Lions fill a big position with much needed help in ESPN's Matt Miller's way too early 2025 NFL mock draft

While the 2024 NFL Draft is out of the way, that doesn't mean that the draft experts stop working. The NFL season is approaching, but the college season is going to get here even earlier. Don't think of this as talking about the draft too early, think about it as your opportunity to scout players for your team all year.

ESPN's Matt Miller is already hard at work on the 2025 NFL Draft class. H e put together his first major first-round mock draft on Tuesday and he has the Lions picking with the 30th pick in the draft and selecting Ohio State receiver Emeka Egbuka. Here's his reasoning:

"I expect that general manager Brad Holmes will put some focus on receiver depth next offseason. The Lions are waiting to see what Jameson Williams can be in his third season after a series of setbacks due to injury and suspension , but the WR3 role is open for business. Egbuka is a savvy route runner with sure hands and toughness over the middle that would fit Detroit's offense. The senior should bounce back from a down year in 2023 (41 catches for 515 yards and four TDs) and post numbers closer to his huge 2022 season (74 catches for 1,151 yards and 10 TDs)."

Egbuka is a decent receiver and he could bring something to the table, but he's not the receiver I would be targeting. The one I would be going for would be Arizona's Tetairoa McMillan.

McMillian is a monster of a man at 6-foot-5 and has elite athleticism. He can fly down the field and he can make incredible contested catches. With his size and and vertical, he is also someone who can high point the ball in the end zone. The problem is that McMillian is expected to go high at this point. Miller has him going to Seahawks with the 11th pick.

That, of course, doesn't matter right now because, as we know, the draft is a living organism and it changes a lot from July to April. A perfect example would be that Penn State cornerback Kalen King was mocked to the Lions with the 24th pick in the first round of a mock draft last July . He was a seventh-round pick by the Packers in the draft this April. We'll see how the year shakes out.

Related: An encouraging injury update on Lions' defensive back Brian Branch ahead of training camp