The Detroit Lions boast one of the most talented rosters in the NFL but will still be one of the most intriguing teams to follow during the offseason.

With one of the best cap situations in the league, they have several key areas to address.

The team has needs at edge rusher, cornerback, and potentially on the offensive line, so they’ll need to be active in free agency to fill these gaps.

Even with a successful free agency period, the Lions may still need to address one of these areas in the draft, as suggested in a recent mock draft.

In the latest mock from Athlon Sports, Luke Easterling projected the Lions to use the 28th pick on Texas A&M edge rusher Nic Scourton.

Scourton earned All-SEC First Team honors in 2024, though his season wasn’t as productive as expected.

He registered just five sacks in his  lone season at A&M, a stark contrast to his standout 2023 at Purdue, where he led the Big Ten with 10 sacks.

Like many top prospects in this year’s draft, Scourton’s value is mainly based on his potential.

He’s an exceptional athlete with solid early career production and plenty of time to grow, as he won’t turn 21 until late August.

The Lions are also expected to add SEC talent with their second-round pick, projected to be Ole Miss cornerback Trey Amos. Amos also earned All-SEC honors, backed by strong statistics.

He allowed just 51.6% completion when targeted and had more interceptions than touchdowns allowed.

Amos seems like a safer choice to balance the potential risk of Scourton in round one.

If possible, the Lions should look to free agency for an edge rusher before selecting one of the high-upside players likely available late in round one.

However, if they can’t, Scourton’s strong sophomore year could make him one of the top edge options available, potentially pairing well with Amos to complete the roster.