Saturday open thread: What positions could the Lions double up on in this year’s draft?

The Detroit Lions are in a strange position that we haven’t seen them in for quite a while: they don’t really have many glaring holes on the roster.

That is thanks to general manager Brad Holmes’ extremely active free agency period where he was able to attack the team’s biggest need at cornerback, while bringing back a lot of players (or replacing them) at holes that were potentially going to open up.

Today’s Question of the Day is...

What position(s) could the Lions double up on in this year’s NFL Draft?

My answer: I don’t see a lot of options here, which is why I think fans should expect the Lions to package some picks and move up in the draft at some point. It feels unlikely that the Lions will use all nine picks in this year’s draft.

Two positions that come to mind are on both sides of the interior line: offensive guard and defensive tackle. Last year, the Lions typically carried eight offensive linemen on game day with an extra two or three reserve O-linemen listed as inactive. They already have four of their starters locked in, along with Halapoulivaati Vaitai and Graham Glasgow fighting for the starting right guard spot. I expect the Lions to add an OL early in the draft to potentially fight for that starting job and provide insurance for the future, and it wouldn’t hurt to add another versatile OL a little later to add some extra talent at the bottom of the depth chart.

At defensive tackle, the Lions got away with carrying just four interior defensive linemen for most of the year and had some edge rushers that they could move inside depending on the situation. The question is, was that always the plan? Or was that due to a lack of talent on the interior? And even if the Lions decide to only carry four interior defensive linemen on the roster again, their current reserves are Benito Jones on a one-year deal, an injured Levi Onwuzurike, and Demetrius Taylor, who spent most of his time on the practice squad last year. The Lions could easily double up on the interior defensive line and find some room for their rookies.

Ok, your turn. Let us know what you think in the comment section.