Detroit Lions Mock Draft: B/R Community Top 100 and 7-Round Results

The Internet is filled with Detroit Lions mock drafts, so we decided to offer one with a twist to keep things interesting.

First, all of the Bleacher Report draft correspondents did a full-scale mock draft of the first 100 picks, so there was no guesswork about who was available. Second, the rest of the slideshow is filled with traditional mock selections, so there can be some debate about who might be there when the Lions are on the clock.

You're not going to find that type of variation anywhere else, so click through to enjoy the originality. And, as always, sound off in the comment section about what direction you would have taken.

Round 1, Pick 23: DT Malcom Brown

Eric Gay/Associated Press

Pick	Team	Player	Position	School
1	Buccaneers	Jameis Winston	QB	Florida State
2	Titans	Marcus Mariota	QB	Oregon
3	Jaguars	Dante Fowler Jr.	DE	Florida
4	Raiders	Leonard Williams	DT	USC
5	Redskins	Brandon Scherff	OL	Iowa
6	Jets	Vic Beasley	OLB	Clemson
7	Bears	Amari Cooper	WR	Alabama
8	Falcons	Bud Dupree	DE	Kentucky
9	Giants	Kevin White	WR	West Virginia
10	Rams	Andrus Peat	OT	Stanford
11	Vikings	Marcus Peters	CB	Washington
12	Browns	DeVante Parker	WR	Louisville
13	Saints	Shane Ray	DE	Missouri
14	Dolphins	La'el Collins	OL	LSU
15	49ers	Trae Waynes	CB	Michigan State
16	Texans	Breshad Perriman	WR	UCF
17	Chargers	Danny Shelton	DT	Washington
18	Chiefs	Randy Gregory	LB	Nebraska
19	Browns	Todd Gurley	RB	Georgia
20	Eagles	Jake Fisher	OL	Oregon
21	Bengals	Landon Collins	S	Alabama
22	Steelers	Kevin Johnson	CB	Wake Forest
23	Lions	Malcom Brown	DT	Texas
24	Cardinals	Cameron Erving	OC	Florida State
25	Panthers	Ereck Flowers	OT	Miami (FL)
26	Ravens	Jaelen Strong	WR	Arizona State
27	Cowboys	Byron Jones	CB	Connecticut
28	Broncos	T.J. Clemmings	OT	Pittsburgh
29	Colts	Arik Armstead	DE	Oregon
30	Packers	Owamagbe Odighizuwa	OLB	UCLA
31	Saints	Eric Kendricks	LB	UCLA
32	Patriots	Melvin Gordon	RB	Wisconsin

One of my best-case scenarios from a few weeks ago came to fruition when Malcom Brown slid all the way to the Lions.

Brown has been mocked as high as the top 10 because he has the size (6'2", 319 lbs, per NFL.com) and quickness to disrupt plays from the inside. He proved it his junior year with 13 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks.

His quickness and technically sound hands will require double-teams, especially on passing downs, which will free up the linebackers and other defensive linemen to make plays one-on-one. But he must get better at anchoring against the run to reach his full potential, which Jon Machota believes to be immense:

"

Mayock: Texas DT Malcom Brown probably goes somewhere between 15 and 23. Can play 3-tech or nose. Stout vs. the run and can push the pocket

— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) April 23, 2015"

He'll spend his first year keeping Haloti Ngata fresh and opponents worn out. Then he'll likely take over Ngata's spot, relieving Detroit's concerns about starting fresh at defensive tackle again.

Cameron Erving was the only one who gave me pause before picking Brown. Left guard is the biggest hole on the roster, so the need for an offensive lineman is obvious. However, I wanted to see what guards were available later because there are free-agent options at the spot as well, and it seemed smarter to keep Travis Swanson in his natural position rather than move him over.

I did think about T.J. Clemmings for all of a second but ruled him out because LaAdrian Waddle needs to have a chance to find his rookie success. His first-year tape—the only healthy tape we have on him—was outstanding, and throwing a first-rounder at something that may not be a problem seemed costly.

Round 2, Pick 54: RB Duke Johnson

Pick	Team	Player	Position	School
33	Titans	Jalen Collins	CB	LSU
34	Buccaneers	Ty Sambrailo	OL	Colorado State
35	Raiders	Nelson Agholor	WR	USC
36	Jaguars	Dorial Green-Beckham	WR	Oklahoma
37	Jets	Laken Tomlinson	OG	Duke
38	Redskins	Ameer Abdullah	RB	Nebraska
39	Bears	Eli Harold	OLB	Virginia
40	Giants	Damarious Randall	S	Arizona State
41	Rams	D.J. Humphries	OL	Florida
42	Falcons	Eric Rowe	S	Utah
43	Browns	Donovan Smith	OT	Penn State
44	Saints	Phillip Dorsett	WR	Miami (FL)
45	Vikings	Stephone Anthony	LB	Clemson
46	49ers	Preston Smith	DE	Mississippi State
47	Dolphins	Devin Funchess	WR/TE	Michigan
48	Chargers	Tevin Coleman	RB	Indiana
49	Chiefs	Eddie Goldman	DL	Florida State
50	Bills	A.J. Cann	OG	South Carolina
51	Texans	Benardrick McKinney	OLB	Mississippi State
52	Eagles	Devin Smith	WR	Ohio State
53	Bengals	Maxx Williams	TE	Minnesota
54	Lions	Duke Johnson	RB	Miami (FL)
55	Cardinals	Ronald Darby	CB	Florida State
56	Steelers	Nate Orchard	DE/LB	Utah
57	Panthers	Jay Ajayi	RB	Boise State
58	Ravens	Clive Walford	TE	Miami (FL)
59	Broncos	Grady Jarrett	DT	Clemson
60	Cowboys	TJ Yeldon	RB	Alabama
61	Colts	Paul Dawson	LB	TCU
62	Packers	P.J. Williams	CB	Florida State
63	Seahawks	Carl Davis	DL	Iowa
64	Patriots	Tre' Jackson	OG	Florida State

Once Tevin Coleman, Eric Rowe and A.J. Cann were off the board, this pick became much easier. The running game needs help, but this spot is too early for Ali Marpet or another guard, which leaves Duke Johnson as the best player and fit on the board.

He isn't a consolation prize, though. In fact, some have him high on their board:

"

Duke Johnson. Does everything and does it well RT @SABmetrics favorite RB outside of Gurley and why?

— Cian Fahey (@Cianaf) April 23, 2015"

He's an explosive runner who has the vision to see how things will unfold a couple of moves ahead of time, allowing him to break off big runs despite what is seen as inadequate speed (4.5 40-yard dash, per NFL.com).

But don't let that number mislead you. One look at his tape will show you a runner who plays faster than he sprints on a track. And it's all due to his elite burst. Johnson will be an instantly productive back in offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi's scheme, which puts an emphasis on patience and explosion through zone-blocking schemes. 

So for a second-round pick, the Lions grab Miami's all-time leading rusher who also caught 38 passes in his final college season. And the opportunity cost isn't terrible either since the only picks of any concern in the next eight were cornerbacks Ronald Darby and P.J. Williams. It's hard to see head coach Jim Caldwell embracing Williams (who has off-field issues) at any point in the draft, and Darby might not be physical enough for defensive coordinator Teryl Austin's liking.

Round 3, Pick 88: CB Josh Shaw

Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press

Pick	Team	Player	Position	School
65	Buccaneers	Rashad Greene	WR	Florida State
66	Titans	Cedric Ogbuehi	OT	Texas A&M
67	Jaguars	Jeremy Langford	RB	Michigan State
68	Raiders	Ali Marpet	OG	Hobart College
69	Redskins	Danielle Hunter	DE	LSU
70	Jets	Tre McBride	WR	William & Mary
71	Bears	Jaquiski Tartt	S	Samford
72	Rams	Sammie Coates	WR	Auburn
73	Falcons	Mitch Morse	OG	Missouri
74	Giants	Rob Havenstein	OT	Wisconsin
75	Saints	D'Joun Smith	CB	Florida Atlantic
76	Vikings	Shaq Thompson	OLB	Washington
77	Browns	Jordan Phillips	DT	Oklahoma
78	Saints	John Miller	OG	Louisville
79	49ers	Denzel Perryman	ILB	Miami (FL)
80	Chiefs	Tyler Lockett	WR	Kansas State
81	Bills	Bryce Petty	QB	Baylor
82	Texans	Doran Grant	CB	Ohio State
83	Chargers	Hau'oli Kikaha	OLB	Washington
84	Eagles	Quinten Rollins	CB	Miami (OH)
85	Bengals	Za'Darius Smith	DE	Kentucky
86	Cardinals	David Cobb	RB	Minnesota
87	Steelers	Jeff Heuerman	TE	Ohio State
88	Lions	Josh Shaw	CB	USC
89	Panthers	Michael Bennett	DT	Ohio State
90	Ravens	Derron Smith	SS	Fresno State
91	Cowboys	Trey Flowers	DE	Arkansas
92	Broncos	Henry Anderson	DE	Stanford
93	Colts	Mike Davis	RB	South Carolina
94	Packers	Brett Hundley	QB	UCLA
95	Seahawks	Alex Carter	CB	Stanford
96	Patriots	Kenny Bell	WR	Nebraska
97	Patriots	Ifo Ekpre-Olomu	CB	Oregon
98	Chiefs	Senquez Golson	CB	Ole Miss
99	Bengals	Steven Nelson	CB	Oregon State
*100	Titans	Nick O'Leary	TE	Florida State

*First pick of Round 4.

Again, the board wasn't kind to Detroit regarding offensive linemen. Ali Marpet was gone, and none of the other prospects could match the potential impact of Josh Shaw.

The USC product will have to convince the Lions' front office and coaching staff that the weird story about how he sprained his ankle was a juvenile mistake and not an indictment of his character.

After that, defensive coordinator Teryl Austin can start figuring out where to plug in Shaw. He has the size of a safety, but his 6'0", 201-pound frame might be better-suited to playing the outside press.

If the pick hits, Detroit will have its own Brandon Browner in terms of physicality. And there shouldn't be any worries about his speed after his 4.44 40-yard dash at the combine, per NFL.com.

Round 5, Pick 168: OG Jamil Douglas

Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press

The big failure of this draft to this point is the lack of offensive linemen. But that's just how the board broke.

Detroit made an offer to Rob Sims and visited with Justin Blalock, so it's OK that the Lions weren't able to find their guard of today in this scenario. They can, however, find their guard of the future in the fifth round, but Jamil Douglas is going to need a little work before he's ready.

"

Jamil Douglas could be a good NFL guard, but he needs someone to light a fire under his ass.

— Matt Miller (@nfldraftscout) March 25, 2015"

The former Sun Devil wasn't consistent enough in college to earn a higher grade. In particular, he never demonstrated the nastiness that teams want from guards, seeming to pick his spots.

Douglas does have outstanding athleticism, though. He's able to create holes on the move and is nimble enough to stay in front of defensive tackles or stunting ends, which makes him a great fit for Detroit's zone-blocking scheme.

Round 6, Pick 200: FB Jalston Fowler

Butch Dill/Associated Press

Things get pretty wide-open once you get past the middle of the third round. The difference between receiving a fourth-round grade and being undrafted is much slimmer than you would think.

That's why this is a great place to grab Jalson Fowler.

The Lions let last year's fullback (Jed Collins) walk to Dallas with little fuss, probably because they only used a fullback on less than a quarter of their offensive plays, per Pro Football Focus. But while it isn't a position of great import, the sixth round is a great time to grab a good one.

Fowler will step in right away and handle the dirty work of the backfield. He's hard-nosed, has experience blocking on stretch plays and has good enough hands to force defenses to account for him outside of the backfield.

Lastly, his ability to find his assignments in a moving scheme means he'll be an able contributor to a special teams unit that fell apart late in the season.

Some see him going in the fifth round because of his potential. However, most fullbacks aren't even drafted, so it's more than reasonable for him to be available in this slot.

Round 7, Pick 240: WR Mario Alford

Chris Jackson/Associated Press

The seventh round isn't a time to atone for whatever sins you think this draft has committed thus far. It's a time for taking fliers or finding specialists.

Or in this case, taking a flier on a specialist.

The Lions retained Jeremy Ross in an effort to see if he can regain his mojo. He did finish 2014 with the 10th-highest kick-return average, but he had too many mental errors for the team to just hand him the job next season.

Alford is an inconsistent receiver at best. He struggles with drops and route running, but he can blow the top off a defense with his 4.43 speed and might be able to convert that to the return game with a little coaching.

And if he can't? Well, that's why it's called a flier.

All advanced stats, rankings and grades are courtesy of Pro Football Focus. All combine statistics are sourced from NFL.com.

Brandon Alisoglu is a Detroit Lions Featured Columnist who has written about the Lions on multiple sites. He also co-hosts a Lions-centric podcast, Lions Central Radio. Yell at him on Twitter about how wrong he is @BrandonAlisoglu.