A daring draft deal involving the Detroit Lions could be plausible.
In the first round of the draft, general manager of the Lions Brad Holmes is not afraid to trade up; in fact, a particularly audacious trade idea might be insane enough to succeed.
As a result of the Detroit Lions’ ascent to prominence as one of the NFL’s top offenses, offensive coordinator Ben Johnson’s standing as a potential head coach has increased. There’s always potential for growth (the dreaded third-quarter slump was a regular occurrence last season), and with the current roster, there’s room to add a weapon, maybe with an early draft pick.
General manager Brad Holmes made a significant trade up in the first round of the 2022 NFL draft, moving from No. 32 to No. 12 to acquire wide receiver Jameson Williams. Last year, he traded down from No. 6 overall to acquire running back Jahmyr Gibbs. Holmes is now ranked 29th overall this year, and it appears unlikely that he will remain there. There should be possibilities to advance. Otherwise, another team may desire to enter the late first round, and the Lions would be forced to trade out of Day 1.
On the subject of trading up, possibly dramatically again, Christian Booher of SI.com recently proposed a deal that would make the Lions’ attack “unstoppable” with another high-end weapon who fits the profile of a big-bodied receiver they need.
“That solution is tight end Brock Bowers, who possesses a versatile skill set. The Lions presently have the 29th pick, and Bowers’ odds of being available at that spot are limited.
Indeed, Bowers is unlikely to be available at pick 29. Most mock drafts place him in the top-15, with the Cincinnati Bengals at No. 18 a favorite landing destination.
So, if the Lions want to move up for him, they’ll need to move at least into the top-20, if not the top-15. And that is assuming he falls far enough to make the trade possible. A move to put him in the top ten seems implausible.
2024 NFL Draft: Does Brock Bowers make sense for the Lions?
Any reply to “the Lions don’t need Bowers, they have Sam LaPorta” must address what Bowers brings to the table. In college at Georgia, he lined up all over the field, spending more than half of his time in the slot and the rest out wide.
As Booher pointed out, Brockers is also a capable blocker (62.4 run blocking grade and 71.4 pass blocking grade last season). That would theoretically allow LaPorta to do more in the passing game, which would be a frightening prospect for opposing defenses.
The idea of the Lions making a deal for Bowers is solely dependent on his falling out of the top-10 (at least). But if he falls to No. 12-16, will Holmes try to move up to grab him? Getting ahead of Cincinnati at No. 18 would be a requirement.
There appears to be a very limited likelihood that the Lions will move up much in the first round for Bowers. However, nothing in that line should be totally ruled out right now, and it might be crazy enough to happen
