Detroit Lions trade up for Anthony Richardson in PFF’s latest 2023 NFL Mock Draft

The Detroit Lions currently hold the No. 6 and No. 18 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, and many fans have been eagerly anticipating who they will select with those picks. However, according to Brad Spielberger of Pro Football Focus, the Lions may look to trade up in the draft to select their quarterback of the future. In his latest 2023 NFL Mock Draft, Spielberger has the Lions moving up to the No. 3 overall pick to select Anthony Richardson out of the University of Florida. In order to make this trade, the Lions had to send an “absolute haul” to the Arizona Cardinals. A move like this could have significant implications for the future of the Lions franchise and the NFL as a whole.

Key Points

• Brad Spielberger of Pro Football Focus has the Lions moving up to the No. 3 overall pick to select Richardson out of the University of Florida.
• The Lions had to send an “absolute haul” to the Arizona Cardinals in order to make this trade.
• The move could have significant implications for the future of the Lions franchise and the NFL as a whole.
• Richardson is an athletically gifted quarterback who could potentially elevate the talent around him and help the Lions in their rebuild.

Detroit Lions trade up for Anthony Richardson

Rather than staying at No. 6, Spielberger believes the Lions could decide to trade up with the Arizona Cardinals in order to then select Richardson with the No. 3 overall pick.

Trade Details

Lions Get:

• No. 3 overall pick

Cardinals Get:

• No 6
• No. 48
• No. 81
• 2024 1st
• 2024 4th

PFF's Rationale for the Lions trading up

The Lions had a strong free agency period that truly enabled them to have no “needs” entering the 2023 NFL Draft, though one could argue the interior of their defensive line still needs the most work — more on that later. 

With this pick, Detroit shows they have no plans to draft this early again any time soon. They make a bold move up for the most athletically gifted quarterback we’ve seen in a long time. Jared Goff has two years and $52.95 million remaining on his contract with nothing guaranteed, and while he’s been solid in Detroit, the only way the Lions truly see their rebuild through to the finish line following the quarterback swap with Matthew Stafford is by using the extra draft capital acquired to land a potential difference-making quarterback. Goff does not elevate the talent around him, but Richardson certainly could. 

Richardson is also not a total project like he’s often made out to be, with his 9.2% pressure-to-sack rate in 2022 the 11th-lowest mark in the country. He can certainly stand to improve his accuracy and occasional poor decision-making, but the sky's the limit, and these are the lottery-ticket draft picks the NFL has begun to gravitate toward at quarterback.

Bottom Line: Detroit Lions could make Blockbuster trade in 2023 NFL Draft

The Detroit Lions may trade up in the 2023 NFL Draft to select their quarterback of the future, according to Brad Spielberger of Pro Football Focus. Spielberger has the Lions moving up to the No. 3 overall pick to select Anthony Richardson out of the University of Florida. The Lions had a strong free agency period, but a move like this could have significant implications for the future of the Lions franchise and the NFL as a whole. Jared Goff has two years remaining on his contract, and while he’s been solid in Detroit, the only way the Lions could potentially see their rebuild through to the finish line is by using the extra draft capital acquired to land a potential difference-making quarterback.