Most mock drafts have the Rams selecting Sam Bradford first overall and the Lions taking Ndamukong Suh second. But Detroit fans shouldn’t get too excited about Suh wreaking havoc in the middle of their defensive line just yet, because rumors that the Lions want to trade down are picking up steam.
Until the NFL adjusts its rookie salary structure, there will always be rumors that teams at the top of the draft want to trade down, because teams don’t want to guarantee $30 million or so to any rookie. But the rumors surrounding the Lions seem to be more than just the garden variety “of course they’d consider trading down” fare.
“I think they’d like to trade out of there,” NFL Network analyst and former Cowboys executive Gil Brandt said, per the Detroit Free Press.
Meanwhile, Peter King of SI.com writes in today’s Monday Morning Quarterback column that the Lions trading down is “the best draft rumor at this point.”
King says that the Lions might not view defensive tackle as their biggest need, especially if they acquire Saints restricted free agent defensive lineman Anthony Hargrove before the draft. In that scenario, the Lions would look to move down, pick up some extra picks and take the best offensive tackle they can get later in the first round.
Of course, it’s all moot unless the Lions can find a team that wants to put together a package and move up for the right to guarantee an unproven rookie $30 million or so. But if there’s a team out there that’s absolutely in love with Suh (or Gerald McCoy or Russell Okung or anyone else), the Lions would like to talk to that team.