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Michigan’s Aidan Hutchinson a good possibility for Lions with No. 2 pick

Nothing is for certain in the NFL draft which starts at 8 p.m. on Thursday. Typically there’s a consensus top pick or even top 10. Not this year. It’s actually more interesting than most.

With the Lions’ second overall pick, they will likely draft an edge rusher, their biggest need. Of course, that pick will depend on who the Jacksonville Jaguars take at No 1. The top two picks could both be edge rushers.

Michigan’s Aidan Hutchinson for weeks had been considered the top overall pick, but Travon Walker (Georgia) has been moving up in many mock drafts and may be more attractive to the Jaguars. Still some draft gurus still have Hutchinson going to Jacksonville. Four of the five mocks at CBSsports.com have Hutchinson drafted by Detroit. The fifth has the Lions taking Kayvon Thibodeaux.

If Walker or even Kayvon Thibodeaux, an edge rusher from Oregon, goes to Jacksonville, the Lions will likely pounce on Hutchinson, the hometown kid. It won’t be a sentimental pick – he finished with 14 sacks last year (the Lions had 30 total) and is considered technically efficient. He’s a leader and everything a team could want with the No. 1 pick — unless they see more upside in Walker.

So there you go. No one knows for sure who will be wearing Honolulu blue, not even Lions GM Brad Holmes who is looking for a game-changer. Any one of the top three defensive ends could fit that bill.

The Lions also have another first-round pick (32nd overall) received in the trade deal to the Rams for Matthew Stafford.

That is even more questionable.

If quarterback Desmond Ridder (Cincinnati) is available he could be a good fit at 32nd.

“I think he could be their starter soon. Ridder is a veteran with poise, arm strength and the ability to throw on the move,’’ ESPN’s Mel Kiper said about selecting Ridder as the Lions pick at 32 overall in a mock draft.

Ridder might not drop to the Lions. Same with quarterback Sam Hamilton (North Carolina). Quarterback Kenny Pickett (Pittsburgh) could also be a possibility with that pick.

No guarantee the Lions go with a quarterback there.

Is that spot too early to think about wide receiver? Penn State’s Jahan Dotson could get the nod.

Defensive possibilities include linebacker Nakobe Dean (Georgia), linebacker Devin Lloyd (Utah) and safety Lewis Cine (Georgia).

As Holmes mentioned in his pre-draft talk, the Lions will be prepared for the 32nd overall pick on the first night. And then on Friday they will be back on the clock with the 34th overall pick (second round).

All in all the Lions have eight picks — two in first round (2 and 32), one in second (34), two in third (66, 97), one in fifth (177) and two in sixth (181, 217).

While much of the focus is on the first round, perhaps Holmes can find a few more game-changers in the later rounds.

The draft starts at 8 p.m. on Thursday, 7 p.m. on Friday and noon on Saturday. It will be televised on ABC, ESPN and NFL Network.

Lions O-line potential sky-high, just ask D’Andre Swift

No doubt, months away from opening day the Lions offensive line has the potential to be one of the league’s best.

Of course, there’s a big if. Unlike last season, can they stay healthy?

Lions running back D’Andre Swift said it crosses his mind at least once a day about what could happen next season if the offensive line remains healthy.

The line is set up so that GM Brad Holmes doesn’t need to draft an offensive lineman to make it work.

While all five “starters” O-line starters never played in one game last season, they are healthy and, of course, optimism radiates. It’s that time of year.

“I said it last year, I’m going to stand on it. I think we can be the best in the league, I know we can be the best in the league. We just have to come out to work everyday,’’ left guard Jonah Jackson said.

Projected starters from last year will all return with left tackle Taylor Decker, left guard Jonah Jackson, center Frank Ragnow, right guard Halapoulivaati Vaitai and right tackle Penei Sewell (last year’s first-round draft pick).

Due to a slew of injuries they never played in one game together. Decker missed the first six games, Ragnow played in the first four and then hurt his foot and missed the rest of the season.

The good news is that Ragnow is back and participating in offseason workouts which started this week.

“I think being hurt, that was horrible. You just gain a lot of respect for dudes who have had to deal with injuries. It’s a gut-wrenching, man you really don’t realize. Obviously you’re still part of the team but you don’t really feel part of the team,’’ Ragnow said on Thursday.

“When you’re out on the field on Sundays and you’re in your gear, you’re like a gladiator. I’m walking out there in a T-shirt and shorts walking around, it’s a humbling feeling,’’ he added.

Sewell was one of last season’s highlights.He spent training camp at right tackle but when Decker went down before the first game he shifted to the left and did a respectable job.

“He looks the same. He’s a freak show. He’s still a freak show,’’ Ragnow said of Sewell. “Big, strong kid, great energy.”

Having the same guys return is huge.

“Obviously, we would love to all stay healthy, just off-the-field wise and mentally chemistry wise people don’t understand how big that is for offensive lines in particular,’’ Ragnow said. “You have to really know how these guys think, trust these guys and the relationships we’ve developed over five years with me and Taylor and the other guys trickling in here.’’

Five keys from Lions GM Brad Holmes one week before the draft

Of course Brad Holmes is not giving away his draft strategy. Still the Lions general manager, who is entering his second draft with the team, shared a few insights one week before the NFL draft.

The Lions have two first-round picks (No. 2 and 32) when the draft kicks off at 8 p.m. on Thursday, April 28. Overall they have eight picks over the three-day event.

“Right now, we’re in a good place. There are still things that are fluid here and there, there is still some new information coming in as we speak. But we’re confident in our process up to this point,’ Holmes said at a pre-draft press conference on Thursday.

Even though Holmes had a decent draft a year ago, the Lions are coming off a three-win season. That point can’t be overlooked. The team was young and due to injuries many younger players got thrown into the fire. Some found success, others got a little singed but could be better for the experience.

He would not rule out taking a quarterback with the No. 2 pick, insisting he is looking for a game-changer at that pick and every pick. “So, if that position is a quarterback, then it’s a quarterback. Just because often, it’s been slated that, well, picking up there, it’s either going to be a quarterback or a pass rusher or a tackle and all that type of stuff. But look, I said from Day One, give me a game-changer at any position, and there are multiple positions where we do see that potential game-changers could be there in the future,” Holmes said. “Time will tell of course however they develop.”

Five of the key highlights from Holmes on Thursday:

1. With the second overall pick, it’s not just a matter of nailing down his top two prospects. “Anything can happen (on) any day, I will say that. But it’s not just narrowing it down to your top two. You better have your top five. You better have your top 10 in place because you just don’t know what’s going to happen each day,’’ Holmes said. “We do have it narrowed down, and we feel confident where we’re at with how we have it pared down. We’ll just let the process unfold.”

2. He is confident that Dan Campbell and the coaching staff can once again prepare rookies for Sundays in the NFL. “Like I said, we’re very fortunate and we’re very blessed, and to get into position to have a coaching staff that has a passion of developing, and the proof’s in the pudding. It’s proven; they’ve actually done it. So, it gives you a lot of optimism,’’ Holmes said. Last year’s top pick, right tackle Penei Sewell, was a starter from the get-go. But the staff also got several rookies to contribute including linebacker Derrick Barnes (fourth round) who started six games and played in 17 and wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown (fourth round) who also started six games and played in all 17.

3. Holmes and his scouting staff aim to find the right balance for a prospect between his college production and potential. “You can’t ignore production, but you’ve also got to look at those critical factors of the actual player. Is he doing everything in his power, does he have the skillset, does he have the traits to do certain things? Does he have the football character? There’s a lot of different factors that can come in that can project to more production when they get into the NFL. How were they used in their scheme in college versus what our scheme is going to be? There’s a lot of different factors that go into that, but you definitely can’t ignore the actual production because that’s real (and) factual,’’ Holmes said.

4. While no one will downplay the importance of the draft, last year Holmes was able to work undrafted prospects like cornerbacks Jerry Jacobs and A.J. Parker into the lineup. That fact could play into draft-weekend decisions. “It just gives you confidence that we were able to identify some of those guys. Being that those guys have a year under their belt, they carry that invaluable experience that they have and that play time into this year. So, yeah, absolutely. It kind of affects a little bit how you look at it, like you can’t forget about those guys. It gets you excited about what those guys are going to be this year coming up,’’ Holmes said.

5. Holmes and coach Dan Campbell proved last season that they don’t look at pedigree or draft credentials when it comes time to getting the best players on the field. “Dan and I have always said you can call us the land of opportunity, but we don’t care where you come from. … If you step in this building, you’ve got an opportunity to compete and it doesn’t matter where you come from. You can talk about meritocracy, in the sense of whoever’s the best is the best. Well, that’s kind of how we approach it because of undrafted free agents.”