During a Wednesday press conference at the NFL Combine, Washington Redskins coach Ron Rivera made a statement that could change the entire dynamic of the Detroit Lions third overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.
The newly signed coach stated that Washington was bringing in both top quarterback prospects — Joe Burrow and Tua Tagovailoa for meetings — and that they are not just due diligence but in fact legitimate meetings.
It has seemed like a foregone conclusion in most mock drafts, that the Cincinnati Bengals would take a quarterback — likely Burrow — with the first pick in the draft and Washington would select generational defender, Chase Young from Ohio State.
Now, Rivera could be playing a chess match, to possibly stir up some trade talks in hopes to land — no pun intended — a lions share of picks. However, if that’s not the case, and they select a quarterback, what does that mean for the Lions?
At face value, Young is there, and he should get selected by Bob Quinn, finally giving the Lions their premier pass rusher.
On the flip side, what if the Lions field calls about teams wanting to trade up? That demand becomes that much greater, and while the Lions could lose out on Young they could become rich in future draft picks. This could solve multiple issues that the Lions have on their roster, especially as they haven’t narrowed down exactly which position they would address first.
The third overall pick already holds a lot of trade value as it is, and Quinn is on record saying that he’s open to trade talks — but this was before Rivera made his proclamation.
Quinn and the Lions front office better have their phones fully charged, to field the insatiable amount of phone calls they will be fielding, should Washington draft a quarterback. [Editor’s note: They also better be prepared to not overthink things and just select Young.]
Only time will tell how it plays out, but Rivera just made things very interesting.