Though the Lions acquired Jared Goff and the Rams’ 2022 and 2023 first-round picks in exchange for Matthew Stafford, they still considered selecting a QB at No. 7 overall in last week’s draft.
General Manager Brad Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell did attend many of the Pro Days for the top passers to evaluate them in person.
But with Justin Fields and Mac Jones still available at No. 7 overall, Detroit chose offensive tackle Penei Sewell — setting up the team with what could be one of the league’s best offensive lines. Quarterback was still on the table for the Lions, but their draft room’s reaction makes it clear how excited they were to add Sewell.
“If there was a quarterback that was just like graded way higher over Penei we would have had to strongly consider that,” Holmes said, via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “But it unfortunately for our sakes, it wasn’t — Penei was the highest-rated guy when we took him.”
Detroit will have to see Fields twice a year for the foreseeable future, as Chicago traded up to select him at No. 11 overall. But if Goff doesn’t work out in 2021, the Lions should be able to use those Rams’ picks as draft capital to find their quarterback of the future.