Getty Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell walk on the field during Lions training camp in 2021.
As the NFL draft approaches, the rumor mill is beginning to churn as it relates to potential trades, and an intriguing situation for the Detroit Lions may have developed.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, calls are beginning to come in for the Arizona Cardinals’ third-overall selection. As Schefter reported, six teams could be checking in with the Cardinals about dealing for that selection. Arizona, Schefter said, is undecided about making a potential move.
At least six teams have inquired with the Arizona Cardinals about trading up for the third overall pick in the upcoming April 27 NFL Draft, per league sources. Cardinals still are mulling whether to move pick or make it.
“At least six teams have inquired with the Arizona Cardinals about trading up for the third overall pick in the upcoming April 27 NFL Draft, per league sources. Cardinals still are mulling whether to move pick or make it,” Schefter tweeted.
Detroit is currently slated to pick sixth-overall, and with that knowledge, could be a trade partner for the Cardinals if they wanted to come up. Arizona wouldn’t have to move back too far and could hold on to a top 10 selection. The Lions, meanwhile, probably wouldn’t have to cough up too many assets for a modest move forward.
Trading up from the 32nd pick to the 12th pick in 2022, for instance, required Detroit to give up their first-round, second-round and third-round selections, while getting Minnesota’s second-round pick back. It’s unlikely the price for Detroit would be as steep for a three position jump.
As for what player the team could look to target in such a scenario, it could very well be Will Anderson Jr., an edge prospect from Alabama. If quarterbacks go in the first two slots of the draft, that could leave Anderson, a player most see as the draft’s best defender, on the board.
A scenario like that might be too tempting for the Lions, who could create a dynamic edge rushing duo for the future in 2022 rookie Aidan Hutchinson as well as Anderson.
Analyst: Lions Could Be Interested in Cardinals Pick
Tying the Lions to these potential trade rumors is hardly a stretch at this point, and it’s something that many who follow the NFL are doing.
Analyst Brett Kollmann put together a tweet which explained what teams could possibly be interested in a deal for the Arizona pick. He included the Lions as a potential team that could be angling behind the scenes for a move upward in the draft.
“My best guess on who those six-ish teams are that have explored (to some degree) trading for the 3rd pick: Colts, Lions, Raiders, Titans, Commanders. Someone in the late teens or 20s that would be willing to give up three first rounders…,” Kollmann tweeted.
Most of the other teams on that list are more likely to be interested in jumping up for a quarterback. The Lions could be looking to pick for defense if they were to come upward, even though the quarterback situation could remain in play for the team as well.
It certainly would not be a shock in the end if the Lions were one of the teams to be interested in this very selection.
Lions Called ‘Team to Watch’ for Cardinals Trade
Already, analysts have been speculating that the Lions could be a team to watch for a trade up in the draft, specifically to the spot that is explained here at the third-overall pick.
According to Bleacher Report and writer Kristopher Knox, the Lions should be a team that is interested in moving forward in the draft to that position. Knox recently ranked six of the teams that could trade up for the spot. The Lions came in low on the list at fifth, but Knox sees the potential for a deal given the team’s need for defensive impact players.
“What if Detroit could also add the best defensive prospect in this year’s draft? It could happen if the Lions are able to ensure that the Cardinals and the Seahawks don’t get him first. With the first two selections almost guaranteed to be quarterbacks, prospects like Alabama pass-rusher Will Anderson Jr.—the top-ranked prospect on the Bleacher Report Scouting Department’s big board—will be available at No. 3. Detroit could have its pick of defensive prospects by moving up a mere three spots,” Knox wrote in the piece.
As Knox points out, a move to join Anderson with Hutchinson could be a potential game-changer for the Lions in the trenches, and allow the team to harass opposing quarterbacks in a very dramatic way.
“Pairing a prospect like Anderson with 2022 second overall pick Aidan Hutchinson would give Detroit two legitimate difference-makers on its new-look defense,” he wrote within his analysis.
In addition to Anderson, the Lions could also decide on trading up for Jalen Carter, who many have linked to the Seattle Seahawks, a team picking just ahead of Detroit at fifth-overall. A defensive tackle could be a need for the Lions relative to what the team has on the edge with veterans like Romeo Okwara and Charles Harris in addition to Hutchinson and 2022 sixth-round phenom James Houston.
It sounds as if trade calls are beginning to heat up, which means it will be worth watching to see how aggressive the team gets with regards to potential moves upward in the days ahead.