2021 NFL Draft: Washington trades up for Justin Fields in NFL mock draft
By Kyle Edmond
TRADE: San Francisco trades No. 12 to Detroit for No. 19 and additional picks
Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. Alabama. Jaylen Waddle. player. WR. 12. 50
After moving down from the seventh pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, the Lions make another trade here to move up and grab the player they were considering earlier. For San Francisco, they’ve been frequent movers in past years, so moving down a handful of spots and adding future assets wouldn’t be a big surprise.
As for Detroit, they are in desperate need of offensive playmakers for Jared Goff to find on the field. T.J. Hockenson has been underwhelming and losing Kenny Golladay leaves them with Breshad Perriman, Tyrell Williams and Danny Amendola at wide receiver.
We didn’t get to see as much of Waddle in 2020 as we would have liked, but the sample size we were given was enough that he’s still in the conversation for the top wide receiver in the class. Much of that is due to his speed.
The one concern I would have with this pick is the fit. It seems like Detroit wants a hard-nosed team built on strength. Now, they could still make it work. Waddle is a tough player mentally, but his game is more on the finesse side of things. Regardless, the Lions need an offensive weapon and Waddle is the best on the board here.