The first mock draft of the season from Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar injects a new name onto the Lions projection board at No. 7 overall. Instead of the more tried and true names, Farrar rolls with Notre Dame defensive weapon Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah.

Calling Owusu-Koramoah a linebacker is a disservice to how he plays the game. And that’s part of why Farrar sees real appeal in Detroit for the versatile Irish defender,

A linebacker with the seventh overall pick to the Lions, who need all kinds of roster help? It sounds ridiculous until you watch Owusu-Koramoah’s tape and realize that linebacking, albeit at a very high level, is only part of the story. Last season, Owusu-Koramoah played 212 snaps in the box, 331 snaps in the slot, 88 snaps on the defensive line, 14 snaps at outside cornerback, and two snaps at free safety (!).

The similarity to a player many Lions fans coveted last year, Isaiah Simmons, is easy to recognize. It’s And while Simmons’ rookie campaign in Arizona didn’t exactly stand out — Lions TE Jesse James torched him for an easy TD — his ability to play all over the formation keeps the Cardinals bullish on Simmons. That’s the point Farrar makes deeper into the explanation for the pick,

And as proved to be true for Simmons, Owusu-Koramoah will have to be in the right scheme with the right defensive coordinator to make this work. The Cardinals seemed confused by Simmons’ versatility; perhaps new Detroit defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn — who just spent five seasons as the Saints’ secondary coach — would have a better sense of how to make the best home for a truly unique player.

It’s the first time we’ve seen Owusu-Koramoah (or JOK in scouting shorthand) projected to the Lions. It might not be the last, especially if the team can find a buyer to trade back with a few slots in the first round.