As we inch closer to the 2023 NFL Draft, you’re going to see thousands of mock drafts through multiple mock draft simulators. I’ll agree that I’m as guilty as anyone when it comes to doing them. In a majority of the mock drafts, we’ll see mock trades occur but we all know that every trade isn’t realistic.
One thing we’ve learned, is that Brad Holmes isn’t afraid of picking up the phone. In last year’s draft, he moved up 20 spots to select Jameson Williams. Could the Lions try and pull that off this year?
They could potentially trade down 20 spots or they could look to try back into the first round. They’d have to move the 48th overall pick to ensure that happens, but again, anything is possible. Speaking of possibilities, let’s take a look at some realistic trade up and down options for the Detroit Lions in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft.
Detroit Lions trade down with the Philadelphia Eagles
Oddly enough, both of these teams have multiple first round picks but they’d only have to use mid-round picks to do business with each other. In this example, the Lions could trade the 6th overall pick to the Eagles for the 10th overall pick. The draft capital could be structured like this:
- DET receives: 2023 1st Round Pick (10th overall), 2023 3rd Round Pick (94th overall) and 2024 3rd Round Pick.
- PHI receives: 2023 1st Round Pick (6th overall)
On the Draftek trade chart, this trade would need to equal 1600 total points (the value of the Lions 6th overall pick). Looking at the chart, the projected trade above would be just over 1600 total points or just under 1600 total points. Either way, I think the Lions could live with a trade like this.
Now why make this trade?
Right now there’s a lot of signs pointing to the fact that the Eagles could very much “be in” on Jalen Carter. He’s a phenomenal talent on the field but it’s battling some off-the-field issues. Some teams won’t look past those issues. The Eagles could look past those issues. Most of that is due to Carter’s relationship with former college teammates and current Eagles players Jordan Davis and Nakobe Dean. From everything we’ve heard, Davis and Dean kept Carter “in line” while at Georgia. This could be a scenario where the rich get richer.
For Detroit, they add some mid-round picks this year and next year. Most importantly, they should still be able to remain in position to draft Illinois cornerback Devon Witherspoon or Oregon cornerback Christian Gonzalez. Not every fan likes the idea of drafting a cornerback but it still should remain a need on their board regardless of their free agent acquisitions this off-season. We’ll see in a few weeks how the Lions value Jalen Carter and the cornerbacks for the 2023 NFL Draft.
Detroit Lions trade up with the New England Patriots
We all know that the New England Patriots are always a complete wild card when it comes to the NFL Draft. They’ve never seemed to have followed a trend when it comes to drafting players. They don’t follow the consensus. They always take the best player that fits them. Last year it was Cole Strange but this year it could be Jack Campbell. Always a guessing game with them.
One option that always remains on the table for New England is the fact they could trade down. If they have a specific player in mind and that player gets picked, they could very well try to trade out of the 14th overall pick to get extra draft capital. If they look to do that, Detroit could be an ideal trade candidate.
The Lions have three picks on the second day of the draft. It feels as if they’d want to move up on the first or second day of the draft to get a player that’s high on their board. In this instance, moving up to the 14th overall pick could ensure that they get one of the offensive linemen on the board or potentially an edge rusher. Here’s what the compensation could look like:
- DET receives: 2023 1st Round Pick (14th overall)
- NE receives: 2023 1st Round Pick (18th overall), 2023 3rd Round Pick (81st overall) and 2024 5th Round Pick
On the Drafttek trade chart, this trade would need to equal 1100 points (14th overall pick). Looking at the chart, the projected trade would be right around that 1100-point threshold. Much of that is due to the fact that the Lions 3rd round pick (81st overall) is worth a total of 185 points. There’s even potential that the Patriots could give the Lions a 6th-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft to even the trade out if needed.
For Detroit, they could look to potentially move up for a player such as Clemson edge rusher Myles Murphy. He’d be an ideal fit playing opposite of Aidan Hutchinson and should be able to produce right away. Murphy has great length for the position and plays with a terrific blend of power and speed.
Most importantly, the Lions would get in front of the Green Bay Packers to make this selection. There’s been plenty of interest from the Packers on Murphy as he’d pair nicely with Rashan Gary in that defense. If this were to happen, the Lions would continue to play spoiler and I think every fan would love to see that.
Detroit Lions trade down with the Dallas Cowboys
It’s been no secret that Jerry Jones wants to add playmakers to the Dallas Cowboys offense. They brought in Brandin Cooks but he’s only playing on a one-year contract so the Cowboys could remain aggressive and look to add another pass-catcher.
One team that the Cowboys could look to make a trade with is the Lions. The Cowboys could look to get in front of teams needing wide receiver help, too. Some of those teams are the Baltimore Ravens (22nd overall), Minnesota Vikings (23rd overall) and the New York Giants (25th overall).
I’d have to imagine that Ohio State wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba is already off the board by the 18th overall pick but the Cowboys could take their pick of Quentin Johnston, Jordan Addison and Zay Flowers. The draft capital could be structured like this:
- DET receives: 2023 1st Round Pick (26th overall), 2023 3rd Round Pick (90th overall) and 2024 4th Round Pick
- DAL receives: 2023 1st Round Pick (18th overall)
On the Drafttek trade chart, this trade would be valued at 900 points (18th overall pick). The Lions would immediately have 840 total points from this year’s compensation (26th overall pick and 90th overall pick). Then the future 4th-round pick would be anywhere between 38.5 points to 88 points.
Give or take, I’d have to imagine the Lions would be content with dropping down 8 spots on the draft board for additional compensation this year and next. Some players they could consider after trading down are Mississippi State cornerback Emmanuel Forbes, Iowa State edge rusher Will McDonald IV and Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker.
Detroit Lions trade down, or up, with the Tennessee Titans
Throwing this one in there just to have some fun but the Titans could be a realistic trade partner for the Lions. For the 2023 NFL Draft, the Titans only have 6 draft picks. Are the Titans content with that amount of draft capital? Also, we’ve seen Brad Holmes do business with a new general manager before.
In this case, he could do that here. The Titans’ newly hired general manager is Ran Carthon. Both he and Holmes worked together in the Rams organization from 2012 to 2016. Before Carthon took a job with the 49ers, he was the Director of Player Personnel with the Rams from 2012 to 2016. Meanwhile, Brad Holmes was the Director of College Scouting with the Rams from 2013 to 2020. It shouldn’t be a surprise if the two of them do business together at some point during the 2023 NFL Draft.
While I won’t project specific draft capital used for a trade up or trade down in this scenario, I will say that the Titans have been rumored to want to move up in the draft. As we’ve learned, the 6th overall pick is worth 1600 total points, the 11th overall pick is worth 1250 total points and the 18th overall pick is worth 900 total points.
The Titans could look to move down because the run on the quarterbacks happen or an offensive lineman they want gets selected. This would allow them a chance to reassess their board, if needed. However, the Titans could look to get up to the 6th overall pick for a quarterback. On Thursday, they had a private workout with Kentucky quarterback Will Levis. If they like him enough, they could get aggressive to ensure they get their next signal caller.
For Detroit, they could also get aggressive and try to move up for a premium talent. Another option would be to just acquire more draft capital. One way or another, the Lions and Titans have an interesting connection between the key pieces of their front offices.
