2017 NFL Mock Draft: Detroit Lions Select LB Zach Cunningham at No. 21

With the 21st pick in the 2017 DBN Community NFL Mock Draft, the Detroit Lions select...

Zach Cunningham, LB, Vanderbilt

The selection and write-up were made by Mean Ol' Pete:

When you look at the Detroit Lions 2016 season you'll see a good team with a few major holes, especially on the defensive side of the ball.

The secondary has two excellent players in Darius Slay and Glover Quinn, but quality and depth were an issue at CB and S all year. They had to start Badamosi four times last year, we've all seen how that movie ends.

The D line has solid but unremarkable players, Ngata is no longer a force in the middle.

The real problem is in the LB core, particularly in the middle. DeAndre Levy has been the Mike for the past few years in Detroit, and played very well when he was on the field. He missed a lot of games to injury last year and his absence was painfully evident. He has now departed in FA and Tank Carder would be an upgrade over anyone on the roster. (Ewwwwww)

This isn't a position of need in Detroit, it's a position of desperation. If you really liked a RB, WR, OLB, S, or CB at this spot, I would understand that, those positions could use upgrades as well.

Pokorny: The Lions are an unusual case of a team that built itself into a much more stable team in 2017, but still has quite a few key holes to fill. This might be a spot where I’d prefer the Lions take a running back, but any time you whip out Tank Carder’s name as a baseline comparison certainly indicates that linebacker is a position of need.

The Detroit Lions are up next, led by Mean Ol' Pete.