2019 NFL Draft: Detroit Lions in perfect position to trade down

Possessing the eighth overall selection, the Detroit Lions are in perfect position to trade down in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft.

The Detroit Lions earned themselves a top ten selection in the upcoming NFL draft following a disappointing 6-10 record last season. With head coach Matt Patricia now heading in his second year in Detroit, the Lions are more than one player away from making a deep playoff run.

The point being, Detroit could use more draft ammunition this offseason to help bolster their roster. Fortunately, the Lions are in perfect position to make a quality trade in order to increase their draft selections in April.

Owning the eighth overall selection in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft, Detroit could find themselves smack dab in the middle of a run on quarterbacks. The selections prior to Detroit in the first round belong to New York Giants, at sixth overall, and the Jacksonville Jaguars at seven. Both teams are expected to select quarterbacks.

NFL teams wanting to jump ahead of either in the first round will have to pay a steep price in order to do so. And with the current quarterback class lacking a clear-cut number one option, it seems unlikely any team would be willing to pay a king’s ransom unless they simply loved that player.

In this scenario, the Giants and Jaguars would take two of the top four quarterbacks off the board. Presumably, Ohio State’s Dwayne Haskins and Missouri’s Drew Lock. That could leave Duke’s Daniel Jones and Oklahoma’s Kyler Murray up for grabs.

Now let’s look at the teams that could possibly need a quarterback with first round selections following the Lions. Those franchises include the Denver Broncos at 10, the Cincinnati Bengals at 11, the Miami Dolphins at 13, the Washington Redskins at 15 and possibly the Tennessee Titans at 19.

It’s easy to connect the dots to several possible trades knowing that. What if Washington covets Murray? They would need to leapfrog teams like Denver and Cincinnati to get a first round quarterback. The same could be said for the Dolphins, the Bengals or even the Titans. Thus, making the Lions the perfect trade partner.

Now imagine if the Oakland Raiders, who currently possess three first round selections in the upcoming draft, opt to take a quarterback fourth overall. Then the Giants and Jaguars follow suit.  That could leave just one first round passer on the board and as many as five teams vying for his services. That would bode very well for the Lions at the eighth overall spot.

The Detroit Lions seem to be in a very favorable position in the upcoming draft when it comes to a possible trade down scenario due to the ever-pressing need for quality quarterback play. The Lions could drop down just a few spots in the first round, still draft a quality player and get themselves an extra high draft pick or two.