In this scenario - and assuming everything works out with medicals, interviews, testing etc. I think the Lions go with Will Anderson. Jalen Carter is more of a scheme fit and more of a positional need. But at the top of the draft you just go BPA. And whilst he’s not been quite as good this year - Anderson is still probably the best player in the draft.
Beyond this - I increasingly think they’re likely to go the Smith / Mahomes route at QB and pick a guy to develop behind Goff. That might be with the Lions own pick, or with one of the day 2 picks or a combination of the above. It depends on who declares and how much they like them.
We need to be in that 3 spot and have two QB needy teams above us. Chicago will not draft a QB w Fields in the fold so we need them below the Rams pick. Will Anderson is absolutely the prize here for us and will be the pick if available. What are the odds the Rams lose out though? If Stafford and Donald continue to play, they’re bound to win at least once more. But if they somehow don’t win again, that pick suddenly becomes a jackpot the Lions never once considered they’d hit.
I want them to sign Payne, draft Anderson and draft Sewell with the 2nd first rounder. In the 2nd and 3rd round I’d like a couple DBs and an interior lineman.
I don’t hate Anderson. Just being nitpicky. He is obviously very talented. I have, apparently, slightly more reservations about him than it seems some others do. I can see his ceiling, but I do wonder about his floor. I wonder about his fit here. It aggravates me that Paschal was drafted so high only to be relegated to a rotational role, probably. Or we’ll need to change our scheme. These are not huge issues, I guess, if were talking about a guy who is a generational talent.
I haven’t looked solely at Anderson as much as I should have, considering I’ve watched my share of Alabama games - so grain of salt for what follows. I wonder about how sure of a tackler and edge holder he’d be on the outside. And I know this is extremely nitpicky but I wish he’d get more of his sacks straight up beating the OT instead of stunting.
Hard no to Sewell in R1 for me. Linebacker isn’t a premium position and Sewell has had an average season at Oregon. I think linebacker is also really tricky to evaluate because so much depends on your instincts and football IQ rather more than anything measurable.
I think linebacker is a FA situation - they tend to be cheaper than other positions and I think you want experience in the centre of the field - especially on a young defense.
I’m usually BPA. I think that’s Anderson.
There will be a quality DT that grades out right with one of our next 3 picks.
Would love Anderson at #3oa and Gervon Dexter at #17oa.
I was actually looking at this yesterday. If we dropped down I wouldn’t want to move out of range for one of Carter or Anderson unless we are really blown away. That means staying in the top 4-5 depending on where everyone falls come the end of the season. So assuming we are at #2 and the Panthers/Seahawks are 4-5 and Chicago 3rd.
In this sceanrio, us trading down almost assuredly means the Bears are going to get Anderson and we will be playing him twice a year. If the Panthers called offering the 5th pick, their 2nd rounder, and a 2024 1st, would you do it?
Considering the state of Carolina’s franchise, them likely doing a major tear down this coming season and likely starting a rookie QB if they are trading up for one, that pick is likely top 5 with a chance to be #1. That would be awfully tempting and the only thing potentially holding me back would be having Anderson in our division. Hopefully Chicago wins a couple games and thats not a conern.
If we by some luck of the gods end up w 2OA , do you snap up Will Anderson and go QB hunting the next decade with Hutch and Anderson? Or do you trade down with the highest bidder to amass the draft capital required to hit the 2-man 2024 QB jackpot of Caleb Williams/Drake Maye….
Carter intrigues the hell out of me though. A guy with that size, speed and strength combo is a rare find and would fill a massive need for the Lions if he panned out. I’ll be interested how he plays in their big games coming up, he’s been a little too inconsistent for my liking but that’s not that unusual with young DTs especially one like Carter that pretty much has a top 5 spot on lockdown.
That’s kinda where I’m at on this too. If the Lions somehow luck into that #3 slot, and the Bears are at #2, the Lions will really need a QB needy team to fall in love with Stroud and have the draft capital to make a move. That’s a very narrow field. Carolina makes the most sense, but their GM already proved he’s no fool in playing hardball with the Browns over Mayfield. Vegas is a possibility.
I’ll never forget when the Holmgren led Seahawks snagged Steve Hutchinson immediately ahead of us, and we ended up with Backus. Great memories, not!
I think alot of people pulling for that one, I just hope it’s not Boss Bailey/Jason Glenn. I’m always leery of nepotism. On the other hand, I can also see it helping to build a core group that wants to stay together too. It’s hard to put a value on talented players that WANT to stay in Detroit for more than monetary reasons.
That’s a very interesting scenario. Personally, I take the trade down. It’s not like you’re not getting a shot on a good player. I’d like another year on Goff before making a decision. A trade down gives you the draft capital to pull the trigger next year, or gives you the chance to keep building some high quality players. In addition, I don’t think you can afford a second contract on both Hutch and Anderson if they both pan out. You’d probably end up having to let one go anyway.
We got lucky with Calvin. I was scared shitless the Raiders would take him over Jamarcus. Then I was worried Millen would pass cause he’d already taken so many WRs. We also got pretty lucky with Suh.
