Why the Detroit Lions should wait to draft a running back
It’s no secret that the Detroit Lions will be adding a running back or two this offseason, but they should wait to draft the position until round 3 or 4.
Everyone’s clamoring for the Detroit Lions to get a new running back. General manager Bob Quinn has stated he will add to the position this offseason. The question is, how will the new player, or players, be added to the roster? If it’s the draft, they should be patient.
The only home run selection of this year’s draft at the running back position is Penn State’s Saquon Barkley. He’d make one heck of an addition to the Lions offense paired with franchise quarterback Matthew Stafford and the high-flying passing attack. Ahh, it’s good to dream. But this would come at too much of a cost.
For the Lions to land Barkley, it would take a similar trade situation as the Atlanta Falcons moving up to draft wide receiver Julio Jones in 2011. The cost for that trade? Only five draft picks to move from 27th overall to 6th overall to snag the receiver they coveted.
Atlanta sent two first round picks, a second round pick and two fourth round picks to the Cleveland Browns to make the trade happen. Many said at the time that they mortgaged their future for one player. It seemed to work out alright as the Falcons made the Super Bowl…six years later.
Based on the precedent set forth by the Falcons in a very similar jump in the draft, the cost is simply too much. The Lions have other holes to fill on the roster and one player won’t solve all the problems. And this year’s running back class is too deep to swing for the fences in round one.
John Clayton and Bucky Brooks have recently agreed with the depth at the running back position in 2018’s draft. This is why the Lions should wait to grab a running back until the third or fourth round. The only home run selection will be gone in the first five picks of the draft. That leaves a slew of running backs that can still improve this team’s talent at the position later on.
If we look at the Detroit Lions team needs, the defensive line should be addressed first. I’d look for the team to grab a defensive end or defensive tackle on day one, with an outside shot of an offensive guard being selected.
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Early day two, the team can address the position that wasn’t drafted on day one. And the talent at running back should still be on the board after plugging a couple of holes in the trenches first.