Amid all this talk about the Lions potentially trading down from No. 7, turns out they tried to trade up.
Not for one of the draft's top quarterbacks. Not for arguably the draft's top offensive weapon in tight end Kyle Pitts.
For the top wide receiver, LSU's Ja'Marr Chase.
According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano, "There was chatter early (this) week that the Lions tried to trade up to No. 4 to get Chase, but the Falcons' asking price was too high."
Chase, who averaged over 21 yards per catch and caught 20 touchdowns as a sophomore prior to opting out of the 2020 season, would immediately become Detroit's best receiver. Should he be there at No. 7, NFL Draft analyst Tony Pauline said it would be a "spectacular pick" for the Lions.
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But most mocks predict Chase will be gone before Detroit's on the clock. The Bengals at No. 5 and the Dolphins at No. 6 feel like his two most likely landing spots. With the top three teams set to draft quarterbacks, the Lions, at No. 4, would have had their pick of the non-QB litter.
Which is why the Falcons apparently asked for so much.
The Lions do have assets to spare, including an extra third-round pick this year and an extra first-rounder in both 2022 and 2023 from the Matthew Stafford trade. Then again, a rebuilding team isn't really in position to be forfeiting picks -- unless it's in an effort to land a franchise quarterback.
On that note, Fowler and Graziano reported "not to rule (the Lions) completely out of the quarterback mix at No. 7, depending on how things shake out with the 49ers, but QB is not their primary focus."
Per Fowler and Graziazo, the Lions like Penn State LB Micah Parsons and Miami DE Jaelan Phillips on the defensive side of the things, "especially if they trade down and go defense." They also like Northwestern OT Rashawn Slater "as a versatile offensive line piece."
On Parsons, whose game raises some questions beyond his elite athleticism, the duo reported that the Lions view him "as the kind of sideline-to-sideline terror who could anchor the middle of their defense for years to come."
And while it's possible the Lions could trade down and still draft him, "they would consider Parsons at 7 along with other options such as the receivers and tackles."