Lions: 3 free agents that could change 2021 NFL Draft plans

1. Alex Anzalone, LB

First up, a player that Dan Campbell is very familiar with.

Alex Anzalone, the fourth year man from the University of Florida, was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in 2017, a year after Dan Campbell arrived with the team. Aaron Glenn, the newly hired defensive coordinator, also knows Anzalone from his time as a defensive backs coach from 2016-2020. As many free agents as there are coming out of New Orleans, Anzalone might be the best fit for the Lions.

Starting in 20 of 38 career games, Anzalone has had some injury issues so far in his career, only playing a full schedule twice out of his four seasons. His best season was in 2018, where he had 59 tackles, six tackles for loss, and three forced fumbles across 16 games. In the last year of his rookie deal, Anzalone played all 16 games as well, finishing with 41 tackles and three tackles for loss. Anzalone would line up as an outside linebacker for the Lions.

Other than being a familiar face, Anzalone will come relatively inexpensive as well. With New Orleans in cap space misery, Anzalone will have to find a new team this off-season. Signing him to a three year deal, worth roughly $15 million should be enough for Detroit to snag him. While Anzalone won’t come into Detroit and become a pro bowler, he will come in and provide some solid linebacking play, which is something that Detroit is in desperate need of. Anzalone will start right away, become a leader on a brand new defense and hopefully bounce back to his 2018 form.

Signing Anzalone would relieve some pressure of over-drafting a linebacker. With Micah Parsons having been recently linked to the Lions, having Anzalone on the roster could allow the Lions to focus on another position. Adding another linebacker will still remain a priority, but rather than forcing a linebacker at seventh overall, it would let them wait a couple of rounds before adding another one.