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ESPN's Todd McShay went with a familiar combination for the Detroit Lions in the first two rounds of his latest 2014 NFL mock draft: defensive back and wide receiver. Most mock drafts out there have this pairing in place for the Lions, usually with Oklahoma State cornerback Justin Gilbert in the first round and one of the top remaining receivers in the second round.
McShay, interestingly, did not actually go cornerback in the first round for the Lions. Instead, he gave the Lions Alabama safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix. McShay himself said "this feels early to take a safety," which was my first thought. However, I don't mind the pick simply because he later said this: "And while Detroit needs a corner, none of the cornerbacks in this year's class are worthy of a top-10 pick in my opinion." If the Lions are going to reach for a defensive back, safety is a much better idea than cornerback.
In the second round, McShay went with Fresno State wide receiver Davante Adams for the Lions. He thinks Adams would fit in nicely with Calvin Johnson and Golden Tate, and Adams was seemingly the top wide receiver on the board at the 45th overall pick in this mock draft. The Lions could definitely use another player at wide receiver, and taking Adams would certainly address that need.
All things considered, this isn't a bad mock draft simply because Gilbert isn't the Lions' first-round pick. That's not exactly saying much, but I could live with the Lions getting a starting-caliber safety and a No. 3 wide receiver in the first two rounds of the draft.