One ‘Daring’ Detroit Lions offseason move that could change future of franchise

What will the Detroit Lions do with the No. 7 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft?

Prior to Matthew Stafford being traded to the Los Angeles Rams for Jared Goff and a trio of draft picks, many believed there was a very good chance that the Lions would select a quarterback with the No. 7 overall pick in the upcoming NFL Draft.

But it sure sounds like Lions GM Brad Holmes is a big fan of Goff and the plan may (or may not) be to move forward with him as their quarterback for the next couple of seasons and maybe beyond that. If that is the case, it seems more unlikely that the Lions would use the No. 7 pick on a QB.

Well, according to a piece published on ESPN, where they look at a “daring” move for each NFL franchise, the Lions WOULD draft a QB with the No. 7 overall pick.

Here is what ESPN has to say:

Draft a quarterback with the seventh pick

With the Matthew Stafford trade, the Lions seemed to simultaneously kick off a rebuild and secure their quarterback of the future in 26-year-old Jared Goff. But the Lions’ bounty of two first-round and one third-round draft picks hints at the perception that Goff is no longer worth his contract. One of those picks compensated the Lions for taking Goff off of the Rams’ books in a less extreme version of the 2017 Brock Osweiler trade. The Lions won’t release Goff before the season the way the Browns released Osweiler, but Goff’s current four-year deal has just two more years with dead cap money. The Lions can release him after 2022 without penalty, and that may make sense for the team given Goff’s annual salary, his career splits, and the depth of top quarterback prospects in this year’s draft.

Goff has seen his QBR fall to 25th and 24th at the position the past two seasons as the Rams’ offensive pressure rate has slipped from its previous top-five status to 23rd and 17th in the league. He cannot extend plays in the pocket or scramble for new first downs the way that many of the most successful young quarterbacks can. By using the seventh overall pick on Justin Fields or Trey Lance, the Lions would add a quarterback that can extend those plays and then use Goff as the bridge until their rookie is ready to play.

Nation, what do you think the Lions should do when they are on the clock with the No. 7 overall pick?