It’s NFL Draft day, finally! The moment we’ve all been waiting for, when Roger Goodell says the words “with the third pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, the Detroit Lions select…” is almost here.
How will Goodell finish that sentence? The best guess is Jeff Okudah, but this one isn’t about trying to predict what will happen. This one is my personal dream draft weekend for the Detroit Lions.
In my dreams, the Dolphins trade up to No. 2 and take a quarterback. I don’t care which one, it doesn’t matter to me or to Detroit. That leaves Chase Young for the Lions at No. 3. It’s a dream scenario that I really thought was going to come true until about 2-3 weeks ago, too. Sigh.
Thursday wraps up with NFL teams making a run on offensive tackles, a couple of running backs and an unexpected off-ball LB or two. That sets up Friday and rounds two and three for a fantasy that is almost NC-17 rated.
At No. 35 and after landing Young, I want an offensive weapon. I miss Golden Tate a lot, so the dream pick here is wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk from Arizona State. Golden Tate 2.0. I like to picture Matthew Stafford giving me a fist bump for helping him out here. That’s what dreams are made of…
Now I still need a cornerback. Suddenly Wayne Brady strolls into the dream, I’m dressed like Johannes from the band Avatar and I’m a contestant on Let’s Make a Deal.
Virginia CB Bryce Hall is still on the board at No. 49. He was the best CB prospect in the country entering 2019. Hall’s 2018 game film was better than Okudah’s, or C.J. Henderson, Kristian Fulton or the other CBs who will be long gone by this point. When Brady asks me if I want to trade No. 85 overall and a 2nd-round pick in 2021 to the Steelers, I scream out with a toe-curling “YES!”
Now I’m transported to a swim-up bar in a tropical resort. A ridiculously attractive bartender asks me “what do you want for your third-round pick, big boy?”
I look deep into her doe eyes and say, “Terrell Burgess, safety, Utah, please.”
She quickly scans the tablet menu and has me sign off on taking a smart, tough, physical and versatile safety who instantly upgrades the tackling and middle-of-field defense.
My Day 3 dream comes in a blur, as somehow I’ve been blessed with the open-field speed and long stride of Calvin Johnson in his prime. I’m in a 4×100 relay and my team looks like this:
Ohio State DT Davon Hamilton
Appalachian State RB Darrynton Evans
St. John OT Ben Bartch
Florida Internation QB James Morgan
We might not be the fastest on the football field, but in dreamland, we can all fly.
That is the dream draft. Here’s hoping at least some of the dream comes true…