As the Detroit Lions possibly eye taking a quarterback, one analyst has put Lions quarterback Jared Goff on a bit of a draft hot seat.
Jared Goff is coming off a fine 2022 season, where he was top-10 in many passing categories and finished as a top-10 fantasy quarterback. The Lions’ brass likes him, and barring a very shocking move for Lamar Jackson he’s firmly in place as the starting quarterback for 2023.
But Goff’s long-term future in Detroit is still a question, and with two years left on his contract he may just play out his deal and move on. With a top-10 overall pick, and them not planning to be in that position again for awhile, a quarterback may be on the draft radar. In a broad sense, even in later rounds, the Lions are in the market to draft a quarterback.
Lions quarterback Jared Goff put on the draft hot seat by one analyst
Matt Harmon of Yahoo! Sports recently listed some NFL veterans who could be sweating out the 2023 NFL Draft. Goff made the cut.
"The more I think about the Lions picking inside the top-10 while being loaded with extra picks in a quarterback-rich draft, the more I think it would be malpractice to not come away with a future franchise passer next week.Goff has shown he’s an above-average starter who can be really good in the right ecosystem. But how can you not envision for more under-center?….Even if that player doesn’t beat out Goff in Year 1, you took the swing and still have a proven starter for now. Goff may even become a trade piece down the line before this hypothetical rookie takes the reins. It all sets up so well but this Lions front office is said to have extreme faith and confidence in Goff. We’ll see just how much faith that is here in a matter of days."
Harmon’s broad notion of the Lions taking a shot on a quarterback with more upside than Goff with an opportunity in front of them is well-founded. “How can you not envision more under center?” is a sentiment that has somehow been put aside by some people in regard to Goff, coming off one of the best years of his career after a multi-year drop-off.
Any rookie quarterback would have to hit the ground really running to have any chance to beat out Goff for the starting job. So he’s probably not sweating the Lions drafting a quarterback, in terms of his immediate job security. But if one is drafted, no matter where it is, it will be a sign the team sees moving forward without him as being on the horizon.