Getty Ja'Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson with LSU.
The Detroit Lions will see a major shakeup in their wide receiver room the next few months given the fact that a pair of their former top options are heading to free agency, but there are ways for the team to improve the position coming soon.
Not only could the Lions be expected to be players within the free agency market, but the 2021 NFL Draft is full of talent at wide receiver, and the team is likely to now be heavily in play for some of that talent when all is said and done.
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Speaking after the reports of Kenny Golladay not receiving the franchise tag, NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah was asked for the top fits for the team and wasted little time citing the top three options that will be set to hit the draft this offseason in Ja’Marr Chase of LSU, Jaylen Waddle of Alabama and DeVonta Smith of Alabama.
Jeremiah went on to say the Lions couldn’t make a wrong decision between Chase and the two Alabama receivers.
In terms of the players, it seems as if Jeremiah thinks Chase is the best fit and a bit above the others, but as he said, there might not be a bad decision to be made with the group. That’s good news for the Lions, who need a young player to step in. Getting an elite player early in the draft could make their decision to let Golladay walk a bit easier in the end.
Lions Have Major Wide Receiver Need
Without Golladay in the mix, the Lions are going to have depth as a major issue at wide receiver. As of now, the only options on the team are Quintez Cephus, the recently-signed Tyrell Williams and Geronimo Allison. With this in mind, the Lions could certainly need depth at the position in the coming months. There figures to be a few players in free agency that could fit the team, so it will be interesting to see how aggressive the Lions decide to be when all is said and done.
Golladay is out of the mix now, so the team will have to step up to the plate in order to properly replace him. Free agency is just one way they could get this done.
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Lions Likely Consider Wideout a Need for 2021 NFL Draft
With the seventh pick, the Lions should be wide open when it comes to the 2021 draft thanks to the fact that they’ve addressed a ton of spots on both offense and defense recently within their selections. One of the most obvious spots of need would be the defensive line given Detroit’s constant lack of a consistent pass rush. The team could also use more young depth at the cornerback spot given the struggles there in relation to depth that have been greatly aided by injury. On offense, the Lions could use another young wideout, and while they might seem set at quarterback, there could always be a significant challenge to that moving forward given changes in direction of the front office which could lead to a change at that position. There also figure to be plenty of elite quarterbacks to be found within the top 10 where Detroit will select.
Now that Golladay is gone, the Lions will have to decide if they want to move on with a combination of a young player and some moderately priced free agents. That’s probably the best way to go, and that’s especially true given the players that figure to be in the mix to be selected.
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