The Detroit Lions are either going to get sports bettors started off on the right foot building bankroll, or put those expecting them to trade down in the poor house before things even really get started in the 2020 NFL Draft. Much will be riding on what general manager Bob Quinn ultimately decides to do. With all the firepower the Lions currently possess on the offensive side of the ball when healthy, it’s a foregone conclusion that Detroit will be using its first pick regardless of placement on a defensive player. With that, can it afford to trade down and take the chance of not being able to land the difference maker it so terribly needs to help solidify a stop unit that ranked out terribly a season ago? After his defense ranked No. 31 overall and No. 26 in scoring defense, you can’t help but think former defensive coordinator Matt Patricia does what it takes to land his guy! But will it be in the 3-spot?
Tua Tagovailoa +150
Jeff Okudah +175
Isaiah Simmons +550
Chase Young +700
Derrick Brown +900
Field +900
Looking at all the odds for the NFL Draft, Tagovailoa’s implied probability of being the second quarterback drafted in this class check in at 80 percent. His implied probability of being the third player drafted in this class clocks in at 40 percent; not nearly as safe as the prior offering. That leads me to believe the betting markets trust there to be a better than substantial chance Tagovailoa isn’t the third player to be selected in this draft. But how could that be with it already decided that Quinn will elect to trade down, bolster his draft stock and still have a shot at landing his guy? The simple fact of the matter is that nothing has been decided. Things change at the drop of a hat.
Only two drafts ago, nobody expected Baker Mayfield to come out as the No. 1 pick; until he did. Shifting gears, everyone thought Tagovailoa would cruise to the Heisman Trophy win following the 2018-19 season; he didn’t. Not after the Kyler Murray truck ran him over and cashed huge big dog tickets in the process. The news of Murray being a player only picked up major steam days before the winner was announced. What I’m trying to say is that nobody knows anything. They can tell you they do until they turn blue in the face, but until something actually goes down, it’s best to be cautious. I’d be selling!
With that, I’d make it a point to land you some stock in both Jeff Okudah and Isaiah Simmons. The Lions defense surrendered a league-worst 284.4 passing yards per game and bolstered that output with a scoring defense that ranked No. 26 overall while forcing more turnovers than only four other NFL teams. In other words, Detroit was a running joke on the defensive side of the ball. With that, Okudah only makes perfect sense at No. 3. He was without a doubt a dynamic playmaker for the Ohio State Buckeyes throughout his stay in Columbus. With the Lions sorely in need of secondary help after recently trading away Darius Slay to the Philadelphia Eagles, it comes as no surprise to see his offering right in back of Tua to go No. 3.
The lottery ticket of the bunch would without a doubt be Simmons who was nothing if not a caged animal for the Tigers throughout his three-year stay at Clemson. The dude lived in opponent’s backfields over the course of his collegiate career. Constantly standing out on game film, Simmons would be a welcome addition to a Lions defense sorely in need of playmakers. Only two players logged more than three sacks a season ago for crying out loud! Simmons tallied eight in his junior campaign to go along with 104 tackles of which 67 were of the solo variety. Detroit is yet to fill the void left by Ndamukong Suh since he bolted Motown for free agency. Simmons is the right man for the job, so hopefully Detroit doesn’t play any games and gets its guy in its original draft slot!
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