And just like that, the 2023 NFL Draft is in the books. Per usual, it was a wild and unexpected ride, starting with all the Round 1 action. Day 2 and Day 3 delivered surprises of their own. Some teams capitalized on the opportunity, while others came up short. Let’s take a look at the 2023 NFL Draft recap, analysis, and grades for the Detroit Lions. NFL Draft analysts Andrew Erickson and Thor Nystrom combine to provide their thoughts below.

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2023 NFL Draft Recap, Analysis & Grades: Detroit Lions

NFL Draft analysts Andrew Erickson and Thor Nystrom combine to provide their thoughts below.

Thor Nystrom’s Overview & Grades

Detroit Lions | Draft Grade: C

Have you ever seen a more “we-don’t-give-a-f***-what-you-think” class than this? The Lions made one of the most shocking selections of the past several drafts when they took RB Jahmyr Gibbs at 1.12. They did so after trading out of the 1.6 slot that could have purchased RB Bijan Robinson, who most see as the best prospect at the position to come out in years.

Six picks after Gibbs, the Lions threw another nasty breaking ball that buckled the knees of prognosticators, taking LB Jack Campbell. Campbell was one of my favorite players in this entire class. LB3 on many other boards around the industry, I had him as LB1 with a bullet – and I was one of the few mock drafters who had him in the first round of my last mock (to Buffalo).

I will never criticize Jack Campbell, who I think will be a fabulous NFL linebacker – but man, that was aggressive. I would have advocated a trade-down that stayed ahead of Buffalo in Detroit’s shoes… but the Lions told the media they weren’t presented with any attractive trade-down possibilities for that pick.

After that wonkiness, I was prepared to kill Detroit in this column. But they kept ducking and weaving expectations. They started Friday with TE Sam LaPorta, who I beat the drum for all process. If he’d played in a different offensive environment than the rancid situation at Iowa, LaPorta may have been a first-rounder. He caught a ridiculous 30.2% of Iowa’s market share of receptions last season while converting two-thirds of his catches the past two years into first downs or touchdowns.

Next, the Lions stole S Brian Branch at No. 45. Switch the order that Gibbs and Branch were picked, and you jive the value of both slots on my board.

Early on Saturday, Detroit followed up the Gibbs pick by trading RB D’Andre Swift to the Eagles for a 2025 fourth-rounder. Swift is entering the last year of his contract. This opens the door for a Gibbs-David Montgomery platoon in 2023 that should be very strong – those guys’ skill sets complement each other well. To nitpick a bit, I think I would have traded Swift before artificially tanking his trade value. But I digress.

I railed against the absurd idea of Hendon Hooker as a first-rounder all spring. But I can’t complain about where the Lions got him. That slot was almost smack-dab where I ranked him on my board. And now you’ve got a dart-throw developmental piece for a post-Jared Goff future.

Andrew Erickson’s Overview & Grades

The hate for D’Andre Swift in Detroit was TOO real. Not surprised to see him get traded to the Eagles for a 2025th 4th-rounder. The writing was on the wall with David Montgomery first, and now Jahmyr Gibbs with the 12^th overall pick. Drafting Gibbs 12th was an obvious overpay for a running back that likely would have been available when the 18^th overall pick. Simply put, the Lions should have waited to take Gibbs. And to make matters worse, they followed up the pick with another poor value selection with off-the-ball linebacker, Jack Campbell. Woof. At least they traded back from six to 12 first (adding a high 2^nd-rounder) to make up for the reach on a running back.

The only way Dan Campbell and Brad Holmes can justify the Gibbs selection, is if he truly ends up as the second coming of Alvin Kamara. Recall, that Campbell is very familiar with AK41 from his many years spent with the Saints (’17-’20). I’d have to envision that he will be deployed in a similar fashion with heavy usage as a receiver, while splitting early down work with David Montgomery. Considering the draft capital, I am leaning toward being MORE on Gibbs than off if the fantasy market sours on him. Or if big fantasy media thinks David Montgomery will present actual issues, because there’s no question who the better running back will be. If anything it will come down to which RB earns the red-zone role that Jamaal Williams captured last season that will determine Gibbs’ true upside.

All things considered, landing in Detroit – great offensive line, immobile quarterback – is one of the better spots Gibbs could have gone to for fantasy purposes. And the draft capital invested in him should bury any concern related to Gibbs’ workload based on his 199-pound frame.

Detroit did their best to make up draft value with some of their later picks on Day 2. Snagging YAC-monster tight end Sam Laporta adds another dynamic weapon to an offense that is looking scary with Jared Goff at the helm. But also adding Brian Branch in the second round helps heal the wounds from Round 1 substantially. Branch is a no-doubt first-round talent, and only fell this far because the position he plays has been devalued. Per PFF, Branch missed just four tackles on 170 attempts (2.3%) against the stiffest competition the SEC had to offer.

But the cherry on top of Day 2 for the Lions was the selection of quarterback Hendon Hooker. Drafting a potential first-round quarterback that fell because of injury in Round 3 was a sharp move by the Lions front office. Hooker gives them a long-term answer at QB should Goff revert back into a pumpkin. Because when defenses figure out Goff, his production can tail off REAL quick.

Day 2 would have been nearly perfect for the Lions, but they left it on a slightly sour note with nose tackle Brodric Martin from Western Kentucky. Seemed like a massive reach for a player that was not inside my top 150 and ranked 226^th overall in Thor’s top 500. Martin’s not a bad player with a two-down presence upfront as a 337-pounder defender, but a lack of elite production – 49^th in PFF run defense grade among his class last season – does bring concerns.

FINAL DRAFT GRADE: B

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