The one thing that forced the Detroit Lions to trade up for Michigan’s Derrick Moore instead of risking waiting
The Lions were never going to get a shot at Derrick Moore if they didn’t trade up. The team right behind them really wanted him
The Detroit Lions finally have that edge rusher that their fans have been clamoring for in Michigan edge Derrick Moore.
Take it from me, this guy made sense all off-season long, and that is why we mocked him to the Lions so many times, including in our final 7-round mock draft. Of course, there we had the Lions trading up to the first pick in the third round to get him.
That never meant Moore was destined for the third round. His average draft position on our big board was 60th, and the highest we’ve either had or seen him mocked was 41. The Lions could have potentially waited until the 50th pick and got him, but the problem is that the Baltimore Ravens exist.
The Ravens were very likely to take Moore with the 45th pick in the 2026 NFL Draft
The Ravens just hired former Michigan defensive coordinator Jesse Minter to be their new head coach. Minter just won a National Championship with Moore in 2023. In addition to Minter, the Ravens also just hired Lou Esposito, who was Moore’s defensive line coach at Michigan. It just makes all the sense in the world.
What makes it make even more sense is that the Lions took Moore at 44 and the Ravens took Missouri edge rusher Zion Young with the very next pick. This wasn’t the Ravens getting one over the Lions for missing Young. This was likely the Ravens going with their backup plan.
Moore was never going to make it 50, and he was never going to make it the third round. The Lions went and got their guy, and that’s all anyone has ever wanted them to do. They didn’t give up a ton to do it either. Just the 50th pick and the 128th pick they got from the Texans for David Montgomery.
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