It's widely speculated that the Lions would like to trade down from the No. 6 pick Thursday night, especially if the top defensive linemen are off the board. Problem is, it won't be easy.
At least four other teams picking in the top 15 are also reportedly looking to trade down, including the Cardinals (No. 3), Eagles (No. 10), Titans (No. 11) and Packers (No 15). (Of course, the Eagles and Titans, among others, are also rumored to be trying to trade up.) For the Lions, finding a trade partner could prove difficult.
"When I see this many teams actively trying to move down, it tells me, it’s going to be hard to move down," says Doug Karsch. "One (AFC GM) was quoted as, 'There’s nobody worth trading up for this year.' We got five teams trying to move down and this might mean, this is the year to get a real bargain to move up. There’s more that want to sell those high picks than buy those high picks."
The most logical trade-down partner for the Lions might be the QB-needy Titans at No. 11. Of course, the Titans might prefer to move up higher than No. 6 and target the Cardinals instead at No. 3. On the flip side, Arizona is said to be eyeing an offensive tackle, which could present an intriguing trade-up scenario for the Lions if they're eyeing someone like Alabama's Will Anderson.
"Tennessee needs to go up and take a quarterback, Arizona needs to drop back to take a tackle and protect their quarterback, but they have be careful how far back they trade," says Gator. "And if Arizona's trading out, it’s because someone’s trading up for a quarterback. So this whole draft for the Lions is about those five picks in front of you."
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