Grading the D’Andre Swift trade for the Detroit Lions

D’Andre Swift was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles on Saturday, so what grade do the Detroit Lions deserve for the deal?

Sometimes, where there’s smoke (metaphorically even), there’s fire. Nearly two months of signs it could happen came to fruition on Saturday, when the Detroit Lions traded running back D’Andre Swift to the Philadelphia Eagles for a 2025 fourth-round pick. The two teams also swapped seventh-round picks on Saturday’s Day 3 of the draft.

Swift was simply not trusted to take on a large workload in Detroit, as he was constantly banged up and at times seemed to run away from potential contact. There’s no denying his talent, but it was not on display often enough and the drafting of Jahmyr Gibbs 12th overall on Thursday night sealed that Swift would be elsewhere.

Drafting Gibbs, it’s safe to say, also quickly gave away any trade leverage the Lions might have had in parting with Swift. Taking a running back anywhere in the draft probably would have pushed trade talk around Swift, but the Lions declared him as good as gone before the first half of the first round was done.

D’Andre Swift trade grade: What mark do the Detroit Lions deserve?

The seventh-round pick swap is not that important to the Swift trade, but we do know who those picks turned into. The Lions selected North Carolina wide receiver Antoine Green at pick No. 219, and the Eagles took Texas defensive tackle Moro Ojomo at pick No. 249.

A 2025 fourth-round pick might feel like a light return for Swift. But the Lions weren’t going to get any better than a fourth-round pick for him anyway, unless another team really believed they have a formula to keep him on the field and fully unlock his potential.

Lions general manager Brad Holmes called the trade a “win-win for all parties involved”. Swift will head back to his hometown with a better opportunity for a big role, and the Lions officially make room for Gibbs to have a prominent role.

Per Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, Holmes did say he and Eagles general manager Howie Roseman spent “a few days” working on the trade.

The Lions entered any serious trade talks about Swift from a position of weakness, and their position got even weaker early in the draft proceedings when they drafted Gibbs. The Eagles were probably not the only trade offer that came. But that it was the best one (or else Holmes wouldn’t have taken it?) says it all, about Swift’s value and the lack of leverage the Lions had.

Detroit Lions grade for the D’Andre Swift trade: C