It certainly could be, but it depends what happens above us. If Mauigoa falls in range for instance, I could see Brad pouncing. He’s a great fit for us in every way.
It also takes two to tango. We may want to trade down - like I said I always want to trade down - but it’s easier said than done. Who is someone trading up for? We all know it’s a weaker class, why would anyone move up?
I just think the tape on Faulk tells a different story than his reputation. Painfully slow off the snap, and doesn’t play with a consistently hot motor. I find my eyes going toward the other Auburn edge, Keyron Crawford, every time I watch Faulk. I’d rather have him at his price, even if he’s not nearly as big.
I like Koziol but he’s a specific type of player. Good for 13 personnel as a LB-beater but I don’t really think he’s gonna get open regularly on his own.
I like a lot about Reiger, but he pretty much as the worst injury history of any prospect ever. That’s an exagerration, but I do think he’s probably made out of glass and spare parts at this point. Of course he’s cheap because of that, and I wouldn’t hate taking him late.
I bet Tyson falls. And I could see any of Downs, Mauigoa, Freeling, or Bain getting close enough to us that Brad might want to move up for them.
But why would they need to jump Minnesota to get them? Maybe McCoy, but otherwise there’d be no reason to trade with us.
It’s an exceedingly rare achievement for SEC DL to begin a year at 18 and perform the way he did in 2024.
That length plus that linear athleticism is somewhat rare
He supposed to be a great kid and teammate. Coachable.
A lot of assertions by scheme people that inside leverage was how he aligned in 2025 which was a departure from 2024 and might explain the decrease in pass rush exploits
High floor bc of character and run defense
While he’ll never be the run the arc type it’s not hard to imagine that with coaching a highly functional power rusher in their somewhere
Inside outside flexibility probably allows a second shot on goal to find pass rush even if it’s from the interior.
I went back and forth with him and McCoy. I think McCoy is clearly the higher upside prospect. But floor and need pushed me to Faulk. Though I do think Faulk has extreme upside if he hits just right.
I have clearly soured on Faulk since last offseason, since I loved him. I keep trying to figure out which one was the illusion, 2024 or 2025 (of course the truth is neither, they’re more in the middle, but when one is more telling), and the extremely slow get-off is a major issue for me, and I just don’t think his motor runs as hot as you’d expect. I know that goes against everything we’ve heard about him, but he really seems to take plays off. I wish I could post the first play of the Alabama game, it’s pretty surprising to give so little effort in THAT spot, but he essentially quits on the play. It ends up getting strung out and going nowhere (thanks to Crawford I believe), so it’s not on any of the condensed game clips and the full-game I watched is gone too (I think you can still watch it on ESPN+ maybe). I was glad to see DJ mention it in his latest write-up too, he was the first national guy to mention it, so at least I now know I’m not seeing things.
Of course that doesn’t mean all of the things you mentioned aren’t big positives, they are, it’s just I rarely see these downsides brought up.
He’s not a slam dunk, but I’m with you here on Faulk @CuriousHusker I get it- there are concerns with what could be perceived as less than urgent play in 2025. He did not produce the eye popping up-the-field statistics he had in 2024. He is not yet a finished product and can use some high level coaching. But there’s much much more to like than dislike. The significant assets he possesses will make him very alluring to Brad and Dan. Those traits fit both the Lions’ biggest roster need and their DE prototype like a glove:
•Extremely high character (similar to what they liked in Jack Campbell leading up to the 2023 draft). Everyone felt like Jack was a reach at 18. That “reach” has turned out to be a jackpot for Detroit. Jack Campbell has developed into exactly who the Lions dreamed he could become.
•Outstanding edge-setting length, strength and anchor against the run which is their stated #1 priority on D
•He’s very young; still just 20 y.o. He’s got another 3-4 years of significant upside and development. That’s huge. They can mold him into whatever they want him to be.
•Auburn changed schemes and asked him to 2-gap in 2025. That’s why I believe he looked slow at times off the snap. That scheme asked him to read and react while maintaining responsibility for both gaps. The Lions’ scheme would be more like Auburn’s scheme in 2024 when he did produce much better numbers. If he’d produced the numbers he had in 2024 this past season, he’d almost certainly be a top 10 pick.
•3-down versatility. He can flex inside on passing downs and be effective generating pressure from the interior
•He’s already sophisticated skill-wise for someone so young. He’s got heavy hands, ropes for arms, and is good at redirecting and stalking scrambling QBs. His tackling radius is large against the run.
I just can’t escape my gut feeling this guy is highly coveted in Allen Park.
This is true, but the main issue I have with it is he was still the slowest guy off the snap every play. There were plenty of other guys on the line with read-and-react responsibilities as well in the new scheme and they were all still faster to take off than him. Even in that scheme. Now maybe he’s just a slow processor (which could be excused by his youth), but again, there were younger guys than him too. And while the 2024 tape was better, the best you could call it was average. I just don’t think he’s much of a quick twitch athlete.
And the fact that he was regularly benched during passing downs the last few games, combined with with I perceived as an on-and-off motor… I don’t know, it all leaves a really bad taste in my mouth. I honestly think that is affecting me more than anything, maybe I’m over-penalizing him because of that bad taste.
The restrictions of the format were clear and I understand it’s just an exercise. It was also frustrating for 2 reasons:
I would have selected a player at 17 that was ranked beyond 21.
The constraint of not knowing the board and later likely options took me on a darkness retreat without ayahuasca to comfort me. Consensus boards are echo chambers of early appraisals and conflict with my cutting edge awareness.
I can’t wait until The Den Draft Prediction Contest where we have free range choices.
Yeah, he’s neither quick with his get off or with the sort of ankle flexion to run the arc expertly. Can you still build an above average pass rusher out of him given the length, overall athleticism, etc.?
I think so but I’m not certain of it. I think he’s likely gone by the time we pick anyhow.
I fully admit that he could hit with the physical profile, in fact I still mostly like it even with the slow get-off. It’s other stuff leaving a bad taste in my mouth about him.
He’s a tick down as an athlete but it’s sort of the Travon Walker deal. He’s going to have to get more refinement on the NFL level than most of these pass rushers but if he can get find one dominant move and some solid counters off of it I think he’ll be just fine as a pass rusher. And if he ends up just fine as a pass rusher, let’s say 8-10 sacks per year, than he’s going to be a terrific all around DE.
So my issues are more intangible stuff. I know all about what sort of kid he is/he’s supposed to be, but man his motor runs hot and cold. I thought I was crazy seeing it when very few others mentioned it, but now even DJ brought it up, so at least I know I’m not crazy. Saying that when it runs hot it’s really hot, it’s just not consistent. Too many plays off. I also really don’t like that Auburn pulled him on obvious passing downs the last 3-4 games. I know pass-rushing is his weakness, but not even in a nascar package?
