3 Teams Revealed as Potential Trade Suitors for Lions’ Top Draft Pick

Bill Belichick

Getty Bill Belichick during the AFC title game.

The Detroit Lions are ready for the final push of the 2021 NFL Draft this week, and as part of that the team is beginning to take some of their final phone calls in terms of possible trades.

It’s been no secret that the Lions want to put their pick on the market to potentially maximize what they can get out of the draft, and as the final week leading to the draft begins, the calls are now beginning to flood in as it relates to a possible move.

The latest Lions news straight to your inbox! Join the Heavy on Lions newsletter here!

Join Heavy on Lions!

According to Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network, multiple teams including a division rival have been beginning to call around Detroit’s pick, which could be the “hot spot” for a trade in the draft this year. As Pelissero reports, the Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota Vikings and New England Patriots have been reaching out to spots near the bottom of the top 10 where the Lions are entrenched.

He said:

“The hot spot right now is at the bottom of the top 10, specifically the Lions at seven and the Panthers at eight have been fielding a lot of phone calls. That makes sense because when you look at Carolina at eight and the Broncos at nine, both those teams are threats to potentially take an offensive tackle or maybe even a quarterback, so if you want one of those two positions you may have to get ahead of them. So who is looking to move up? I can tell you the Eagles have made a lot of phone calls although that is Howie Roseman, he calls everybody every year about every pick just to see what it would take. The Vikings have been active working the phones, that would probably be if one of those offensive tackles looks like they’e sliding. This is an interesting one, the Patriots have been calling around in the top 10 and teams taking those calls believe their target would be Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields. It would cost the Patriots a lot to move from 15 up to seven or eight, probably something in the region of a second-round draft pick, but that would be a small price to pay if New England sees an opportunity to land a potential franchise quarterback.”

The Lions have been figured to be open for business for a while, and Brad Holmes admitted as much last week in his pre-draft press conference. Detroit will want to try and squeeze as much out as they can in terms of a potential deal, so if the Patriots want to cough up an extra second-round pick this season as well as a first-round pick in 2022, it could be a good framework for a deal.

The Lions might be content to stay put and make a pick no matter who is on the board, but it is refreshing to hear they are taking everyone’s best pitch at this point in time.


Lions Not Limiting Their Potential Trade Back

Speaking last week, Brad Holmes admitted that he hasn’t capped how far the Lions could be willing to move back, so the Lions might not have to stay within the top 10 or close if they are offered a deal that they like. That could open the door for a variety of teams to potentially make a call and make an offer, perhaps even a team as far back as the 20s if they see a need to move up.

Obviously, the Lions would likely have to be blown away to move so far back in the draft, but it’s clear they are encouraging plenty of interest in the selection in terms of the words and actions of Holmes thus far leading up to his first draft at the helm of the team.


Examining Ideal Lions Draft Day Trades

The Lions should be able to find a good trade if they want one in the NFL Draft, especially if there is a quarterback on the board. Multiple teams in the teens could decide to come up for either Justin Fields, Trey Lance or Mac Jones depending on who is available that fits their needs. Obviously, the ideal trade for the Lions would be to add a first-round pick in 2022 if possible to go with some middle-round picks either this season or next season as well.

Teams like the Eagles, Vikings and Patriots can now begin the process of the bidding, and Holmes and the Lions can begin to sort out what they want to get done in the meantime.

READ NEXT: Heavy on Lions Reveals Final Mock Draft 3.0