Getty North Dakota State players celebrate a big play vs. Iowa in 2016.
The Detroit Lions will soon have a big choice to make in the coming months, as they weigh a future without their quarterback Matthew Stafford.
Already, the court of public opinion has begun to have their own say on what should happen to the Detroit quarterback spot. That’s a roster position that hasn’t seen change since 2009, when the Lions tapped Stafford with the top pick in the draft to be their quarterback of the future.
That future is set to change again this offseason, however. The mock draft circuit is beginning to heat up, and news that Stafford and Detroit are splitting up has sent folks scurrying to mock quarterbacks to the Lions in recent days.
Once again, that happened in a new Pro Football Focus mock. Writer Steve Palazzolo had Detroit selecting a quarterback with the seventh pick, but it wasn’t the name that many have come to expect on the circuit. Palazzolo had Trey Lance from North Dakota State as the choice for the team.
He wrote:
“With the news that QB Matthew Stafford will not be returning to Detroit and new head coach Dan Campbell recently signed a six-year contract, the Lions are in full rebuild mode. Lance is the best option for that scenario; he’s as talented as it gets, but time is likely needed given that he has just one full year of experience at the FCS level. Lance graded at 90.7 as a redshirt freshman in 2019 before a mediocre “showcase” game in 2020. He has a cannon and rushing ability to tap into, while the Lions have the time to allow Lance to reach his potential.”
Lance is likely to be one of the players that is highly-regarded in the draft this year, and putting him in Detroit would be interesting given the fact that Anthony Lynn has worked with young quarterbacks before like Justin Herbert while Dan Campbell has similar experience to rely on with Taysom Hill.
If Lance ends up being the guy as this suggests, the Lions will have their quarterback to build around with a very diverse skillset.
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Trey Lance Highlights and Statistics
Lance isn’t the most experienced young quarterback on the market this year, but he has put up some decent stats. In one full season as quarterback for North Dakota State in 2019, Lance passed for 2,786 yards and 18 touchdowns without an interception. Lance also rushed for 1,100 yards and 14 touchdowns. Lance didn’t play in 2020 thanks to the fact that his team switched to the spring in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Even though he has limited game experience, Lance still looks the part as one of the next top passers in the league.
Obviously, Lance shows some major intrigue on his highlight reel but the biggest question is how quickly he will be able to adapt to the NFL and how much time he may need to get on the right track with the league. The stats and the eye-test show that he could be well on his way to a high selection, however.
Lions Will Likely Select Quarterback During 2021 NFL Draft
Regardless of where the team picks this coming spring, 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. On offense, the Lions could use another young wideout, and while quarterback might seem to be the slam dunk spot for a pick, there could always be another plan from the front office via free agency or trade in order to address that this offseason. There also figure to be plenty of elite quarterbacks to be found within the top 10 where Detroit could select, meaning there could be no better time than the present to strike for new blood. That’s the decision Brad Holmes and company will have to weigh.
Whether it’s Lance or someone else near the top of the draft, Detroit will have plenty of big decisions to make in the coming months at quarterback.
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Lions Select Small-School Stud Quarterback Within New Mock Draft