Getty Jared Goff before a game against Seattle.
The Detroit Lions are pushing ever closer toward the 2021 NFL Draft, and as a result, the debates are beginning to swirl about what players the team should select and target in the days ahead.
Perhaps the biggest question involves the biggest spot on the offense. Would the team take a quarterback? According to some, the answer should still be yes even though the Lions added Jared Goff this offseason.
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Recently, NFL.com draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah was speaking on the Move the Sticks podcast and when the discussion centered on Detroit, Jeremiah said that he wanted to see the Lions making the quarterback spot a priority, even after they picked up Jared Goff in a trade.
He said:
“The more I looked at it and the more I think about it, I’m like, is Jared Goff going to keep me from drafting Justin Fields if he’s there and I am the Detroit Lions? I don’t think so. I think I’d take Justin Fields if he were there. I think I would.”
Indeed, Jeremiah penciled in Fields to Detroit in his latest mock, and it will be fascinating to see if the team follows his lead. Interestingly, the Lions haven’t been mentioned in many places taking a quarterback, but the team has maintained they’d be open-minded about the class.
Goff is a quality veteran, so it’s interesting to see Jeremiah dissing him a bit with this take. Logic says that the Lions will probably fill other needs given what they picked up in the offseason, but as Jeremiah’s take explains, there might be a thought that the Lions need to prioritize the quarterback spot even with a veteran in the mix.
Insider Hints Lions Could Select Quarterback
After a big trade shook up the offseason, folks wondered if the Lions would chase after a quarterback. Landing Jared Goff in the deal seemed to soften the blow of needing to draft a rookie immediately, but the Lions could still look to do that according to some in the know.
According to NFL insider Benjamin Allbright recently, discussions with someone have led him to believe that quarterback might not be out of the question providing the right one falls into Detroit’s lap.
Just got off the phone with someone who told me not to be surprised if Detroit went QB at 7 if the right one fell in their lap.
Who could be on the board when the Lions pick? That’s the biggest question seeing as rumors hold that the first four picks of the draft could all be quarterbacks. Theoretically, someone like Justin Fields could be in play for the Lions a bit further down in the top 10 if he doesn’t go early on. Would that be enough to move the needle for the Lions? It’s possible if they like Fields enough, but this news could also be designed to panic teams into trading up or making a move to jump Detroit and push someone else down the board.
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Analyst Mocks Fields to Lions
Recently, in a new mock at NFL.com, analyst Adam Rank revealed what he felt he would do if he were the teams in terms of picking new talent. As he said, the Lions need to be looking at quarterback, specifically Fields as it relates to their seventh pick.
Rank wrote:
“I know you just traded for Jared Goff. But he’s regressed the last couple of years … with offensive guru Sean McVay. Maybe Goff can thrive with Anthony Lynn in Detroit. You know, the coach who was in charge during Justin Herbert’s amazing rookie season? But I think we’ve seen enough of Goff to know what we’re getting. Goff would be fine as, like, the backup in Kansas City or something. Fields could be your QB of the future. And if nothing else, start dropping hints that you want to do that and see if the Panthers would like to jump up and swap picks.”
Fields has been a controversial player in the lead into the draft, with some believing he isn’t as good as some of the hype he has received. Regardless, he figures to go early in the draft and perhaps even safely within the top 10. There hasn’t been much buzz with the Lions and Fields, but that doesn’t mean the team won’t consider him or a quarterback this year.
It seems unlikely the Lions would prioritize a quarterback early, but as Rank hints, it could benefit them to try and bluff teams into thinking that will be the move. It’s clear the NFL.com contributors are on the same wavelength here in thinking the team might do just that.
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