2020 Lions Draft - Rumor Central

Draft week is upon us, which means the next three and a half days will contain more rumors, what ifs and speculation than any other point of the year.  I plan to keep a running post of what is being floated in the twitter verse with a bit of analysis and thoughts on each scenario.

The post in ongoing through the draft weekend, with the oldest rumors at the bottom....

My Reaction: Not sure that moving down to #10 is worth the gamble for the Lions in this trade. I would think Quinn would request both JAX Rd 1 picks (#9 and # 20) along with their Rd 2 pick (42) and likely a 4th and/or 5th. As for who the Lions would take? No clue. Kinlaw could come into play here, Isiah Simmons could fall due to OT and QB or maybe one of the WRs. Even with a large haul, this will be a gamble IMO to move that far back.

My Reaction: This is what I have been saying a few times below. The value of CB with Okudah > DT with Brown. CB will rarely come off the field while even the best DT play only 80-85% of the defensive snaps.

My Reaction: Yup.

My Reaction: It's finally happening! For the first time in my Lions fanship, the team is not only in a position to trade back and acquire extra picks, but there seems to actually be a bit of a bidding war driving up the price. The best part is that they will get a BPA at a position of need whether it is Brown or Okudah AND get the extra picks to bolster the team depth. Only thing left is for the trade(s) to happen.

My Reaction: Follow up to the piece by Salguero from last night, with this being the first I have seen that Detroit is considering moving to the NYG slot at #4. If this rumor is true, then the Giants and Dolphins are most certainly after an OT with the Phins NOT looking at QB at #3. What will be interesting is if the Lions could get the NYG to trade from #4 to #3, and then have the n convince the Chargers to come from #6 to #4 to grab Tua or Hebert. That would leave the Lions with Okudah, Brown or Simmons at #6 and several extra picks.

My Reaction: I have to assume this is due diligence, as Isiah Simmons looks to be a great player, but the Lions already have players and money committed to the two positions he plays in Jamie Collins (LB) and Tracy Walker (S). When you are at the top of the draft picking from blue chip players, you better make sure you get the guy that most closely aligns with Best Player Available and Team need, and Simmons is #3 on that list behind Okudah and Brown IMO.

My Reaction: Schrager speculated on a Lions and Dolphins trade down below NOT involving the #5, but with his final Mock draft out this morning, he goes the more traditionally route with a trade. What isn't traditional, is who the Dolphins would take and what the Lions would get back in compensation. First, he has them moving up for Justin Hebert, which as a Lions fan, I don't really give a crap who they take as long as it isn't our guys. Second, this is starting to be a trend where the trade from #3 to #5 only nets the Lions the Dolphins 2nd rounder at #39 for the right to move up two spots. Maybe that is the price, and I would be ok with that as long as Quinn is willing to risk losing Okudah and taking Brown at #5 if the Giants trade out of #4...

My Reaction: We touched on this below when the Falcons trade up first came about, and this makes more sense. Atlanta is trying to move all the way up from #16 with the only extra draft capital being an extra 4th? That means future year picks, likely 1st and 2nd rounders would be involved, and you only do that for a generational talent. While Okudah is a really good CB, Chase Young is the only kid in this draft IMO that you would give up that much of your future to try and land.

My Reaction: Two of the most trusted media members that happen to be Detroit Lions alumni are calling for a trade down, and I am here for it. In subsequent tweets Spielman stated that the team hasn't leached anything to him, but both he an Orlovsky are in tune with Quinn/Patricia thought process. Less than 12 hours from now, we should have a pretty good idea of what kind of trade down (if there is one) and who the Lions are taking. This backs up what was posted earlier from Dolphins beat writer Armando Salguero that Lions appear to be preparing to select at #5 tonight.

My Reaction: This falls in line with logic when it comes to what it would cost for the Lions to move out of #3 and potentially miss out on the top 10-12 blue chippers in the draft. While it was fun to speculate, the Lions need an impact-now player, and that only happens at #3, #5 or #6.

My Reaction: Hell yeah! Bidding war for the #2 or #3 pick for someone to take an OT is clearly what the Lions want to see. If it us at #2, then Chase Young falls to the Lions at #3. If it is a trade with the Lions at #3, then the price tag goes up, and the Lions get more compensation. This would honestly be best case scenario, as the Lions would get Young (Unicorn!) or get extra picks to still be able to draft Okudah or Brown (Giants would likely trade out of #4 or take Simmons based on their needs.) It WONT be a CB, but they could trade with someone that does want Okudah.

My Reaction: Justin has his final Mock draft out, and he has what most expect, a trade down with Miami to #5 (Phns jump to #3 to grab Tua) and Lions grab Okudah at #5. What is a bit surprising, is that Justin think the Lions will only get the Dolphins 2nd rounder (#39) in return for dropping two spots in the draft. While I think this may be realistic, I certainly would hope Bob Quinn could get additional picks in rds. 3 or 4 instead of just a 2nd. Dream scenario is #5, #26 and #56 in Rd 2...

My Reaction: So this is the second rumor in as many days (See Ian Rapoport below) that the Washington Redskins are fielding calls to trade out of the #2 spot. As I stated below, you would think that someone is looking to trade up for Chase Young, but what if a team is CB needy and wants Okudah and figures they have to get in front of the Lions to get him? The only player in this draft I would want the Lions to take before Okudah, is Chase Young. The Lions are in the literal cat bird seat, as either Young or Okudah not only lands the BPA at their positions, but also fills a massive need for the Lions.

My Reaction: I am here for any trade down that nets the Lions additional picks and still lands them Okudah or Brown. My preference for Okudah is pretty clear over the course of this running thread, and Mike O'Hara looks to be on the same page as I am with his Final Mock Draft. His speculation of trading with Chargers for #6, still nets the Lions Okudah (or brown) and offers up a RB on Day 2. Not sure what the Chargers would have to give up to grab Tua, but at a minimum it will be #6, #37 and likely a 1st or 2nd in the 2021 draft. That extra 2nd at #37 would allow Lions to grab 2 of 3 from the remaining IDL, Edge, IOL, RB or WR, assuming they take Okudah. If they take Brown, then sap IDL with CB......

My Reaction: And the noise continues for the Lions to possibly take IDL Derrick Brown over CB Jeffrey Okudah come Thursday night. Birkett isn't wrong here based on the quote from Patricia, but you have to look at value through the entire draft at the positions to get a full view. What is the drop-off from Okudah to the next 5 CBs? What is drop-off from Brown to Kinlaw to the next 5 IDL? If you don't grab your guy at #3, who will likely be there in Rd 2? I personally feel it is easier to find Interior DL, especially because they are used rotationally, than it is to find lockdown corners who play every snap and are on an island. My pick is still Okudah.

My Reaction: While I wholeheartedly believe this is the trade the Lions will make on draft day, on the surface, this seems kind of silly to move up for an OT. However, the Miami Herald yesterday stated that the Dolphins have interviewed both Tristan Wirfs and Andrew Thomas, and many feel that you would need to get in front of Cleveland to get a shot at one. Despite the tweet speculating Okudah at #5 to Lions, remember those rumors down below about the Lions trading out of #3 for the #18, #26 and #39 picks? This may be the deal that the Dolphins are looking to do, coming away with both their QB and OT of the future at #3 and #5...

My Reaction: Another NFL writer hopping on the Derrick Brown to the Lions train. While I agree with his logic, my issue with Brown is that it isn't clear whether Brown or Kinlaw are the best IDL in this draft, and Okudah is the clear best CB by a mile. If the Lions trade back, then yes, I think Brown MAY come into play, but I still think it is Okudah.

My Reaction: I would think that anyone inquiring about trading to #2 is looking to get their hands on Chase Young, or seeing what the price is to move that high to leverage the cost for the Lions #3 slot. Either way, I don't think it changes much as the Lions are not expected to get a shot at Young, and if someone jumps in front of them, they can still take Okudah or Brown.

My Reaction: This originated with a piece on Sports Illustrated from Albert Breer stating that he has heard rumblings that the Lions coaching staff has really taken a liking to Derrick Brown. My feeling is that the Lions will likely take Okudah or Brown, with Okudah more likely if they stay at #3 and Brown in the mix if they happen to trade back with the Chargers to #6. Having traded Slay and cut Harrison, there is truly a need at both positions for the team. However, IDL, even players that have been comped to Suh, can be found more readily than lockdown CBs.

My Reaction: Erik Schlitt, Editor at the Lions Wire was asked about a second CB the Lions could draft if they also take Okudah in Rd 1. His answer was Iowa's Michael Ojemudia, a kid that has some of the physical traits the Lions look for in a CB, as he is 6'1" and 200lbs and ran a respectable 4.45 40 at the combine. However, his arm length, hand size and playmaking ability suggest this kid is a project and projects to a Day 3 pick and likely NFL backup. He wasn't much of a splash player at Iowa, recording only 6 INTs in 4 years, all coming against inferior teams. In fact, the kid is essentially a clone of current Lion and last years 5th rd pick from Penn St Amani Oruwariye. The big difference being that Oruwariye thrived at Penn St and was a stat stuffer, having more INTs and pass breakups his last two seasons than Ojemudia had in his career at Iowa. So if the Lions do in fact draft this kid (he played for the Lions in Senior Bowl), expect it to be in Rd 4 or 5 and have a slower development curve than Oruwariye did to get on the field.

My Reaction: This scenario is a scary one for Lions fans that are firmly in the Okudah camp. If Lions drop from #3 to #5 to stockpile picks, the Giants could very easily trade out of #4 with the Falcons and the Lions would miss out on the Top CB in the draft. If they trade back, they better be happy with Simons, Brown or Kinlaw as a consolation prize.

My Reaction:  Initially I was a “Hell No!” to any trade down with Mimi that doesn’t include the #5 overall pick.  My instincts were saying that there are only about 4-5 impact defenders in this draft, and the Lions need defense more than any position and really need to come away with as close to a guaranteed impact player as possible.  However, one of my partners here at The Grey Manes astutely pointed out that the Lions could grab 6 of the top 85 players in this scenario and really restock the roster and depth by making smart picks.  After that input, I am still very much in the needing #5 to make this trade back, but would definitely not be overly concerned as long as DB, DE, IOL, WR and IDL were addressed with those picks.