The Detroit Lions head into next week’s NFL Draft with a ton of needs on both sides of the ball. These are areas they can’t magically fix with just the third overall pick in the draft.
That’s why Detroit has been rumored as a team potentially set to trade down once the draft comes calling on Thursday. According to general manager Bob Quinn, the team has already had discussions with other squads about a trade down. The exec said talks will intensify next week.
Detroit is sitting in a pretty good spot in that it’s a foregone conclusion Joe Burrow is going No. 1 overall to the Cincinnati Bengals with the Washington Redskins chasing after Chase Young at No. 2. At this point, Detroit might very well be on the clock.
While initial chatter had teams interested in trading up for Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, some teams now view Justin Herbert as a safer bet. If so, the Lions would be negotiating from a position of strength.
Detroit’s needs are primarily on the defensive side of the ball. It has been linked to talented former Clemson linebacker Isaiah Simmons and cornerback Jeff Okudah from Ohio State.