Latest mock draft has Lions making a huge splash in first round
The Detroit Lions have the No. 6 overall selection in the 2023 NFL Draft. That means the Lions, which already have a playoff-caliber roster, have a chance to land an impact player in the first round that could help Detroit as a rookie. The only problem for Detroit is that they don't know which impact […]
The Detroit Lions have the No. 6 overall selection in the 2023 NFL Draft.
That means the Lions, which already have a playoff-caliber roster, have a chance to land an impact player in the first round that could help Detroit as a rookie.
The only problem for Detroit is that they don't know which impact player that will be, due to the fact that we have no clue how the first five picks in the draft will play out.
Instead of waiting around to see which player falls to them, the latest mock draft from Pro Football Network has the Lions trading up to No. 3 to select Florida Gators quarterback Anthony Richardson.
The trade would include Detroit sending two firsts (presumably including the No. 6 overall pick) and two seconds to the Arizona Cardinals.
From PFN: Trading into the top five is not cheap, and the Lions would likely be paying a fair premium to beat out the other teams attempting to move up. That said, two firsts and two seconds seems downright cheap, considering how well Brad Holmes has capitalized on his investments. Anthony Richardson is the most athletic QB in NFL history, taking that crown from former MVP Cam Newton and former All-Pro Daunte Culpepper. Like Jared Goff’s two seasons in Detroit, Richardson started off with a rough stretch with turnovers but finished strong down the stretch. He finished the 2022 season with only two interceptions over six games, to 12 touchdowns through the air, with another four touchdowns on the ground.
I can understand being aggressive to land a franchise-caliber quarterback. But I'm not sure Richardson is worth giving up that much draft capital for.
There's no doubt that Richardson is extremely athletic and has a ton of upside, but he's still mostly unproven. And giving up that much to land him would be a massive gamble.
The Lions are in a spot where they can afford to take some gambles in the draft, but Richardson might be too much of a gamble. If they're going to give up two first-round picks for a quarterback, why not just try to sign Lamar Jackson? He has his flaws (staying healthy has been an issue), but he's more of a sure thing than Richardson.
Trading up to land Richardson would be a splash move by Detroit, but I'm not sure it would be the right move.
