NFL Draft: Detroit Lions Have Plenty Of Needs, Options Going Into Day 2

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As the 2020 NFL Draft progresses into Friday night, the Detroit Lions aim to maintain their stability, while their NFC North division rival, Green Bay, stole the spotlight with an impressive first-round pick on Thursday.

Following their decision to not trade down and selecting Ohio State cornerback Jeff Okudah at the third spot, the Lions were then witness to the Packers stealing the spotlight with a noteworthy move.

In order to secure Utah State quarterback Jordan Love as the successor to 36-year-old Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay made a trade, moving up to the 26th spot in the first round.

In 2005, the Packers made a strategic decision similar to when they selected Rodgers, aiming to train him as a successor for Brett Favre, who was 35 years old at the time.

The veteran quarterback couldn’t help but remember that Green Bay hadn’t selected a skill position player in the first round since then.

Meanwhile, the Lions opted for a cautious approach.

Despite no trade, Jeff Okudah gets high marks

On Thursday, there were swirling rumors suggesting that the Lions had a chance to strike gold: They could potentially trade down to acquire additional picks and still secure Okudah or another top-notch defensive prospect.

According to reports, Bob Quinn, the general manager, engaged in discussions with both Miami (No. 5) and Jacksonville (No. 9) multiple times during the day. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network mentioned that it is believed they will have the chance to move down in the draft order and acquire additional picks.

Contrary to previous assumptions, it turned out to be untrue when Quinn later informed the media that although he received calls on Thursday, he did not receive any offers.

Although Okudah is a dependable addition who will provide assistance, fans hoping for any signs of improvement from this team were ultimately let down.

The Lions not only failed to acquire three potential generational talents, but they also struggled to generate interest in trading their pick, despite two teams selecting potential franchise quarterbacks right after them.

All the desired players were successfully acquired by their respective teams. Joe Burrow went to Cincinnati, Tua Tagovailoa was picked up by Miami, Justin Herbert joined the Los Angeles Chargers, and Washington secured edge rusher Chase Young. Even the Lions managed to secure a great pick with Okudah, earning an excellent grade of ‘A’ from Carlos Monarrez of the Detroit Free Press, who is known to be critical of the team at times.

Boring top selection fits Lions pattern in NFL Draft

Even though the Okudah pick may have been unexciting, perceptive Lions’ fans likely could have anticipated it.

Quinn has a tendency to consistently opt for vanilla choices during the initial round.

Over the course of his tenure as Lions GM, Quinn has successfully acquired a strong lineup of players in the first round. These include offensive tackle Taylor Decker in 2016 at No. 16, linebacker Jarrad Davis at No. 21 in 2017, center Frank Ragnow at No. 20 in 2018, and tight end T.J. Hockenson at No. 8 in 2019.

Apart from Decker, these positions are not usually prioritized with first-round draft picks, although not all of them are considered failures.

Okudah is a perfect fit, being the highest drafted cornerback since 1997, when another Ohio State player, Shawn Springs, was selected at No. 3 by Seattle.

Quinn known to surprise in second round

Quinn, typically unremarkable in the initial round, has exhibited a striking performance in the subsequent round.

For better or worse, the pundits have often focused their discussions on his selections of defensive tackle A’Shawn Robinson, cornerback Teez Tabor, running back Kerryon Johnson, and linebacker Jahlani Tavai.

Robinson’s performance was satisfactory, but he is no longer with the team. On the other hand, Tabor’s contribution was a monumental disappointment. However, Johnson and Tavai have shown promise and have the potential to be valuable additions to the Detroit team.

In order to instill optimism following a disappointing 3-12-1 season and uneventful offseason, Quinn must secure a game-changer this upcoming weekend.

Plenty of roster holes to fill for Detroit Lions

Quinn should have his opportunities with three picks in the second night of the NFL Draft.

The Lions hold the 35th overall selection in the second round, which commences at 7 p.m. EST. Additionally, they possess the 67th pick in the third round and acquired the 85th pick from Philadelphia as part of the Darius Slay trade.

The Lions have several positions of need that provide a range of value.

The NFL’s defensive line couldn’t get any worse, and it could greatly benefit from the inclusion of players like A.J. Epenesa from Iowa or Yetur Gross-Matos from Penn State as edge rushers. Alternatively, defensive tackles Ross Blacklock from TCU or Jordan Elliott from Missouri could also make a significant impact.

This offseason, the team suffered a setback on the offensive line with the departure of Graham Glasgow and Rick Wagner, which has left them weak in that area.

Although both Guard Robert Hunt from Louisiana-Lafayette and tackle Ezra Cleveland from Boise State could potentially contribute to protecting Stafford, it is worth considering that prioritizing the offensive line might be more suitable in the third round, given their value.

Detroit Lions NFL Draft: Splashy selections still out there

Skill position prospects in Detroit may not have immediate access to starting spots.

However, it would be wise to prioritize building a strong roster behind players like Johnson, Kenny Golladay, and Marvin Jones Jr. considering the potential risks of injuries and contract issues in the future.

Detroit has the chance to secure the first running back of the night and the second overall in the draft with their third pick on Friday. Alternatively, they could opt for another wide receiver, considering that six were already selected on Thursday night.

The odds for potential picks have been set by the FanDuel Sportsbook.

The next running back selected is expected to be D’Andre Swift from Georgia, with odds of -330. Following him are Jonathan Taylor from Wisconsin with odds of +260, J.K. Dobbins from Ohio State with odds of +550, and Cam Akers from Florida State with odds of +1,300.

In terms of the talented group of wide receivers, the next expected pick is Denzel Mims from Baylor, with odds of +125. Tee Higgins from Clemson follows closely behind with odds of +170, followed by Michael Pittman Jr. from USC with odds of +340. Laviska Shenault from Colorado holds odds of +420, while Chase Claypool from Notre Dame is at +1,400. Van Jefferson from Florida is considered a long shot with odds of +2,000, and KJ Hamler from Penn State is the least favored with odds of +2,600.

FanDuel and DraftKings Sportsbook have set the over-under draft slot for Swift at 39.5, making him a potentially flashy pick for Quinn.

The under is favored at -128 by FanDuel, while DraftKings offers it at -134.

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