As it stands, the Detroit Lions hold the No. 7 overall pick in the upcoming 2021 NFL Draft.
That being said, my hope is that Lions GM Brad Holmes does everything in his power to trade that pick to the highest bidder in order to avoid the temptation of selecting a wide receiver and to acquire more draft capital.
But in order for the Lions to trade down, there has to be at least one team who is looking to trade up, likely for a quarterback.
I believe there are 3 teams who could consider moving up to No. 7 but it all depends on if either Trey Lance or Justin Fields is still available (I think Lance is long gone) when the pick rolls around. I really don’t see a team moving up to No. 7 to draft QB Mac Jones out of Alabama.
The three teams I believe could be (or will soon be) blowing up Holmes’ phone about acquiring the No. 7 pick, in order from most-likely to least-likely, are the New England Patriots, Washington Football Team, and Carolina Panthers.
The Patriots, who currently have the 15th pick in this year’s draft, gave Cam Newton a shot in 2020 but in no way is he their QB of the future. You can bet Bill Belichick is losing sleep over thinking about who the Patriots’ QB of the future will be and that could be enough for him to try to jump up to No. 7.
The Washington Football team currently holds the No. 19 overall pick, which means they would have to give up quite a bit of draft capital to jump 12 spots to No. 7. That being said, they are a young and upcoming team and I would be surprised if they offered a haul to grab Lance or Fields if either is available.
As far as the Panthers go, they do have Teddy Bridgewater, but he is far from being a QB who can lead a team to a championship. They would not have to give up much to move up just one spot from No. 8, so this is a real possibility.
When it comes down to it, my hope is that a coveted QB is available at No. 7 so that the Lions can potentially trade down but I am not counting my chickens before they hatch.
Why shouldn’t the Lions stay at No.7 and if a QB like Justin Fields (not because he has the same last name as I do) is still there then take him? He has some great attributes and in my opinion his ability with a strong arm and running ability make him a dual threat that we all can bet Goff is NOT! If Detroit wanted to trade anything and this is my hope! Why not trade Jared Goff to the New York Jets and include the 7th Draft spot for New York’s No 2 pick? Detroit could pick Zach Wilson who in my opinion may even turn out in the long run to be better than Trevor Lawrence. I have no doubts that Detroit has to rebuild the defense, but with the picks in the next 2 drafts they acquired by trading Stafford to the Rams, they could do some serious rebuilding then. What if Detroit was able to not only trade Goff for the No 2 spot but also able to keep the No 7 pick? I could see this possibility and at No 7 If available I would hope they pick Micah Parsons (if not available then Ja’Marr Chase). The QB need right now is important, I have faith in Sheila, Brad, and Dan to change what has been the losing culture in Detroit for the past 64 years!! The new GM and Head Coach should use the picks they have acquired from the Rams to move up now and get the players they need NOW!! I’m getting too old to hope for change in Detroit soon, I need that change to happen now and so does Detroit’s other fans!!