Tuesday afternoon marked the deadline for NFL teams to pick up the fifth-round options on the rookie contracts for the first-round picks of the 2020 NFL draft. The Detroit Lions didn’t have any decision to make, not after previously trading away Jeff Okudah, but the way the deadline played out does shine some light on the Lions.
The Lions and GM Brad Holmes have taken some shots about their strategy of drafting a running back and a linebacker in the first round of the 2023 NFL draft. The fifth-year option decisions illustrate one of the main talking points for those who question Detroit’s strategy of positional valuation.
