2021 3-round NFL mock draft: Washington Football Team adds a QB
By Ian Cummings
7. Detroit Lions: Alabama WR Jaylen Waddle
The Detroit Lions’ top receivers are Tyrell Williams, Geronimo Allison, and Breshad Perriman. Yes, they need much more help at the position. Picking this early hasn’t always resulted in success at receiver for the Lions, but Jaylen Waddle is a relatively safe investment with a lot of upside.
Some write off Waddle as a pure speed threat, given that he’s only around 5-foot-10, 180 pounds. But Waddle is much more than that. He’s a good route runner and an elite run-after-catch threat, and he also has the toughness and vertical explosiveness to compete in contested situations. He opens up the Lions’ offense a ton, and gives Jared Goff a safety blanket to work with.
Waddle is a player who I’d take in a heartbeat for the Washington Football Team, if he somehow fell to No. 19. It seems unlikely, but anything can happen on draft night.