The thought that cornerback became more urgently needed was pushed aside by Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes following the sad events surrounding Cameron Sutton and his eventual departure.

However, the parade of cornerbacks making top-30 pre-draft visits to Allen Park suggests otherwise. Two more are scheduled to visit on Thursday, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press ($). Wake Forest’s Caelen Carson and Auburn’s Nehemiah Pritchett are the visitors. Thus far, according to reports and/or social media activity, seven cornerbacks have visited Detroit in the top 30.

During Holmes’ tenure, the Lions have selected four defensive backs, as Birkett pointed out. On Day 2, three of them—Ifeatu Melifonwu, Kerby Joseph, and Brian Branch—were chosen. This year’s No. 29 overall pick may result in a cornerback, maybe the first genuine outside corner selected since Bob Quinn’s final round as general manager of the Lions in 2020, when Jeff Okudah was selected third overall.

It’s a plausible theory that the Lions will hold off on selecting a cornerback until Day 2 of the 2024 draft, and it may really happen. Taking into consideration that there is a very strong class at the position, here are a few Day 2 cornerbacks that they could be considering.

On Day 2 of the 2024 NFL Draft, the Detroit Lions may be considering the following six cornerbacks. Wake Forest’s Caelen Carson
Because of an injury that prevented him from working out at the NFL Combine, Carson’s pre-draft visits—such as the one with the Lions—become even more significant.

He started just two seasons at Wake Forest, and in the first of those, he appeared in just eight games (2022). Despite his ideal size of 6-foot, 190 pounds, and 29 career pass breakups in college (three career interceptions—cue the jokes about “if he could catch, maybe he’d have been a wide receiver”), he is still considered one of the most physically gifted corners in this year’s class. With 36 catches on 64 targets last season, he has an 83.4 run defense grade and a 71.7 coverage grade from Pro Football Focus.