Michigan DT Mazi Smith a Detroit Lion in The Athletic's latest 2023 NFL mock draft
It’s no secret the Detroit Lions are in the market for a stud interior defensive lineman this offseason. With the organization owning two first-round picks (Nos. 6 and 18), many have speculated it will go with early. However, The Athletic‘s Nick Baumgardner predicted something different in his Jan. 30 mock draft, with Michigan Wolverines football defensive tackle Mazi Smith landing with the Lions.
Baumgardner projected Smith to go No. 55 overall to the Detroit Lions, a pick that the club received from the Vikings via a midseason trade that sent tight end T.J. Hockenson to the division rival.
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A Grand Rapids, Mich., native, Smith grew up roughly two hours from Detroit. There, he would reunite with fellow Michigan defensive lineman Aidan Hutchinson, who is a finalist for the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year award.
Smith is receiving first- and second-round buzz, with the latter being the more likely landing spot for him. ESPN.com’s Mel Kiper Jr. did not place him in the first round of his latest mock, but did mention him as one he thought long and hard about at No. 26 to the Dallas Cowboys.
It’s a fair question to ask if Smith would even last long enough for Detroit to pick him at No. 55, though. The Athletic analyst Dane Brugler projected him to come off the board at No. 42 to the Cleveland Browns.
“Would Mazi Smith be the best defensive tackle on the Browns roster the moment he’s drafted?” Brugler wrote. “It’s no mystery that is a position of need for Cleveland.”
Prognosticating that Smith will impress at the NFL Draft Scouting Combine — which is set for Feb. 28 to March 6 in Indianapolis — Yahoo Sports slotted Smith No. 27 to the Minnesota Vikings.
“Smith might not be in many first-round mocks right now, but he’s a supreme athlete for his size and should fly up boards following the scouting combine,” Yahoo Sports’ Charles McDonald wrote. Smith made Bruce Feldman’s freak list prior to the season and looks to be the next freak athlete Michigan puts into the NFL from its defensive line.
Baumgardner pegged Smith as the fourth defensive tackle off the board, while Kiper listed the former Michigan standout as the fifth-best interior defensive lineman in the draft pool in his recently updated position rankings.
A 6-3, 337-pounder, Smith started every game the last two seasons for Michigan. He registered 48 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, a half-sack, 1 forced fumble and 1 fumble recovery in 2022, leading a defensive line that helped the Wolverines allow just 97.9 rushing yards per game (seventh in the country), notch 73 stops for loss (tied 67th) and 37 sacks (tied 19th).
For his career at Michigan, Smith totaled 88 tackles, 6 stops for loss, a half-sack, 4 pass breakups, 1 forced fumble and 1 fumble recovery.
