Gabe Wright to Detroit Lions: Full Draft-Pick Breakdown

General manager Martin Mayhew is nothing if not aggressive. In his second trade of the 2015 NFL draft, the Detroit Lions jumped into the fourth round to grab Auburn Tigers defensive tackle Gabe Wright.

The cost was next year's third-rounder, which shouldn't hurt much since Detroit will likely receive a compensatory third for Ndamukong Suh. The odd development, however, has been Mayhew's willingness to address every one of his needs already:

"

Lions hit all 4 needs, in some order, with first 4 picks: 1. G Laken Tomlinson; 2. RB Ameer Abdullah; 3. CB Alex Carter. 4. DT Gabe Wright.

— Mike O'Hara (@MikeOHaraNFL) May 2, 2015"

He probably understands that he's up against the cap pretty snugly and needs to fill the gaps with draft picks. However, none of this business about needs means that Mayhew reached when he grabbed Wright, who should carve out a nice role in Detroit.

Where Does Wright Fit?

The Auburn defensive tackle played in a rotation in college and will continue that custom for the Lions. He won't overtake starter Tyrunn Walker, but he should be able to wrestle a few snaps away from last year's fifth-round pick, Caraun Reid.

Detroit looks for a specific mold when adding interior defensive linemen. The Lions look for players who can shoot the gap (one-gappers) and cause problems in the backfield before plays can get underway.

That role will suit Wright. He has an extremely explosive first step that follows in the tradition of another Auburn defensive tackle whom Detroit drafted. It seems like the circle of life is closing: Wright will again follow Nick Fairley, as he did in college.

But Wright is obviously not on the same level as Fairley. Wright didn't consistently dominate the competition and doesn't have the run-stuffing ability of his predecessor. His production was solid in 2013 (8.5 tackles for loss, three sacks) but dropped off in 2014 (4.5 tackles for loss, one sack), which is probably the reason he was still available in the fourth round.

Yet Mayhew didn't express concern about that decline when Josh Katzenstein of The Detroit News inquired about it:

"

Austin said Wright has good hands, good first step. Think the production went down in 2014 because Auburn had a deep defensive line.

— Josh Katzenstein (@jkatzenstein) May 2, 2015"

And it shouldn't be a worry for defensive coordinator Teryl Austin. Detroit will use Wright on obvious passing downs against fronts that will have had to deal with Walker and Haloti Ngata. It's the perfect situation for Wright. He can use that incredible burst to create initial leverage and then capitalize on his advantage by dipping into his repertoire of pass-rushing moves to get after the quarterback.

Final Analysis

The basic reasoning is simple: Detroit needed a defensive tackle, so it grabbed one. That alone will bring this pick's grade up to at least a C. However, there's more than meets the eye here.

Wright doesn't just fill a hole in the roster; he fits the prototype that Detroit needed to provide an interior pass rush. Plus, he carried at least a third-round grade from most pundits, meaning the value present earns this pick a solid B.

Grade: B