The Lions hold the third overall pick in the draft. But they’d like to trade it. They’d really like to trade it.
And they want everyone to know they’d like to trade it. Case in point: Literally moments after the Lions had a conversation with the Jaguars, who hold the ninth and 20th selections in the draft, “about this evening’s picks,” the Lions made it known to ESPN that the conversation occurred.
And that’s fine. There’s nothing wrong with trying to goose the market. But the fact that the Lions leaked something to ESPN that unless ESPN were tapping the phone lines it wouldn’t have known about shows that: (1) the Lions have yet to receive an offer that they’ve accepted; and (2) they’re being creative and aggressive in an effort to make sure that the other 31 teams know that the third pick in the draft remains for sale.
It’s possible the Lions have a bird in the hard for third pick. But they’re trying to do even better. And we’ll find out within the next few hours whether they succeed.