2019 NFL Draft Watch: Week 2 EDGE Maxx Crosby (Eastern Michigan) 6-foot-5, 247 pounds | Junior

The Eagles Detroit Lions T-Shirtface off against Purdue at 12 p.m. ET on the Big Ten Network. If you’re able to watch or have a chance to watch any EMU games this year, I highly recommend giving Crosby a look. With 11 sacks (a single-season record for EMU) and 16.5 tackles for a loss, Crosby dominated the stat sheet during his sophomore year. He is very active with his hands off the edge and uses his length to disrupt and control the point of attack. Although he can be a bit reckless at times, Crosby often makes up for his deficiencies with his athleticism and high-effort plays. His burst off the snap is fairly decent, and he is a great mover in space for his size. Crosby was absent during EMU’s opener against Monmouth last week after being suspended by the team, but should make his first appearance of the year on Saturday.LB Joe Bachie (Michigan State) 6-foot-2, 238 pounds | JuniorObviously, as a State fan, I am a big Joe Bachie fan, but I believe he’s going to be a much better college player than he will be a pro. That’s not to say that he can’t have a successful NFL career, but I don’t think he has the athleticism to excel in a passing league, where his ceiling may be a bit low.Still, Bachie is arguably the best in the country at stopping the run and absolutely dominated in that area of his game last year. He has become the leader of the Spartans’ defense and has helped revitalize the tough, hard-nosed mentality that they once had under Dantonio.Bachie had a huge game in MSU’s close win over Utah State, including a game-sealing interception to close out a win.I would also include Brian Lewerke, MSU’s quarterback on this list, since the Lions could really use some young (and talented) blood behind Stafford, but I have already seen a few (namely The Draft Network) rank Lewerke as their No. 1 QB in the class, and it’s very unlikely that the Lions will select a QB as early as Lewerke could hear his name called.If you’re on the east coast, then you might have trouble staying up to watch the entirety of MSU’s night game against Arizona State. It kicks at 10:45 p.m. ET on ESPN, and will likely end close to 2 a.m.LB T.J. Edwards (Wisconsin) 6-foot-1, 242 pounds | SeniorSince we’re on the topic of linebackers, Edwards is another name to watch and has made a name for himself over the past couple years as one of the best cover linebackers in the country. Edwards hauled in an impressive four interceptions last year with six passes deflected, to boot. He may be a bit undersized and might not test extremely well in pure speed, but his instincts and the angles he takes are enough to make up for at least some of his lack of speed, as he is often there to make a play on the ball.I like Edwards as a WILL in a 4-3 or a 3-4 ILB, but he has the flexibility to move around if need be.If you have the Big Ten Network, you’ll likely get this game or Eastern Michigan depending on your area (noon kickoff).LB Joe Giles-Harris (Duke) 6-foot-2, 240 pounds | RS JuniorI think you get the theme. The Lions are going to need to go heavy on the defensive side of the ball at some point Detroit Lions Hats , whether it’s free agency, the draft or both. This may be the year to add a bunch of pieces to the front-seven because it looks there are going to be a lot of very good prospects to choose from.Giles-Harris is a much better athlete than the previous two linebackers in this piece and doesn’t have to worry about running off to the sidelines on third down. He excels in the passing game, showing the ability to get from sideline-to-sideline in an instant and has proven that he can drop back in both zone- and man-coverage.There are very few concerns I have with Giles-Harris when watching his tape, but you don’t really see his name mentioned with other top linebackers in this upcoming class. If he has another dominant year and tests well (which he should), I expect to see his name rise up near the top of the list and I think he could be a perfect fit for Patricia’s Year 2 defense.This game will be featured on ESPNU at noon and will give us a nice look at Giles-Harris on one side and Paddy Fisher (who we focused on a little last week) on the other at linebacker.CB Alijah Holder (Stanford) 6-foot-1, 191 pounds | RS SeniorA game to watch out for is No. 17 USC at No. 10 Stanford at 8:00 p.m. ET on FOX.Holder has had to overcome injuries which held him to only 12 appearances in 2016 and 2017 combined. He also looks pretty thin for his size and will need to bulk up eventually when preparing for the NFL, but he’s definitely not lacking in ability.His most notable play was a pick-six on Freshman at the time, Josh Rosen, where he exhibits his ball skills and some ability to run after the catch, as well.Holder is at his best when using his size to his advantage in press coverage and has a great understanding of how to use his hands to disrupt routes and win early at the line of scrimmage. This should be a great test for Holder, as he’ll be lining up against some talented Trojan receivers, like Amon-Ra St. Brown (brother of Equinameous) and redshirt sophomore Tyler Vaughns.2019 Draft Watch: 4 prospects the Lions could target during Week 4 EDGE Brian Burns (Florida State) | 6-foot-5, 235 pounds, JuniorNorthern Illinois at Florida State | 3:30 p.m. EST on ESPNUDespite Florida State’s early struggles this year, Brian Burns remains a bright spot for the Seminoles. At 235 pounds, Burns is a bit thin for the position, so he’ll need to pack on a few pounds if he wants to stay in there on running downs, but his athleticism and pass rushing skills are why he’s being talked about as a top-10 pick right now. Burns exhibits a variety of moves to get to the quarterback, and has the fluidity and flexibility to contort his way around opposing tackles consistently. Of his notable pass rushing moves, Burns’ spin move is probably his most notable and deadly move, which he put on display in Week 1 against Virginia Tech. I don’t know what’s more impressive, the spin move or the ability to redirect his eyes and change directions after the spin move to bring the quarterback down. Burns is the type of pass rusher and athlete the Lions desperately need on the edge, and sadly, while Burns might hear is name called early in the draft, that could be where the Lions are picking. IDL Raekwon Davis (Alabama) 6-foot-7, 317 pounds, Junior#22 Texas A&M at #1 Alabama | 3:30 p.m. EST on CBSEither you’re sick of Alabama prospects because of A’Shawn Robinson or you don’t really care and you’re pretty excited about how Da’Shawn Hand is performing as a rookie so far. I tend to not believe in the horse crap theory of “never draft a player from (enter school here) because we haven’t had much luck there,” because every player is different. I seriously had someone tell me that they wouldn’t even consider looking at Duke linebacker Joe Giles-Harris, because Laken Tomlinson didn’t work out for us Detroit Lions Womens Hoodie , and there haven’t been many good players to come from Duke’s football program. Um, okay. Davis is a monster, physically, and it often takes two defenders to impede him, sometimes even three. Some have compared Davis—due to his size and skill—to 49ers defensive lineman, DeForest Buckner who is fresh off of a dominating performance against Frank Ragnow and the rest of the Lions’ O-line. Davis is a work in progress as a pass rusher but shows signs of dominance with his raw strength and also does a nice job of getting underneath the pads of opposing O-linemen despite his height. With some work with former Alabama DL coach Bo Davis, Davis could see his potential unlocked with the Lions.Raekwon Davis showed up huge during Alabama’s biggest games last year. We are still waiting for any Lions interior D-lineman to show up at any time this year. LB Devin White (LSU) 6-foot-1, 240 pounds, JuniorLouisiana Tech at #6 LSU | 7:00 p.m. EST on ESPNUI left White off of my watch list from last week when highlighting last week’s LSU game because I hadn’t really watched any film on him yet, so I decided to follow my own advice and give that game a watch. It was hard not to notice White, who was flying around the field and constantly near the ball at the end of every play. The most notable play came on an important fourth-and-1, where White blew up the play and caused a turnover on downs, then celebrated with Cam Newton’s own “Superman” pose to the Auburn crowd. The range and athleticism jump at you when watching White, and those traits are huge in today’s prototype NFL off-ball linebacker. However, in a way, White reminds me a little of Jarrad Davis at times with his hesitance and recklessness in pursuit. White is prone to missing a tackle or two and occasionally overcommits on fakes. S Jaquon Johnson (Miami) 5-foot-11, 190 pounds, SeniorFIU at #21 Miami (FL) | 3:30 p.m. EST on ESPN2With the Lions’ secondary not performing all that well to start the year, Glover Quin appearing to “lose a step” and Tavon Wilson getting abused by the opposing team creating mismatches against him, the safety position shot up pretty high on the list of needs for Detroit.Unfortunately, Johnson may not be able to play in today’s game against FIU, but I still wanted to take this chance to talk about one of my early favorite prospects in the draft, at a position that the Lions may be coveting early. Make sure that when you do get a chance, to give Johnson a watch.Johnson is your typical, versatile safety that can move around the field and step up into man coverage if need be. He’s also very opportunistic and gravitates toward Miami’s infamous “Turnover Chain,” forcing seven turnovers last year (four INTs and three forced fumbles).The Lions could really use an athletic safety and big-time playmaker on this defense, and I think Jaquan Johnson would be a fantastic fit for their secondary. Whether he suits up or not today, keep an eye out for him the rest of the year. It’ll be hard to miss him.