If the Lions don't love their options with the 29th overall pick Thursday night, they won't hesitate to move back -- even if that rains on the fans downtown. GM Brad Holmes made that clear last week, and Dan Campbell reiterated as much Wednesday.
"Here’s what I’d say: It’s one sleep and then you get two picks," Campbell said on 97.1 The Ticket. "That’s what I would have told the kids when they were young: you got one sleep. So look, anything can happen. We’re prepared to do whatever we need to do. And look, if we’re sitting there and our guy’s not there, we will move back. So I’m just preparing the fans: be ready, you never know what’s going to happen here."
Of course, before it gets to that, the Lions could move up. That would delight the locals who are sure to pack Cadillac Square and the surrounding streets with the draft being held in Detroit for the first time ever. Question is, how far would the Lions be willing to go? Campbell suggested they'd have to jump into the top 15 picks to get one of the elite players on their board.
"There’s good players all through this draft, just like any. It’s just a matter of where they’re at, how long it’s going to take for them to develop, some of those. But look, I know that if you get one of these players in the top 15, you’re going to get a heck of a player. And then after that, there’s a good little run there of potential starters, guys you think can come in and compete to start, or grow into it," Campbell said.
Could the Lions make a move for one of the top cornerbacks like Quinyon Mitchell or Terrion Arnold? Could they be eyeing one of the premier defensive linemen like Dallas Turner or Byron Murphy? If adding a high-level talent to the defense is their aim, they'll likely have to get aggressive. And that could be pricey for a team that only has three top-100 picks as it is.
"There’s a couple (positions) that are heavier than others, but we also know those will go pretty fast," said Campbell. "This is an offensive draft. There’s more offensive players than defensive players, overall, at the top of this. It’s interesting every year: you go through this process, you find these guys you really like, they fit you, and then we’re gonna be sitting there and you’re just gonna watch them fly off the board."
It's the first time the Lions are entering a draft under Campbell and Holmes without a top-10 pick. They took Penei Sewell seventh overall in 2021, Aidan Hutchinson second overall in 2022 and then traded back from No. 6 and took Jahmyr Gibbs at No. 12 in 2023. The one time they held a pick late in the first round, courtesy of the Rams in 2022, they traded up from No. 32 to No. 12 to take Jameson Williams.
For his own purposes, Campbell said that most of the prep work for Thursday is done. It never stops for Holmes, who "continues to reach out and have open communication with different teams, teams call him. That’s the nature of every draft. It’s always about flexibility and the ability to move if needed, no matter where you’re at."
"For me, it’s much easier," Campbell added. "For Brad, it never ends. He’s nonstop. This guy is unbelievable. He’s a machine."