My hope going into the 2020 NFL Draft was that Detroit Lions GM Bob Quinn would be able to trade the No. 3 pick to the highest bidder, move down to say No. 5 or No. 6, and then select CB Jeff Okudah out of Ohio State. If that would have happened, the Lions not only would have their replacement for Darius Slay, but they would have picked up — at least — an additional second-round pick in the process.
Unfortunately, Quinn was unable to pull off a deal and the Lions were forced to make a selection when they were on the clock at No. 3. On the bright side, Okudah was the pick, which made me very happy, but at the same time, Quinn was unable to get the value that a top 3 pick is worth.
Now, in Quinn’s defense, despite speaking to plenty of teams about a potential deal to move down, he said that he did not have a single trade offer on the table, which is why he went ahead with picking Okudah at No. 3.
If it is true that there were no offers for the Lions to either accept or reject, it is tough to completely bash Quinn, though the way he handled the process may be the reason why there were no offers.
When it came down to it, I believe both the Dolphins and Chargers were 100% confident that the Lions and Giants (pick 4) would not select a QB, which is why they were both content at staying at No. 5 and No. 6 and grabbing Tua Tagovailoa and Justin Herbert.
As far as Jeff Okudah goes, I absolutely love him and he has been my target for the Lions since the moment they locked up the No. 3 pick by going 3-12-1 in 2019. Okudah is a solid character individual who can defend any type of receiver with great success and I truly believe he will end up being a Pro Bowl CB sooner than later.
So, what grade do I give the Bob Quinn and the Lions for their first-round pick?
Well, I truly believe that if Bob Quinn would have played his cards right, he could have at least gotten an additional second-round pick from either the Dolphins or Chargers and still landed Okudah at 5 or 6 so it is tough to give him an A for the pick. But, that is pure speculation on my part and he did draft the player that I wanted badly so I cannot knock the grade down too much.
FINAL GRADE FOR FIRST ROUND: A-
