The NFL Nation writers at ESPN pulled off an interesting exercise, one that shows how analysts from around the nation view the team-building value of players. They did a complete NFL re-draft of teams with a 4-round selection process, using the 2020 NFL Draft order to start and then snaking through the four rounds.
What the teams wound up looking like after the re-draft doesn’t hold much interest for me. But where the players were selected and in what order is pretty enlightening. It shows how little premium talent in its prime the Detroit Lions currently feature based on the scant Lions presence in the re-draft.
Matthew Stafford was the first Lions player to get picked. Stafford was the No. 28 overall player picked, to the Baltimore Ravens. He was the 19th quarterback picked, going after the likes of Drew Lock, Baker Mayfield, Teddy Bridgewater and Sam Darnold.
The second Lions player selected hasn’t even played for the team yet. First-round rookie Jeff Okudah was the next Detroit player plucked. Okudah was selected 113th overall by the Atlanta Falcons.
Wide receiver Kenny Golladay came off the board two picks later. Golladay joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the No. 115 overall pick.
That’s the extent of the Lions action in the 128 players taken. No Trey Flowers, Taylor Decker, Frank Ragnow, Jamie Collins, T.J. Hockenson or Marvin Jones. The goal was to build a Super Bowl winner within five years, and the analysts only found three Lions worthy of contributing to that goal in the 128 players picked. That is a discouraging view on the impact talent in positions deemed critical for the ultimate success currently on the Lions roster.