3 biggest Lions 2024 NFL Draft mistakes

It is a good time to be a Detroit Lions fan. The team just enjoyed one of its most successful seasons in franchise history and followed that up by hosting the NFL Draft. Things are looking up in Detroit, but the roster is far from perfect.

The Lions entered the offseason with a huge need at cornerback. Detroit’s secondary was by far the weakest position group on the team and arguably in the entire NFL. The Lions rolled into the NFC Championship with Cameron Sutton and Kindle Vildor as their starting outside cornerbacks. Cameron Sutton was cut earlier this offseason, which left the cornerback room needing a complete redo. GM Brad Holmes wasted no time addressing the positing during free agency. The team traded for Carlton Davis III from Tampa Bay and signed Amik Robertson away from the Raiders. They followed that up by picking Terrion Arnold and Ennis Rakestraw Jr. with their first two picks in the 2024 NFL Draft.

It’s hard to argue with Detroit’s first two draft picks because they filled a critical area of need for the team. However, some of Detroit’s mid-round picks are more questionable. Here are three draft mistakes from the Detroit Lions in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Did the Lions spend too much to trade up for Terrion Arnold?

The Lions traded up from 29th overall to select Terrion Arnold at pick 24. Much of the problem with this move is how expensive it was to trade up five picks, as well as who was still available at that time.

Detroit traded a third-round pick (73rd overall) to move up and get Arnold. At the time, Quinyon Mitchell was the only cornerback off the board. It seemed like regardless of who Detroit’s top cornerback was, somebody would fall into their lap at 29.

The following cornerbacks were available at pick 29 and selected before Detroit came back on the clock at 61: Nate Wiggins, Kool-Aid McKinstry, Cooper DeJean, Kamari Lassiter, Max Melton, and Mike Sainristil. Wiggins, McKinstry, or DeJean would have been excellent picks at 29.

It’s hard to fully compare trade scenarios until a couple of seasons have passed. However, we can look at who would have been on the board in the third round if Detroit had not decided to trade up. The Cowboys picked Cooper Beebe at 73, a pick that would have been welcome in Detroit. Another guard, Christian Haynes, could have also been the pick and went to Seattle at 81. If the Lions wanted an edge rusher, both Bralen Trice and Jonah Elliss were available.

Ultimately, if Arnold becomes a CB1 in Detroit then nobody will care about the third-round pick.

Giovanni Manu is an expensive project pick

Manu is a fascinating tackle prospect with an incredible build and huge upside. However, he played college football in Canada at the University of British Columbia. Manu will face a huge difficulty spike going from Canadian college football to the NFL. He will slot in immediately as a rotational role player at best. It’s entirely possible that he sits his entire rookie year and simply adjusts to the NFL game.

This is all well and good, but it came at the cost of a future third-round pick for the Lions. This is a sticking point even for those who can get on board with taking a shot on an international player in the middle rounds of the draft.

Manu doesn’t have to turn out like Jordan Mailata for this to be a good pick, but expectations will be high.

Drafting Sione Vaki to play running back is a choice

Vaki is another interesting prospect. He primarily played safety in college and took some snaps at running back. Detroit picked Vaki in the fourth round and when announcing the pick listed Vaki as a running back. The Lions have since confirmed that they plan to give Vaki coaching as a running back and see where his ceiling is at that position.

The potential is there for Vaki to be a three-phase player for Detroit — contributing on offense, defense, and special teams. While that sounds nice, it is fair to question the quality of play he will provide in each phase. As a player who is converting positions, it seems hopeful to expect anything from the guy outside of special teams.

Between Manu and Vaki, it seems that Brad Holmes was feeling very confident on day three of the draft.

It will be fascinating to watch both Vaki and Manu in their rookie seasons.