Getty Desmond King makes a play against Jacksonville.
The Detroit Lions are looking for some motivation to trade the No. 3 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, and if one report is correct, they might have received a bit of incentive to make a move.
According to a report from uSTADIUM, the Los Angeles Chargers could offer defensive back Desmond King in a deal centered around the No. 3 pick in the draft. King, a young solution at defensive back, could give the Lions a solid player to build around in the backfield and lessen the burden of the team needing to select a cornerback early on in the first round.
For the Chargers, the motivation to make a deal is obvious. The team just signed Chris Harris in free agency to effectively clog their defensive backfield, and might want a shot at drafting one of the top quarterbacks like Tua Tagovailoa. If Detroit trades back, they would be likely to receive the No. 6 pick along with King and possibly some other selections, giving them a decent return and incentive to make the move.
Desmond King Deal Referenced Within Recent Mock Draft
This type of deal has been speculated in recent weeks. Recently, analyst Evan Silva put together a new mock draft at EstablishTheRun.com. Within, he had the Lions dealing back, but picking up quite a nice haul when doing so.
In the hypothetical scenario, the Lions trade back with the Los Angeles Chargers, who move up and select Tua Tagovailoa. In the trade, the Lions pick up pick No. 6, No. 37, a 2021 fourth round selection and defensive back Desmond King. Detroit uses the Chargers pick to select Auburn defensive tackle Derrick Brown, passing on cornerback Jeffrey Okudah in the process.
As Silva says, the trade would allow the Lions to beef up their defensive line, which should be a huge goal given how little the Lions have at the spot. The Detroit pick would allow the Chargers to select their next quarterback. The deal would also give the Lions an extra second round selection to continue to build their team depth.
Overall, if the Lions are going to make a trade, this is exactly the type of deal they should be looking at to improve the team.
Desmond King Stats
If the Lions were to add King, it would represent a homecoming for the Detroit native who played his college football at Iowa. King would be an interesting pickup for the Lions considering his transition to the NFL has been solid so far. King was a first team All-Pro in 2018, and so far has put up 189 tackles and 4 interceptions in the league. He’s also a dangerous return man, something the Lions could use given their struggles with that lately. King would give the Detroit defensive backfield some added punch and another young player to build around as they try and reshape their defensive line.
Should King come back home, it would have to be considered a major win for the team to get a young player as well as picks. This is something to remember as trade talks intensify in the coming days.
READ NEXT: Former NFL GM Sets Astronomical Asking Price For Lions Pick