About a month from the draft, it feels like the top of the board will break one of two ways for the Lions. Either the Jaguars take an offensive lineman No. 1 and leave Detroit to take Aidan Hutchinson at No. 2, or the Jaguars take Hutchinson, leaving Detroit to take ... who?
Notre Dame safety Kyle Hamilton? Oregon edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux? (*Whispers:* Liberty quarterback Malik Willis?) None of them feel like slam-dunk picks the way Hutchinson would. So maybe there's a third route to consider for Detroit:
"There’s even chatter out there, just talking with people around the league, about the Lions looking at what it would cost to move up to No. 1 to get Hutchinson and avoid even having that scenario," NFL Draft analyst Dane Brugler said this week on The Athletic Football Show.
That would be quite the shocker. Lions GM Brad Holmes seems much more likely to trade down before trying to trade up. The more picks the better for Detroit, which has holes across its roster, especially on defense. And maybe that's the idea of trading up: to fill one of those holes with a player the Lions love. Hutchinson feels like a fit for this regime in every which way.
Still, would it be worth the price, especially for a pass rusher who's viewed as not-quite-elite? Moving from No. 2 to No. 1 would likely cost Detroit a second-round pick (No. 34 this year), or even a future first. That might seem steep in a draft that's weak at the top, but you have to pay to control the board.
If the Lions stay put, which remains the most likely scenario, Brugler said that Georgia defensive lineman Travon Walker is another name that "should be in that conversation at No. 2." The 275-pound behemoth, who can play inside or outside, ran a faster 40 (4.51) at the combine than most defensive ends and linebackers.
"If you’re going to build in the trenches, I think Travon Walker would make a lot of sense, especially the timeline the Lions are on," Brugler said. "They’re not winning the divison in 2022, so you can afford to pick a guy who doesn’t need to be Rookie of the Year in year one, but by year two, you’re expecting him to be an impact guy for you. And for Travon Walker, I think that’s certainly a realistic trajectory."