When the Detroit Lions traded Darius Slay they were able to accumulate third (No. 85 overall) and a fifth-round (No. 166 overall) draft picks in this year’s draft.
Now with the draft behind us, we can see who the Lions turned those picks into.
Pick No. 85
In the third round, the Lions used pick No. 85 along with picks No. 149 and 182 to trade up with the Indianapolis Colts and received picks No. 75 and No. 197 in return. With the 75th pick, the Lions selected Ohio State guard Jonah Jackson. With the loss of Graham Glasgow to free agency, the Lions needed a replacement, and Jackson will look to fill that role.
Jonah Jackson is far and away my favorite pass protecting guard in this class. Incredible balance. Should replace Graham Glasgow in that regard immediately
— Mike Renner (@PFF_Mike) April 25, 2020
Jackson has the body of an NFL guard and a mean streak of, well, a Lion. With his engaging hands and excellent balance, he is proficient in both run and pass blocking, and it shows allowing only one sack in three seasons. He has the versatility to line up anywhere along the interior, but he will more than likely find a home right next to Hal Vaitai and create a 625 lb force on the right side fo the offensive line. With the Lions possibly looking to transition to more of a power running game, he should be an essential piece to making that scheme work.
Pick No. 166
With the 166th overall selection, the Lions picked Wisconsin wide receiver, Quintez Cephus. The Lions did not have an immediate need at wide receiver, but with no receivers signed beyond 2020, they needed to have a plan in place, and Cephus fills that need.
Jeff Okudah and Damon Arnette of Ohio State both go in the first round. The two Buckeyes both agreed that Wisconsin's Quintez Cephus was the toughest receiver they had to cover last season.
Q had 10 catches for 179 yards in UW's two games vs OSU.
— George Balekji (@GeorgeBalekji) April 24, 2020
Cephus is a big-bodied, versatile receiver who led Wisconsin in receiving yards with 901. Even though his speed may be of concern, he more than makes up for it with his explosion and intelligence leaving defenders scrambling and grabbing for air. He uses his basketball background to box out defenders and grab any contested catch that is thrown his way. Cephus will likely open camp as WR 4/5 but could be a stater in 2021.
Pick No. 197
With 197th pick, the Lions received in the Colts trade, the Lions selected Utah defensive tackle John Penisini. He is a behemoth of a lineman who will slide in the defensive line rotation, possibly rotating at the 1- and 3-techniques. Due to his strong gap integrity and robust mechanics, his run-stopping is where he makes his money. His pass-rushing will need some coaching up, but he should be a physical presence on the defensive line.
Cap relief
Along with the draft picks, the Lions signed Desmond Trufant shortly before they traded Slay to the Philadelphia Eagles. Trufant signed a 2-year, $21 million with the Lions and the Eagles extended Slay for 3-years, $50.5 million. The Lions were able to save $10.5 million and only incurred a $2.9 million dead cap hit, giving them the cap flexibility for Trufant’s $7.2 million cap hit in 2020.
Summary
At the end of the day, this is how the trade panned out for the Lions:
| Received: | Lost: |
| Jonah Jackson | Darius Slay (Eagles) |
| Quintez Cephus | Pick 149 and 182 (Colts) |
| John Penisini | |
| $10.5 million in cap room ($7.2 million used on Trufant) |
Through the Slay trade, the Lions were able to take full advantage of the received assets. With the draft picks, they were able to get players to help shore up some of the roster’s biggest holes, and with the extra cap space, they brought in a savvy veteran to help bridge the loss of Slay, as well as act as a mentor to first-round selection Jeff Okudah.
Only time will tell if the Lions made out with this trade or not, but its hard to ignore the Lions came away with a solid haul.