00:00All right, Gator, it's time for Carson Anderson Mock 2.0.
00:07All right, we need your help desperately to complete the following.
00:13The perfect pick at 17.
00:15We do this three months out.
00:17We're inside of two months out.
00:18Today seemed like a good day for it.
00:19So we're two months out-ish from the NFL draft.
00:23And then we follow along on how it evolves as we get closer to the draft.
00:28We'll do it a month out and then the week of the draft.
00:30We do four of these.
00:31And it's the people's pick.
00:33It's the people's pick at 17.
00:35Who's the perfect pick for the Detroit Lions at 17?
00:39248-539-9797.
00:40We want to know who you want.
00:42Now you can text over your pick.
00:45And when you do that, we'd like you to give a reason why.
00:48If you think the perfect pick is, you know, Spencer Fonu, why do you go with Spencer Fonu?
00:53Like what is it that pushes you in that direction?
00:57And we also have to tell you, we all, I think almost all of Detroit, not all of Detroit,
01:02but many people are in favor of trading the pick.
01:04But for the purposes of this exercise, you cannot trade the pick.
01:08So if they cannot move out of 17, who do you want them to take?
01:12We also have a can't draft list.
01:13Guys that virtually all mock drafts say will be gone by the time they're there.
01:18There's 11 players that made this list.
01:20They are Fernando Mendoza, quarterback, Indiana.
01:23Jeremiah Love, running back, Notre Dame.
01:26Mekhi Lemon and Carnell Tate, the two wide receivers from USC and Ohio State.
01:30Francis Muiaga, the offensive tackle from Miami.
01:34David Bailey and Reuben Bain, the two edge rushers from Texas Tech and Miami.
01:39The linebackers, Arvel Reese and Sonny Stiles, both from Ohio State.
01:43The cornerback, Mansoor Delane from LSU.
01:45And the safety, Caleb Downs from Ohio State.
01:48So the pool of players that you have to choose from at the positions of need.
01:52Well, you could go any of the tight ends if that's the direction you want to go,
01:57including Kenyon Sadiq, which we debated whether or not we should have him available
02:00and seemed to be a possibility that he would be there.
02:03The linemen, Spencer Fanu, Caleb Lomu, Monroe Freeling, Gator from Georgia.
02:09The guard, Olovavenga Ione.
02:12He can be the draft pick.
02:14The edge rushers, Keldrick Falk, Cassius Howell, and Akeem Mesidor, Zion Young as well.
02:18The defensive tackles, Peter Woods, Caleb Banks out of Florida.
02:23The corner, Jamal McCoy from Tennessee.
02:26And the safeties, Dylan Thienemann and Emmanuel McNeil-Warren.
02:29Now, you don't have to take any of the players I just mentioned.
02:31Those are just the players available for the purposes of this exercise.
02:352-4-8-5-3-9-97-97.
02:38Who do you think the perfect pick at 17 is, Detroit?
02:41And we will record this and take a look back as we get closer to the National Football League draft.
02:47Because things will change dramatically.
02:48They always do.
02:49Next week.
02:50Right?
02:51Next week, you've got the opening of free agency.
02:54We'll see what the Lions are doing.
02:57And with that in mind, going off of some perhaps recent intel, or not intel might be the wrong word,
03:03but just seeing that the Lions have brought certain people in to take a look at and to talk to,
03:09both college players ready for the draft and NFL players getting ready for free agency.
03:14I thought it was really interesting that they're rumored to have talked or reported to have talked with Jedrick Wills,
03:21the offensive tackle who's recovering from a knee injury.
03:25It's been like a year and a half that he's been recovering from it, but basically took last year off.
03:29Said, you know what?
03:29I'm good.
03:30I'm just going to, I'll be better when the season's over.
03:34And when he's healthy, he's a really good offensive tackle.
03:38And so my head's going, okay, let's just say for the sake of argument, in my own head here,
03:43the Lions target him in free agency, and they bring him in.
03:47Then maybe that takes away the need for an offensive tackle for me at the draft.
03:53If you're going to sign Wills and give him a four or five-year deal, something like a four-year
03:58deal,
03:59okay, now you're looking for the future with that, and maybe I've locked up my tackles.
04:03Now I can look elsewhere on the offensive line, or do I look at defensive end, or do I look
04:09at safety?
04:10And I'm a firm believer he built things in the trenches.
04:13So I'm ruling out the safety, even though they desperately need one,
04:16and I think they'll address it in the draft, just maybe not at pick 17.
04:20So it comes down to me, again, between edge rusher and offensive lineman.
04:25And the pick is in.
04:31With the 17th selection in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Detroit Lions select
04:37offensive guard from Penn State, Adubenga Ione.
04:42Wow.
04:43Look at you.
04:44You kind of caught me off guard with that one.
04:46It's my 51.
04:47I hear you.
04:48There are three players that I really like looking at this.
04:53The three players are Ione, who I took, Akeem Mesidor, who you know I love, is an edge rusher,
05:00and the other one is Monroe Freeling, the big offensive tackle.
05:04Okay.
05:05So remember, this is who you would take.
05:07Yes, and again, it's based on the intel that I think that they could sign Jedrick Wills as a tackle
05:12for a couple years.
05:12Yeah, which would be an interesting move.
05:15High upside.
05:17Depending on the contract, it could be low risk, high reward.
05:21But again, it depends on the contract.
05:23With that said, Scott, earlier in the week I made a prediction that the Detroit Lions would select Monroe Freeling
05:29from Georgia.
05:30That's the player that I think fits their profile the best of what they would do.
05:36I am not them, Scott.
05:39Scott, I would not do that if this is the board that presents itself to me.
05:44Yeah.
05:44Scott, the pick is in.
05:45Oh.
05:46And with the 17th pick in the 2026 National Football League draft, the Detroit Lions select Keldrick Falk, edge rusher
05:55slash defensive lineman from Auburn.
05:57The numbers aren't there in terms of production, but if you look at his snap counts, they moved him inside
06:02at Auburn quite a bit last year to play defensive tackle.
06:05I love that versatility, and he fits the suit, okay?
06:10Definitely does.
06:11So I'm willing to take the chance that this is a versatile player that can handle the physicality of playing
06:19inside, but also can provide some.
06:21I mean, he did have seven and a half sacks, I believe it was, two years ago.
06:24So I'm going to go that direction here, Scott.
06:27I don't think it's what they're going to do, but that's what I would do.
06:29Just so people understand, Mel Kuyper, he rated the top ten of these positions.
06:35He's got Keldrick Falk at number three among defensive ends, one spot ahead of Hakeem Masedore.
06:41There you go.
06:42All right, 248-539-9797.
06:45You tell us who the perfect pick is.
06:47We get heavy text traffic on this, so make sure you sign your text and make sure you give a
06:51reason why.
06:52We'll read a bunch of those coming up.
06:53We tally them up at the end of the show.
06:55We announce who Detroit, as of this date, on March 6th, who Detroit most wants at 17.
07:02It's been a fun exercise over the years.
07:04It's your pick, so make it 248-539-9797.
07:08We got trade deadline coverage all day long.
07:12We're all over that.
07:13Got to talk about that Piston game last night in San Antonio and put it in the context of what
07:17has happened lately.
07:19We'll get to that today at 1116 here on Carson Anderson on 97.1.
07:23Here we go.
07:23Here we go.
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