Detroit Lions: The quarterback landscape isn’t appealing

Our biggest question for the Detroit Lions? Will they target a quarterback in the NFL draft, despite trading for Jared Goff?

Let’s go over every team that has a selection before Detroit’s and map out a landscape to determine if taking one is a strong possibility. We start with breaking down the NFL teams ahead of the Lions’ in the first round.

Jacksonville Jaguars (No. 1 pick)

Starting with the obvious, the Jacksonville Jaguars will select quarterback Trevor Lawerence. Unless something completely unforeseen occurs, there is no doubt about what happens with that first overall selection.

New York Jets (No. 2 pick)

Jets could go either way. Their new head coach Robert Saleh has praised current quarterback Sam Darnold. However, they won’t commit to him as their starter moving forward. And latest reports are claiming that there are teams interested in trading for Darnold.

A lot of options are present for general manager Joe Douglas. Don’t rule out trading back from that number two spot either. If I were Douglas, I’d stand pat and select offensive tackle Penei Sewell out of Oregon.

Pairing him with second-year tackle Mekhi Becton, giving them one of the NFL’s best young offensive tackle duos for the next four to five years at the least. If Darnold doesn’t pan out, they’ll likely have a high pick in the 2022 draft to select their quarterback of the future.

Miami Dolphins (No. 3 pick)

It’s way too early to give up on quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. The only plausible scenario where Tua isn’t a Dolphin next year is if they pull off a trade for quarterback Deshaun Watson.

Even so, a Watson trade seems like a stretch. Similar to the Jets, trading out of this pick is on the table. I also believe that they should stand pat if the Jets were to pass on Sewell.

Miami appears to have hit on right tackle Robert Hunt from last season’s draft. Adding Sewell into the mix and guard Ereck Flowers, the Dolphins could fix their biggest weakness. Preparing them for a deep playoff run.

Atlanta Falcons (No. 4 pick)

Atlanta will be projected to select a quarterback this off-season a handful of times. Despite the media believing every team should draft one, it doesn’t make too much sense. The Falcons are a lot better than their record suggests.

If they can attack their holes on defense, they should be back in the playoffs. Their best option is to trade down, accumulate more draft capital and take the best defensive player available. Now is not the time to move on from quarterback Matt Ryan.

Cincinnati Bengals (No. 5 pick)

The Bengals are heading into a critical offseason. They need to build their offensive line to support quarterback Joe Burrow. Cincinnati ranked in the bottom five in pass blocking and Burrow got hurt due to the lack of protection.

I don’t think Sewell makes it to pick five. However, offensive lineman Wyatt Davis, Rashawn Slater, and Christian Darrisaw are good options in a trade down. I’ve seen tight end Kyle Pitts mocked to the Bengals a few times. That also is an intriguing option. If they go with Pitts, they’ll need to be aggressive in free agency to fix their offensive line issues.

Philadelphia Eagles (No. 6 pick)

I came away impressed with quarterback Jalen Hurts last season. The Eagles have two quarterbacks in their room right now and it would be out of the box to add a third. However, Wentz is expected to be traded, which would leave them with only one.

We need to ask how newly acquired head coach Nick Sirianni feels about Hurts moving forward. Could he sway general manager Howie Roseman to draft a quarterback? Despite Roseman sticking out his neck to take Hurts in the 2nd round of last year’s draft?

Eagles are an absolute wild card, but I don’t think taking a quarterback is plausible.

How does this affect the Lions?

Bengals and Dolphins are the only two teams in the top-seven who will not draft quarterbacks. It makes them more likely to trade down with a team that does need a quarterback. This might be the biggest threat to Detroit (if they are targeting a quarterback).

A few teams in the 8-15 range could be in the market for a new quarterback, including the Carolina Panthers, Denver Broncos, Dallas Cowboys, San Francisco 49ers, Minnesota Vikings New England Patriots.

Of course, the more teams looking to trade up, the more likely a trade gets completed. Jacksonville, in all probability, has their pick set in stone. After that, the Jets and Falcons are both in play, but there is uncertainty around them. As mentioned, the Eagles are a wild card.

The landscape isn’t appealing for Detroit. As of right now, if they want a quarterback in this upcoming draft, it looks as if they’ll have to trade up themselves. With limited draft resources and a roster that is in complete disarray, that might not be the best idea.

Too many teams looking for a quarterback and not too many available in the first round to match that. Events in free agency will paint a clearer picture.