Lions 'eyeing player in the mid rounds,' of the 2024 NFL Draft, but a trade down would be necessary
On Wednesday we reported that a source told us that the Detroit Lions are "heavily interested" in drafting Utah safety Sione Vaki. They also told A to Z Sports that the San Francisco 49ers were even more interested. The plot has thickened on day two. Per our source, the Lions reached out to Vaki on […]
On Wednesday we reported that a source told us that the Detroit Lions are "heavily interested" in drafting Utah safety Sione Vaki. They also told A to Z Sports that the San Francisco 49ers were even more interested.
The plot has thickened on day two. Per our source, the Lions reached out to Vaki on Friday and they are eyeing taking him in the mid rounds. Vaki also received calls from the 49ers, Bills and Patriots.
After trading up to draft Alabama cornerback Terrion Arnold on Thursday night, the Lions now have just one day two pick and that's the 61st pick in the second round. The next pick after that is 103 picks later with the 164th pick in the fifth-round.
If the Lions are looking to take Vaki in the mid rounds of the draft, they're going to have to trade down from 61 and recoup some picks in order to do it.
The Bills, 49ers, and Patriots all have a healthy amount of picks to use in the mid rounds, but safety isn't a top need for any of them, so they can buy some time and try to jump all three teams later.
The optimal move that the Lions could make tonight would be to try to gain an additional pick that's above the 94th pick. That's the first time one of these three teams picks in the mid rounds.
The best team to call today would be the Cardinals. Former Lions director of college scouting Dave Sears is the assistant GM there and he might be willing to get new GM Adam Peters to help for a chance to move up in the second round to grab a player that's fallen. Here's a proposal:
Lions get: 66th and 90th picks
Cardinals get: 61st pick and a 2025 4th round pick from Philadelphia
The Lions get to still have a second round pick, but then they also get a jump on all three teams and pick at 90. Right before the fourth round starts.
That's a good place to take Vaki and really fits with the Lions "get the guys we want and get the hell out of here" approach. Vaki certainly seems to be a guy they want. The Lions talked to him at the Senior Bowl, had a formal meeting with him at the NFL Combine, went to his pro day and had him in for a top-30 visit. He the player the Lions have had the most contact with this offseason and they're still contacting him today. He's one of five players left in the draft that the Lions have had multiple pre-draft visits with.
We'll see what happens Friday night and see who's interest is going to win out by the end of the draft.
Lions’ rookie Terrion Arnold compares himself to three legendary corners, can he have rookie years like them?
The Detroit Lions went out and got their man in the first-round of the 2024 NFL Draft when they traded up to the 24th pick to get Alabama cornerback Terrion Arnold. After all this time, it's still crazy the way the draft worked out to get Arnold to Detroit. Arnold has been outspoken so far […]
