The last time the Lions held a late first-round pick, they moved up 20 spots to draft Jameson Williams 12th overall. Are we in for something similar Thursday night?
Dan Campbell said Wednesday that the draft is strongest in "the top 15 picks." The Lions have pick No. 29, and would surely like to add an instant-impact player to a roster ready to win. While moving back and adding more picks for a team that only has three in the top 100 is appealing in its own right, Brad Holmes and the Lions might be poised to move up.
SI's Albert Breer reported Wednesday that the Lions are indeed "among the teams exploring a trade up:"
After two consecutive years of multiple first-round picks (which brought them Aidan Hutchinson, Jameson Williams, Jahmyr Gibbs and Jack Campbell), the Lions are likely looking for an edge opposite Hutchinson, or perhaps another corner.
The top two corners in the draft, Toledo's Quinyon Mitchell and Alabama's Terrion Arnold, are widely projected to go in the first 20 picks. Ditto the top three edge defenders in Alabama's Dallas Turner, Florida State's Jared Verse and UCLA's Laiatu Latu.
If the Lions have their eye on one of those players, which would make sense for a defense that needs more playmakers both up front and on the backend, they'll almost surely have to make a trade to go get one.
