The Detroit Lions have a new quarterback, an extra third-round pick and loads of trade capital to use in the 2021 NFL draft…if they so choose. Now that the team has agreed to swap Matthew Stafford for Jared Goff, it’s time to recalibrate the Lions draft needs this year.
Goff’s arrival doesn’t preclude the Lions from selecting a quarterback, but it does scale back the immediate urgency. He’s under contract for two seasons and is a proven NFL starter. If new GM Brad Holmes and the Dan Campbell coaching staff aren’t enamored with any of the available QB options at No. 7 overall, they won’t be forced into taking one because they have to have a quarterback.
The extra first-round picks, one each in 2022 and 2023, also give the Lions the opportunity to move up in the draft if the new regime really desires one someone like BYU’s Zach Wilson or Justin Fields from Ohio State. Packaging one of the extra future first-rounders with the No. 7 pick gives the Lions more ammo to move up than other teams can offer without damaging the core of the team.
Having Goff in the fold does give the Lions the opportunity to take a more developmental type of quarterback, namely North Dakota State’s Trey Lance. Most draft analysts see Lance as a player who needs at least one season before he’s NFL ready after playing just one game since 2019 and throwing under 300 passes in his college career.
The urgency at wide receiver is even greater now. Goff’s contract means the Lions cannot afford to use the franchise tag on Kenny Golladay, though it’s unclear if the team has any interest in that option regardless. Golladay, Marvin Jones and Danny Amendola are all free agents, which leaves just Quintez Cephus and Geronimo Allison (who opted out in 2020) on the roster at receiver.
If Holmes and Co. aren’t sold on the QBs with that No. 7 pick, it’s difficult to see it going anywhere else besides wide receiver. The team is set at offensive tackle with Taylor Decker and the combo of Tyrell Crosby and Halapoulivaati Vaitai, for better or worse. Few draft projections have any defensive players outside of cornerback slotted inside the top 10, and the Lions used their 2020 first-rounder on CB Jeff Okudah.
There is a definite need for an impact pass rusher and at least one safety and linebacker, but barring a trade back from No. 7 it’s not likely to come with the Lions’ first-round pick. The serious character concerns surrounding Penn State LB Micah Parsons that include the sexual assault of a teammate make him a difficult sell that high in the draft.
With free agency still looming before the draft, these needs and priorities can definitely change.