If OT Penei Sewell and QB Trey Lance are both available when the Detroit Lions are on the clock with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, would they still make the decision to trade down?
According to a recent 2021 NFL Mock Draft put together by Luke Easterling of The Draft Wire, that is exactly what the Lions would do.
In Easterling’s mock, he has the Lions trading the No. 7 overall pick to the Los Angeles Chargers, though he does not say what the Lions would receive as compensation.
Here is what Easterling has to say about the Lions decision.
In this situation, the Lions would likely receive trade offers from multiple teams targeting either Sewell or Lance, so it comes down to a few different factors. The Lions will want to balance getting the best deal, while also not dropping back too far in the first round, as well as making sure they don’t help out a division rival.
The Chicago Bears would likely be one of the teams trying to move up for Lance, but the Lions won’t want to hand them a franchise quarterback prospect, nor will they want to fall back all the way to No. 20. Instead, they take a lesser deal from the Chargers, who need a franchise left tackle to protect Justin Herbert.
The Lions could easily stand pat and take either Sewell or Lance themselves, and it would make plenty of sense. But this team needs way more than one guy, and the rebuild could be helped by acquiring additional draft assets.
By moving back to No. 13, Easterling believes the Lions would take Alabama WR Jaylen Waddle.
This is a huge win for the Lions, who drop back six spots and still end up with a player they could have easily selected at their original slot. Yes, they’ve added some new faces to help replenish the receivers they lost in free agency, but none of them have the kind of explosiveness and big-play ability Waddle brings to the table. He’s a huge bargain here.
Nation, would you like this scenario?
2021 NFL mock draft: Updated 1st-round projections with trades
You are asking the wrong question. The real question is: Have the lions sold the threat to take the last franchise quarterback off the board to a quarterback-hungry team drafting below them to convince them to give away the farm to trade up for # 7. An easy-to-read Quinn failed to do this` with Tua.
But to answer your question, if the lions can’t get a fabulous deal they should take the franchise quarterback themselves. At least the unspoken message to other head coaches in town will be that lions management can’t be foxed as easily as they were in the past.