The Lions are in a position to add significant talent to their roster via this week's NFL Draft. If last year's draft is any indication, Lions GM Bob Quinn has an eye for young talent.
Eight of Quinn's 10 picks in last year's draft contributed to a Lions' team that made the playoffs.
The Lions have needs along their defensive line, at linebacker, receiver, running back and at cornerback. It just so happens this draft is deep at all five spots.
Here's a look at 10 players who could fit those needs at No. 21:
**Reuben Foster, LB, Alabama
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It's probably unlikely that Foster is still on the board at 21, but if he is, Quinn will have a decision to make. Foster is as explosive a linebacker prospect as there's been in the last few drafts. He won the Butkus Award as the nation's top linebacker, leading the Tide with 115 tackles (13 for loss) including five sacks. He also won the SEC Championship MVP (11 tackles, 2.5 for loss, two sacks). The Lions need more playmakers at the linebacker position, and Foster is the best one available in this draft.
Taco Charlton, DE, Michigan
Charlton has ideal size and length (6-6, 277) to play opposite Ziggy Ansah along Detroit's front. He garnered first-team All-Big Ten honors this past season after leading Michigan with 9.5 sacks. He also had 13 tackles for loss. He can win matchups with quickness and power, and has an array of pass-rushing moves.
Haasan Reddick, LB, Temple
Reddick's Combine workout was outstanding – 4.52 seconds in the 40, 24 reps on the bench press, 36.5 vertical jump and a 11-1 broad jump. Add his measurables to the fact that he ranked third in college football last year with 22.5 tackles for loss, and the projections of him being a big-time playmaker at this level don't seem far-fetched.
Derek Barnett, DE, Tennessee
Barnett's game is predicated on power and production. He isn't going to wow anyone with his speed or agility, but he set a new school record at Tennessee with 33.0 sacks over three seasons. That broke the previous record held by legendary Hall of Famer Reggie White. He was the first freshman in the history of Tennessee to start along their defensive line. He recorded 20.5 tackles for loss (which led the SEC) and 10 sacks that year.
Jarrad Davis, LB, Florida
Davis turned some heads at his pro day. He wasn't able to run at the Combine because of an ankle injury, but at his pro day he ran the 40 in 4.58 at 6-foot-1 and 234 pounds. He also had a 38.5-inch vertical and broad jump of 10-9. He notched 23 tackles for loss, with five sacks, over his last two seasons (23 games).
Charles Harris, DE, Missouri
He has one of the quickest first steps of any pass rusher in this draft, and has a nice repertoire of pass-rushing moves to go with. Harris' breakout season came in 2015 when he garnered second-team All-SEC honors after leading the conference with 18.5 tackles for loss. He also recorded seven sacks that season. He followed that up with 12 tackles for loss this past season and another nine sacks with 10 quarterback hurries.
**John Ross, WR, Washington
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The draft's fastest player (4.22 in the 40) would instantly add a big-play element to Detroit's offense. He finished his career with the school record for 50-plus-yard receptions in a season (6) and career (11). Ross recorded 81 catches for 1,150 yards and 17 touchdowns last season. The Lions are also on the lookout for a return man, and it just so happens that Ross returned at least one kickoff for a touchdown in each of his three years at Washington.
Gareon Conley, CB, Ohio State
Opposing quarterbacks completed less than 40 percent of their passes against Conley last season. He started every game the last two years and had four picks and 12 pass breakups in 2016. He has great speed (4.44) and length (33-inch arms at 6-foot, 195 pounds) to play the position at this level, and has experience playing both inside and outside.
Corey Davis, WR, Western Michigan
Davis is probably the best all-around receiver in this draft. The 2016 Mid-American Conference Offensive Player of the Year is the all-time leader in major college football in receiving yards (5,285). He dominated lower competition in the MAC the last four years and finished his Bronco career by catching 97 passes for 1,500 yards and 19 touchdowns this past season. He has great size (6-3, 209), speed and route-running ability to make an immediate impact at the NFL level.
Takkarist McKinley, DE, UCLA
Some might consider McKinley undersized to play a 4-3 defensive end at 6-foot-2, 250 pounds, but the fact that he split time standing up and putting his hand in the dirt at UCLA makes him quite versatile to a creative defensive coordinator. A three-year player and full-time starter his last two seasons, he had 18 tackles for loss and 10 sacks as a senior in 2016. He has a motor that never quits, and could turn into a dynamic edge rusher.
