Lions Trade Down, Fill Three Holes In Peter King's Final Mock

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Draft Week is here, and the experts are making their final picks. Outside of Joe Burrow to the Bengals and Chase Young to the Redskins, no one's all that sure what to expect. 

The uncertainty begins with the Lions at No. 3. Namely, will they trade down?

They'd like to, Bob Quinn said Friday, but only if they can stay within the draft's first tier of players. They don't want to take themselves out of the running for an instant-impact rookie -- someone like Jeffrey Okudah or Isaiah Simmons. Or even Derrick Brown, who's reportedly making a late push up Detroit's draft board. 

For the Lions, it's a question of whether the Dolphins or Chargers will make an offer to move up. If one of them does, Detroit will take what it can get -- just don't expect another first-round pick to be part of the equation. 

Signs From Quinn Point Toward Lions Drafting Okudah

In Peter King's final mock, released Monday, it's the Dolphins who make the move. They send picks Nos. 5 and 39 to Detroit for No. 3 and the right to select Oregon QB Justin Herbert. 

"It’s funny," writes King. "Whether Miami makes the trade or not, I think Miami and Detroit will make the same picks. I do think, for the peace of mind and to prevent anyone from leapfrogging them, the Dolphins would be smart to deal the 39th overall pick to Detroit to move up two slots here." 
At No. 5, the Lions take Okudah. It's the scenario Quinn is hoping for -- he adds a pick and still gets his guy. The return in the trade isn't overwhelming, but at this point neither is the appeal of moving up. Tua Tagovailoa's stock is falling, and Herbert is no sure thing himself. 

"Sometimes you take a deal even if it’s not the one the trade chart says you should make," writes King, "because you’re going to improve your team by doing it."

Would Lions Accept This Trade -- And Move Out Of Top 15?

With the extra pick in the second round, the Lions are able to fill two big holes. They get a dynamic running back in Jonathan Taylor with their own second-rounder (No. 39 overall) and they get arguably the top guard on the board in La.-Lafayette's Robert Hunt with Miami's. Including Okudah, that's a pretty good haul for Detroit. 

"Most Lions’ fans will scream and say, 'Quinn should have gotten one of the other Miami first-rounders, either at 18 or 26,'" writes King. "I’m going to ask you this, Lions fans: If I told you before the draft that you could exit the weekend with CB1 on your first pick (Okudah), RB3 (Wisconsin’s Jonathan Taylor) on the second and G1 (Louisiana’s Robert Hunt) on the third, would you be doing cartwheels about that? Acquiring the 39th overall pick while still ensuring you’d get the corner you want would likely allow that."