picking defensive end Whitney Mercilus, for example) or going with the best player available at a position of need.
In the end, I opted to fill a need by selecting Jenkins, who in my view was the best available cornerback. Obviously there are character concerns with Jenkins, and admittedly, had I made this pick now instead of last Friday, I would have been more inclined to go in another direction. Even with the concerns, though, I see Jenkins as a player who could come in and immediately help the secondary. The Lions need more depth and talent at cornerback, especially playing in a division with Aaron Rodgers and Jay Cutler, and adding Jenkins would go a long way toward improving the pass defense.
In the second round, I'm not sure what position I will end up targeting. We're still too far away for me to have a solid idea of what players will be available. If I had to guess, though, I'd say that chances are I will be looking to add some help on the offensive line, and if I don't go in that direction, then I could see myself adding a defensive end, linebacker or safety. It'll obviously depend on who is available.
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