WXYZ — “The draft begins at pick three,” ESPN’s Field Yates proclaimed.
It’s been what we’ve been hearing for months now, as it’s all but set in stone that LSU quarterback Joe Burrow and Ohio State edge rusher Chase Young will go first and second overall.
The Lions have that third choice, and plenty of options that go along with it.
“Bob Quinn holds all the cards in this scenario, he has the opportunity if he wants to, to put that pick up for auction, and I think they’re going to be teams that come after it,” Yates added.
Let’s examine all options. It’s widely believed that Ohio State cornerback Jeff Okudah checks a lot of boxes for the Lions.
“He is an outstanding prospect, there are some people that I’ve spoken with that believe he’s the best cover corner they’ve seen in five years of the draft, so he’s a legit star player in the making,” Yates added.
Picking Okudah at three and being done with it is an option, but the carrot dangling in the form of quarterbacks Tua Tagovailoa and Justin Herbert add intrigue, as teams like the Dolphins and Chargers have a desperate need for a franchise quarterback, and have the draft capital that could make the Lions winners in a trade scenario.
And when you think back on how many times the organization has said Matthew Stafford is their guy, all signs point to the smart play being the Lions trade back and gain draft assets.
“If you’re the Lions and you’re Matt Patricia you may be saying to yourself, Tua Tagovailoa could be a great player, but is Tua Tagovailoa going to help me win it all next year? No. As a matter of fact I think Matthew Stafford has a half-dozen years of really good football and oh by the way, I love this guy, he was a huge part of why I wanted to be the coach of the Lions in the first place, so I understand why conceptually a Matthew Stafford successor makes some sense given how valuable quarterbacks are and you never know, I just have a hard time seeing it, I think that Tua ends up somewhere else but the question is does someone move up to get him at pick three or will he fall into our laps, a fascinating, fascinating pick three in the NFL draft,” Yates said.
