Why I think Anthony Richardson's in play at #6

First let me say this isn’t what I would do. I’m not advocating for the pick, I’m just trying to read the tea leaves as much as possible from our vantage point as fans.

  1. We sent scouts to watch him five separate times. And no, I don’t buy the theory that it was to see Dexter, Torrence or Ventrell. That’s wishcasting from the crowd who doesn’t want to believe we’re interested in Richardson. I think there is - or at least was - genuine interest. Whether that’s changed or not we won’t know until after the draft.

  2. Yes, Brad Holmes loves Jared Goff. But GMs aren’t monogamous, they can love more than one prospect. Believing in Goff doesn’t mean he’ll stop trying to upgrade. It’s one of the things I really like about him. He was rumored to have loved Trey Lance too. Hell he said as much when talking about trading up for Sewell:

  1. Brad Holmes believes in positional value. And there’s no more valuable position than QB.

  2. If Carter and Anderson are gone, the rest of the prospects available to us leave a lot to be desired. The triumvirate of edge guys (Wilson, Murphy, Van Ness) is all projection. The interior class outside of Carter is dropping like a stone. The top of the tackle class leaves a lot to be desired (and we probably won’t invest in it so heavily anyway). Bijan is a RB and to me there’s no way Brad takes a RB this high (see #3). Same for Branch the safety. The top of the WR class is weak. At CB I don’t think Witherspoon will have the traits to be the 6th overall pick. Gonzalez is about the only guy who matches traits + production profile to go at our spot, and even that is based mostly on the last half of 2022. There’s still quite a bit of projecting going on, and I’m not sure how Gonzalez’s personality is gonna vibe with our staff.

  3. Choosing a QB is good draft strategy. If we decide in a few years to keep Goff, we’ll be able to flip Richardson for a windfall. Everything people like about him now will still be true a few years from now, and maybe he’s gotten into a few games and shown off his tantalizing gifts. And if Goff plays great but we decide Richardson is our guy, then we’ll get a windfall for Goff too. This isn’t a waste of a 1st round pick, it’s delaying until a future year. And potentially finding a superstar at the most important position in the bargain.

  4. Richardson is a better prospect than he’s being given credit for. Though it seems the community is starting to come around on this one. Anyone comparing him to Willis because he’s just a traits guy is way off base, he shows real feel for some of the nuances of playing QB. And he improved over the last half of the season. His upside is legitimately sky high.

Now my preference is to trade down (it’s always to trade down), but if the Raiders have signed a vet FA I doubt we’ll be a hot spot for it. And even if we’re no longer interested in Richardson, we should pretend we are - as well as the rest of the QBs - to potentially facilitate interest in our spot.

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Not sure why it got the super tags @Nate? Tried to find QB and Richardson but was coming up empty.

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I think this is the biggest point for me. The Lions pick at #6 is a brutal pick to be at in this draft. (in terms of picks matching traditional value that high)

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on it.

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Well, maybe.

I think the “sent scouts to watch UF five times” as a key for Detroit wanting Richardson or one of the keys is assuming a lot.

Sending scouts to UF games or sending scouts to UF gaves vs UGA, vs TN, vs KY, SC, etc is scouting a lot of very talented players in the SEC. Which includes Richardson, the UF Ol vs UGA DL, UF secondary vs KY QB Levis.

I have no doubt they have done their due diligence on him as they should due to his talent and the long term need in Detroit.

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Personally I want an impact player @ #6, someone who can help us win next year. The NFC North is wide open, we can win it next year. Drafting a QB to hold the clipboard behind Goff doesn’t help us improve the defense.

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So do I. Like I said I’m not advocating for this, but I could see it happening.

It doesn’t, but neither does an edge who takes awhile to catch up to the speed of the game. And we still have 4 more picks in the top 81 to improve the defense, plus FA.

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It could be, but historically scouting a guy a bunch indicates a pretty strong interest. Unless we were going there as smoke for our interest, months before we knew where we were drafting, which seems unlikely to me.

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Again, we are never drafting a TE this high again. He may be in play in the 3rd round a la Malik Willis.

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Good on you for posting this. Bc if nothing else this is a great talking point and completely legitimate especially after conversations that were had at the senior bowl. All your points are spot on. And it may not happen……but acknowledging the reality of this and legitimate sound reasons one might go this way do not deserve to be shit on either……to me the key is what you say at 2) and it’s why I’m always in the moment w Goff and “give him his flowers” but don’t know if we can safe “yup he is the man period”.

On a side note, Torrance and Miller are 100% of interest to the lions.

Here is a reference to the senior bowl talk….

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We say this every year no matter where we pick.

Hutch didn’t contribute as a rookie? Weird statement.

I look at it the opposite way. In my opinion if someone thinks they were sending scouts to UF 5 different times just to see one backup QB prospect, they are wishcasting.

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No we don’t?

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Hutch was a muuuuuch better prospect, and far more ready for the pros, than Wilson, Murphy and Van Ness.

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You’re showing your bias here.

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Miller I could see later on, but not enough to go watch him 5 times. I’m sure we watched him plenty while we were there though.

My thoughts on Torrence are that, while I really like him, he’s not really a fit for us. Especially since Ben took over. We want our guards to be able to move and that’s probably Torrence’s weakest area. In a phone booth he’s a stud, out on the move not nearly as much.

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Again, you are assuming that the five times Detroit went to a UF game it was for one guy only, based on your response. I’m not sure I agree with that premise, one of the main guys, sure, the main reason each time which you seem to imply with this response, no.
You don’t think a single UF opponent had a player worth scouting?
Carter, Levis, C Smith, Ringo and at least a dozen or two more.

What do you use as the basis for the focus being Richardson on the five times they were at UF games?

I think Anthony Richardson could be in play at #5, and we’ll know before the draft by Geno Smith’s presumed contract with Seattle.

I would adjust if Brad nabs AR at #6 for all the reasons you listed. Yet the draft trade possibilities after free agency may be tantalizing, the possibility that AR falls to #18 is not zero–maybe 20%, and I don’t want the disruption for Goff in a year when the Lions are ready to cement their place as legitimate annual contenders.

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Is it that simple though? Bc the “backup” is the future in as early as a year. Here is the counter argument.

Again, my personal take: I’m happy w whoever they take so this convo to me there is no disagreeing just different ways of seeing a problem and solution…all plausible.

If we do well and keep winning it may not be possible to use beans in the future to get the guy we want in the draft. It’s nice to say and we have see examples of it in the past but do we want to bet our future that say next year we can successfully move up and mortgage the farm on Caleb Williams? Could it happen sure, but is the gamble worth it?

I don’t see the Lions going for a QB with the first pick…but who knows. I do like that teams think we might as that could only help us in the draft imo.

I agree with your premise and overall point. Richardson is one of several potential picks for Detroit, and I’m good, as if it matters, with it if they go that direction.

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