NFL insider believes Lions could take advantage of draft day stunner
There is no question that the Detroit Lions will look to add a third quarterback to their roster in the near future. The next available opportunity to do so could come in the 2023 NFL Draft in which the Lions have a total of nine picks. Starting quarterback Jared Goff and backup Nate Sudfeld are […]
There is no question that the Detroit Lions will look to add a third quarterback to their roster in the near future. The next available opportunity to do so could come in the 2023 NFL Draft in which the Lions have a total of nine picks.
Starting quarterback Jared Goff and backup Nate Sudfeld are the only two passers currently under contract by the team. Goff’s contract is set to expire following the 2024 season while Sudfeld is on a one-year deal.
General manager Brad Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell have both been open about addressing the position. With that being said, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport suggests the Lions could find their quarterback of the future sooner than most think.
"It's unlikely to me that we get 1, 2, 3, 4 quarterbacks," said Rapoport. "A more likely scenario is two, maybe three, obviously depending on what the Houston Texans do at No. 2, go in the top four… If that happens you might see a quarterback slip into the teens… Let's say it's Anthony Richardson. We know that several of the teams in the teens have done work on quarterbacks; from the Detroit Lions, the Minnesota Vikings, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.”
"It's really going to be fascinating to see who decides to come up for a quarterback. And the reason I say come up is rarely does everyone just sit. If it's a quarterback and you think he's a part of your future – rarely are you patient. [It's] more likely you're impatient to leap up and get your guy."
The Lions currently possess picks No. 6 & 18 in the first round. However, Detroit has five within the top 100. If a quarterback like Richardson or Kentucky’s Will Levis falls victim to a draft night slide, the Lions have plenty of ammunition to move up and grab their guy.
The Lions do have the luxury of picking in front of their NFC North foe in the Vikings. Perhaps Detroit elects to take one of the draft’s top passers and allow them to sit behind Goff for at least one season, forcing the Vikings to pull the trigger on Hendon Hooker or a mid-round quarterback prospect.
While the Lions’ options aren’t exactly endless, the latest report suggests the team has a legitimate shot to steal a first-round quarterback later than most had anticipated.
