How the Rams/Titans Trade Impacts the Detroit Lions
By Jeff Risdon
The first bombshell move of the draft saw the Tennessee Titans trade the No. 1 overall pick to the Los Angeles Rams for a cadre of draft picks.
Most notable in that haul is the 15th overall pick. That’s one slot ahead of where the Detroit Lions are currently situated. Here’s how the move impacts Detroit and their options at 15.
1. The run on quarterbacks is real. LA moved up to get a QB, either Carson Wentz or Jared Goff. It doesn’t really matter for Detroit, because those will be the top 2 picks now. Where this plays for the Lions is that it is much more likely that Paxton Lynch now comes off the board as the third QB, almost certainly in the top 10.
That means players at other positions will fall. The more QBs that go ahead of 16, the better for GM Bob Quinn and the Lions.
2. Offensive line looks muddier. The Titans were widely expected to take Laremy Tunsil with the first pick. Now Tunsil slides to at least the third pick (where I believe San Diego pounces on the Ole Miss tackle).
Logic says the Titans still take an offensive tackle at 15. Maybe. But which tackle, and will any go between Tunsil and when the Titans pick?
I don’t believe another offensive tackle gets drafted between Tunsil and 15. That gives the Titans their pick of Ronnie Stanley, Jack Conklin and Taylor Decker, which I strongly believe is the order NFL teams see them.
However, the Titans are much more apt to go in a different direction than tackle at 15 than they were at No. 1. They sorely need a cornerback, and this is the range where guys like William Jackson or Vernon Hargreaves or Eli Apple figure to hold appeal. They also need linebacker help, and Darron Lee or Leonard Floyd or even Reggie Ragland could all be in play.
If Tennessee doesn’t take an offensive tackle, the Lions could be roaring at the proposition of having their pick of the second tackle. That changes the calculus and I do think they’d take Ronnie Stanley from Notre Dame at that point should that situation present itself.
3. The market to move back looks better. With those QBs going early, a team needing that fourth QB has to strongly consider moving up. But it also means another player who will be coveted by teams picking after the Lions will be available later than expected.
That could foster a trade back for Detroit. Teams wanting a pass rusher like Floyd or a defensive tackle like Jarran Reed or Andrew Billings will want to get ahead of Atlanta at 17, and that opens the door for Quinn and the Lions to pick up extra booty to slide back a few picks.
Here’s a hypothetical: the Jets want Leonard Floyd but know he won’t make it to No. 20, so they offer the Lions No. 20 and their third round pick to move up. Detroit slides back and still gets a player from the same tier of talent, be it Billings or Reed or Lee or Decker.