The Detroit Lions have been continuously linked to any offensive tackle available in mock drafts over the last few months. Monroe Freeling, Kadyn Proctor, Blake Miller, and Spencer Fano are the big four that keep getting mocked to the team at 17th overall.
Proctor, specifically, has had a deeper tie to Detroit as the only name that insiders have tossed in as one the Lions are reportedly high on ahead of the draft. This could be a smokescreen, or the Lions could just be making it known that they're open to trading up for the big Alabama tackle.
That's, at least, what ESPN's Matt Miller and Jeremy Fowler seem to think. The two experts gave their final predictions for the first round of the draft, with Miller mocking Proctor to Detroit either at 17th overall, or in a trade up. Miller wrote:
"One consistent piece of buzz I've heard throughout the predraft process was linking the Lions to Proctor as a seamless replacement for Taylor Decker. Said one rival scout from the NFC North: 'That whole talk about moving [Penei] Sewell to left tackle was Dan Campbell trying to convince people they don't want Proctor.'"
Fowler added with his own intel, sharing that he's heard that the Lions have already begun putting out feelers for a trade given the likelihood that all Day 1-worthy tackles could be gone in the first 15 picks of the draft.
Lions expected to work the phones on draft night
Detroit's not afraid to trade up to get their guy, which we saw last year when they traded two third-rounders for Isaac TeSlaa. That was a headscratcher then, although with Kalif Raymond's departure, the price of retaining a cheap WR3 who can block now seems fair.
The Lions won't know if they have to get aggressive about getting into the first half of the draft order until everything kicks off. There could be a run on tackles once more premium picks are off the board, and that run could start as early as the 9th or 10th overall pick.
READ MORE: Tate Ratledge makes it crystal clear who Lions should draft in Round 1
There are plenty of other teams in need of tackle help who pick ahead of Detroit, such as the Kansas City Chiefs, Cleveland Browns, Miami Dolphins, and Los Angeles Rams. The Lions, if they are going to make a trade, will probably be looking to leapfrog one of these squads. Jumping over the Rams seems the likeliest, since they're only picking four spots ahead of the Lions.
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