Jeff Okudah is out in Detroit, and a fifth-round pick is on its way in. What does the trade signal for GM Brad Holmes and the Lions?
It might mean they consider drafting a cornerback with the No. 6 pick in the draft -- not to replace Okudah, who was slated to be a backup after Detroit upgraded the secondary in free agency, but to help the team win next season and fortify the position long term.
"The guy you take at No. 6 has to help you win, but it doesn’t mean he has to start," Mike Valenti said Tuesday. "I wonder if trading Okudah meant, they have the guy they want to replace his role with and they think they got a star at 6. Do you believe it’s war-chesting? Do you believe it’s a corner at 6? Or are they just out of the Okudah stock?"
The extra pick also gives Holmes more ammo to potentially move up in the draft on Day 1 or Day 2. The Lions now have nine picks, including four in the first two rounds. Who knows what an extra fifth might enable them to do. In Valenti's words, "It’s this extra candy."
"Adding another pick might not necessarily impact No. 6 or maybe No. 18. But if I have another pick, I can move another of my top 85 assets plus a second-rounder to maybe dip back into the first round," Valenti said.
Or, "What if it’s taking a fifth and a third to move up in the second?"
More options for Holmes is never a bad thing in the draft. As for Okudah, the clock had run out on his time in Detroit.
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