Justin Fields was there for the Lions at No. 7. So was Mac Jones. Brad Holmes and the new regime could have drafted Detroit's quarterback of the future.
Maybe he's already here.
Asked if he got any assurances from the Lions that they weren't drafting a quarterback this year, Jared Goff said Thursday, "Yeah, we had some talks before the draft. Again, I think it’s a nice vote of confidence obviously for me. And I think what’s not lost on me is that their first move as a staff, with Brad and Dan (Campbell), involved me. So it’s exciting and it makes you feel good."
It's not all that surprising to hear. Holmes has made it clear Goff was a big part of the Lions' return in the Matthew Stafford trade -- not just a salary dump for the Rams that sweetened the pot for Detroit. And the Lions have already restructured Goff's contract in a way that all but guarantees he'll be here for at least the next two seasons.
"He’s going to be a big part of what we’re doing going forward," Holmes said after the trade became official in March.
In the lead-up to the draft, Holmes repeatedly said the Lions weren't out of the QB market with the seventh overall pick. And maybe if, say, Zach Wilson had fallen to No. 7, they would have pulled the trigger. But it sounds like the Lions had no intention of drafting Goff's successor. They brought him here to be QB 1, and that's what he'll be.
It doesn't mean the Lions are committed to Goff as their starter beyond this season. They'll obviously revaluate at the end of the year. But their apparent disinterest in drafting a QB this year is another sign that Holmes and Campbell believe the two-time Pro Bowler can recover his form in Detroit.
After posting a passer rating of 100.8 over his first two seasons and taking the Rams to the Super Bowl in 2018, Goff has a rating of 88.1 his past two seasons. He went from 60 touchdowns and 19 picks, to 42 touchdowns and 29 picks.
But Holmes, who played a big part in the Rams' decision to draft Goff first overall in 2016, is adamant the 26-year-old can still play.
"He’s a proven winner," Holmes said. "His resume speaks for itself."
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Goff has acknowledged the Rams' decision to dump him has given him a "little extra motivation" entering his sixth season. He was asked Thursday if he feels like a 'forgotten quarterback' in an offseason with so much drama at his position.
"I try not to pay too much attention to media dialogue or anything like that, but sure, there’s some things that build a little chip on your shoulder. Not that I would say that I feel like I’m forgotten, but there’s some things I've done in this league that I feel pretty good about it and that I’m excited to bring to the Lions," he said.
Does he ever want to remind people that he started in a Super Bowl?
"I don’t need to do that," Goff said with a smile. "I’ll go out and play this year and hopefully play pretty well, and let them make that decision."