Getty Will Anderson Jr. celebrates an SEC Championship in 2021.
The Detroit Lions will have a big decision to make wherever their first pick in the 2023 NFL draft lands, but as one analyst sees it, there are only two real outcomes.
While many still think the Lions should grab a quarterback of the future, others have come around on the notion that the team will look at upgrading the defense as the ideal plan.
In a piece breaking down fallout from the bigger trades which netted teams top picks in 2023, ESPN’s Bill Barnwell broke down the Matthew Stafford swap from the Detroit perspective.
As he sees it, Alabama defensive lineman Will Anderson Jr. could be the answer for the Lions with their top pick, which could end up safely within the top five.
“We’ve seen Detroit build through the lines with consecutive first-round selections in Penei Sewell and Aidan Hutchinson, and with four defensive linemen in the top 12 on Mel Kiper Jr.’s Big Board, I would suspect the Lions go back there if they don’t draft a quarterback. An edge-rushing duo of Will Anderson Jr. and Hutchinson might be enough to kick the Detroit defense into gear,” he wrote.
Already this year, Hutchinson has been fantastic, with seven sacks and two interceptions through Week 15. He’s wrecked some games on his own, and looks like the future for Detroit’s front. As a result, he could be a Defensive Rookie of the Year hopeful.
Adding him a running mate like Anderson could help transform the Lions defense and make it truly nasty, especially from a pass rush standpoint. As some like Barnwell think, that could set things in motion for the Lions.
Barnwell Reveals Jared Goff Trade Asking Price
As surprising as a trade of Jared Goff would be for the Lions, Barnwell makes an interesting point about a potential quarterback swap for the team in terms of asking price.
He writes that the Lions could certainly entertain the idea of moving on from Goff, especially if the price is met from the Lions’ perspective.
Barnwell also admits that if the Lions see an elite passer and like him, they could pick a quarterback. That would make Goff expendable, and the team could get a second-round pick in exchange for him eventually.
“Does Detroit general manager Brad Holmes see that guy in this year’s draft? If so, the Lions will probably take him with the pick from the Rams and move on from Goff before 2024. There will be a reasonable trade market for Goff this offseason if he keeps up his current level of play, given that as many as 12 teams could be shopping for new starting quarterbacks. I don’t think he would net a first-round pick, but a second-round pick could be realistic,” Barnwell wrote in the piece.
As interesting as this sounds, it seems as if the Lions have liked Goff all along. They stood firmly behind him after a 3-13-1 finish last year, with Holmes admitting last March he “had a lot of confidence” in Goff.
It’s unlikely that will change in the short-term for Detroit, especially with how Goff is executing on the field and off. That could mean it is much more likely that fans will want to study up on a player like Anderson, or Georgia’s Jalen Carter.
Anderson’s College Stats & Highlights
Back to Anderson, who seems like a very plausible pick for the Lions given the team’s needs on defense. He has been a game wrecker in college while playing for the Crimson Tide, and that includes 2022.
The defender has taken on the look of one of the most fearsome pass rushers in the college game in short order, and his production has been incredible on the field statistically.
During his recent two-year career with Alabama, Anderson put up some eye-popping totals coming into 2022, namely 153 tackles, 24.5 sacks and 41.5 tackles for loss. All of that work led to the player taking home major hardware, namely the Bronko Nagurski Award and 2021 SEC Defensive Player of the Year. Here’s some of his top highlights so far:
Anderson has enjoyed a solid junior season, putting up 51 tackles, 10 sacks and one interception. That work along with future combine testing is almost certain to lead to a potential top-five selection in 2023.
Already, some are wondering what the fit of Anderson in Detroit could be. Defensively, it might be a home run for the Lions.
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