Detroit Lions: 3 reasons to draft a wide receiver early

The jokes about the Detroit Lions drafting a wide receiver in the first round might still ring in fans’ heads from the 2000s, even if Calvin Johnson put an end to the laughter for a few years.

But that shouldn’t be a reason for the club to turn their backs on drafting a wide receiver in 2021, and here are three reasons why …

1. The Detroit Lions roster is currently thin at wide receiver

When Lions wide receiver contracts expired at the end of 2020, the receiver room looked pretty much like a Will Smith meme where “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” is looking around an empty living room all by himself.

Only it wasn’t Will Smith, it was Lions receiver Quintez Cephus. Tyrell Williams and Breshad Perriman are the big signings that join Cephus … and that’s about it.

To say there’s room – and a need – for more wide receivers in Detroit is a huge understatement. The team has already used free agency to bring in a couple of capable pass catchers, but they should also be looking to the draft to fortify the position.

This brings us to our second reason to draft a wide receiver …