2020 NFL Draft: Detroit Lions outlook and first round prospects

Tank or not? Detroit Lions social media is ablaze with draft talk and whether or not the Lions should try to win any more games for the rest of the season.

Today we’ll examine the situation and discuss most likely prospects that the Detroit Lions could target in the 2020 NFL Annual Selection Meeting, the draft, this year in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Currently, the Lions hold the fifth pick in the upcoming draft but final draft positions have not been set. Beneath or equal to the Lions in the NFC are the Arizona Cardinals at 3-9-1 (tied Lions), Washington Redskins at 3-10, and the New York Giants at 2-11. In the AFC the Miami Dolphins at 3-10, and the Cincinnati Bengals 1-12 are worse.

To move up, obviously, the Detroit Lions have to lose and get some help if they want to obtain the second pick. The first pick is all but sewn up by the ‘Bungles‘, already, due to their one win campaign. If the Lions win any games, they would move back in the final order potentially getting passed by the Atlanta Falcons or Jacksonville Jaguars who both have four wins and zero ties.

The point here isn’t whether or not we support tanking or winning, always winning by the way, but what the ramifications are for who we draft in April. The Giants play both the Dolphins and Redskins over the next two weeks.

The Dolphins play the one-win Bengals next week after Cincinnati deals with the New England Patriots this week, the likely pivotal game in pushing the Lions into the number two draft slot if they don’t win any additional games.

The short answer is that we need Eli Manning and the Giants to get a streak going to end the year and for the Dolphins and Redskins to each win one game if we want a higher pick.

For right this second, though, let’s assume that the status quo is maintained and everyone wins one game and the Detroit Lions pick in the number five slot. Who is likely to be available?