By now we’ve already seen plenty of 2022 NFL mock drafts projecting what the Detroit Lions could do in this spring’s draft. Lions GM Brad Holmes and his staff have a lot of intriguing paths to consider with multiple first-round picks and a chance to personally check out prospects at next week’s Senior Bowl, where Dan Campbell and the Lions are coaching the American team. One of the limitations of the mock draft is that it doesn’t take free agency into account. NFL free agency begins several weeks before the draft, however. And the Lions figure to be more active in 2022 in free agency than they were in 2021, when the new regime was dedicated to clearing future cap room and signing only one-year bandages. With that in mind, here is a full offseason plan that incorporates cutting some players, signing some others and drafting even more. It’s just one potential path for Holmes and the Lions to consider. We’ll have several more of them in the coming weeks leading into free agency, which begins March 16th.
Oregon
Mississippi
Purdue
South Carolina
Middle Tennessee State
Washington State
Houston
UCLA
Florida A&M
Virginia Tech