It’s long been assumed the Detroit Lions want to deal the No. 3 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, and that the Miami Dolphins could be an ideal trade partner given their needs.
Most assumed the Dolphins would want to come up in order to select Tua Tagovailoa, but what if the team wanted to move up in order to select another position? That’s just what could happen when the draft gets going on Thursday. According to NFL Network reporter Ian Rapoport, the Dolphins are making calls about coming up to No. 3 in order to possibly select an offensive tackle.
While that sounds interesting and compelling, the reality is, the Dolphins probably want to prioritize a quarterback with such a high pick, perhaps even Tagoviloa. Otherwise, why move up at all for a tackle given how many other picks the team has? Regardless, from the Detroit perspective, the price will have to be right in terms of a deal in order to move back a few spots.
Whomever the Dolphins would decide to pick, it’s obvious the Lions want to be able to move back and also acquire more draft assets, so they’d welcome this dialogue.
Dolphins, Lions Called Potential Trade Partners
Last week, Rapoport suggested the Dolphins could be the most obvious team to watch as it relates to an eventual deal with the team.
“If you want to look for a potential partner for a trade, the team to watch here would be the Miami Dolphins,” Rapoport said. “I think it’s pretty obvious where the Dolphins have looked in the draft. They’ve looked at quarterback, they’ve also looked at offensive tackle. Maybe that’s the place where the Dolphins jump up a little bit, take maybe their quarterback of the future of their player to replace Laremy Tunsil at No. 3, get over the Giants, allow the Lions a chance to slide back and maybe take the top defensive player on their board.”
As for what player the Lions might target after a trade down, that’s currently the source of much debate. Rapoport seems to think the Lions would obviously be interested in Ohio State cornerback Jeffrey Okudah.
“They’ve been linked to Jeffrey Okudah, the cover corner who is also a great tackler forever,” he said.”We’ll see if that’s the pick they make, but it is pretty clear Detroit is open to sliding back.”
If the Lions slide back, it could make the most sense to do so with the Dolphins. The team has a stockpile of 2020 draft picks, and Detroit’s goal is to improve their fortunes right now. Miami boasts the 18th pick and 26th pick in the first round in addition to the No. 5 selection. They also have a pair of second round selections and a third round pick at their disposal.
Obviously, if the Lions would be able to score another first round pick in this trade, it would be a major win. Would the Dolphins be willing to go there, however? It remains to be seen, even as the team could represent the most logical trade partner for Detroit.
Lions Exploring Draft Trade Possibilities
Also according to Rapoport recently, the Lions are open for business as it relates to trading back in the draft, and have already had multiple conversations with teams that are looking to move up in the draft, perhaps with the intent of selecting a quarterback.
It’s been speculated for weeks that the Lions are looking to deal back, and this seems like the easy case now, especially for a team like Detroit that wants to stockpile picks ahead of a very important draft. Landing a few more players to help the team is a major goal for Detroit in order to change their fortunes for 2020.
Some of the teams that have been speculated to perhaps be interested in moving up are the Miami Dolphins and Los Angeles Chargers. Each need a quarterback, so it would not be a shock to see both teams very interested in moving up to where the Lions pick to give themselves a great chance.
All that’s left to find out for Detroit is what the best deal is and how motivated teams are to make a move. The clock could be ticking on those facts.
Former General Manager Sets Lions Trade Price
Will the Lions shoot for the stars in terms of trying to land a king’s ransom for the pick? That’s exactly what a Hall of Famer thinks they should be shooting for. Gil Brandt of NFL.com was asked on Twitter what his asking price would be for teams to come up to the No. 3 pick in the draft. As he said, it should be more than a bit expensive for a team like the Miami Dolphins.
Brandt thinks the Lions should ask for the No. 5 pick, the No 18 pick and the No. 26 pick from the Dolphins as a price for moving up. That deal, he thinks, represents a fair value.
Safe to say if the Lions managed that, it would be a score. Even if Detroit managed to pry loose a pair of first round picks from Miami it would be a huge win. Would teams bite on that? It would be a huge cost to pay to move up for Tua Tagovailoa or another such player.
If the Lions could get this type of haul out of Miami, it might only enhance the chances they do elect to move back when all is said and done, no matter who the Dolphin wants to select.
Dolphins Reportedly Interested in Trading Up For Surprising Position