A lot of people questioned the Detroit Lions on their draft picks in the 2023 NFL Draft this year. Which makes no sense to me with the picks they made. They may seem a bit early and absurd, but the Lions made the right picks.
Jack Campbell, the eighteenth pick in the 2023 draft is an inside linebacker from the University of Iowa. He had amazing seasons, and he also performed well in training camps and in preseason games. I know this man will be in the discussion for the 2023-24 Defensive Rookie of the Year award. With him already starting for the Lions’ first game at Arrowhead Stadium against the Chiefs, I know he won’t be intimidated by the pressure and mess up simple things. And if my word isn’t enough, you can check out ratings done by PFF (Pro Football Focus) talking about how he has had great performances in training camps.
Not only do I have faith in one of our players being an outstanding rookie, but my faith also lies with Jahmyr Gibbs. He and Bijan Robinson were the best players in the draft when it came to running backs and there’s no competition. The Lions took Jahmyr Gibbs as the twelfth pick in the draft and it was all planned out beautifully, as we gained more cap space by drafting Jahmyr, then trading for David Montgomery (Former Chicago Bears running back), and trading Jamaal Williams and D’andre Swift. We gained tons of cap space and we still are maintaining a promising running back duo. I do not believe that Jahmyr Gibbs will win any awards this year, but I do believe he will have a great year in Detroit for his rookie year—especially being behind such an elite offensive line.
The last player I wanted to talk about from the Detroit Lions draft picks was Hendon Hooker. Now, even though Hendon Hooker will not play a single game this year, he is still a significant pick. He creates amazing depth and a promising future for Detroit’s quarterback situation in the future. It is very unfortunate that he will have his debut game next year, but he will have tons of time to practice and prepare for that moment. And by next year, Hendon Hooker will be ready to suit up since he will not be injury prone either.
To finish this column, I just wanted to say that while so many people were upset and confused with the Lions’ draft picks this year, I believe that they couldn’t have made any smarter moves. They did the draft the way nobody expected them to, and with that, they made big plays for depth charts and for actual players.
