Detroit Lions are switching quarterbacks in 2021 from Matthew Stafford to Jared Goff, but that will not stop them from receiving a signal early in this year’s NFL draft.
General manager Brad Holmes, who is not yet allowed to discuss the Stafford-Goff negotiation until it becomes official when the new year of the league begins on March 17, said on Tuesday that he likes what he sees in this draft class. defender.
“The position of defender in general, what is cool this year is that they are in all different flavors,” said Holmes. “You have a guy who can really do everything, do it from the pocket, do it with his legs. You have another guy who probably does a little more with his legs, a little more of being creative. There is another guy probably does more out of pocket.
“So, all the different flavors make this very, very intriguing in terms of when you’re looking at the full scope of these defenders’ class.”
Holmes mentioned several times during his press conference on Tuesday that he liked this draft class of quarterbacks, which is headed by Trevor Lawrence of Clemson, Justin Fields of Ohio State and Zach Wilson of BYU.
And when you’re in the top 10, he said, you can’t ignore any position. This includes a location that is undergoing major changes to Detroit. Goff will have a salary cap of $ 28.15 million in 2021 and $ 26.15 million in 2022, according to OverTheCap.com. Of course, Lions can create more space if they restructure Goff’s contract, which has just over $ 25 million in base salary, once he officially becomes part of the franchise. But it is not known if they will do this.
In addition, Stafford will count as $ 19 million in dead money on this year’s limit for Detroit.
What does this have to do with the draft of a quarterback in 7th place? It may depend on how the team sees Goff in the long run – something that has not yet been allowed to address publicly – and what it thinks of defenders in that class.
“When you’re in the top 10, I don’t think you can ignore it, and I think it’s a smart job of writing anyway, when you’re in the top 10, make sure you know the quarterback class very well,” Said Holmes.
Holmes added that when choosing from the top ten, you must know the potential customers in each position because of the potential level of talent. He said he knows that the team needs initiators and depth in various positions, some of which could be addressed in paragraph 7.
“There are some pieces that we definitely need to add,” said Holmes. “We can start with the defensive side of the ball. We definitely need a little more depth. We need players at some points, so that’s what we’re going through.”
In the attack, Holmes said he likes what the Lions have on the offensive line. but they need depth. The reception room – whether they use a franchise brand in Kenny Golladay or not – needs to be overhauled. All of this is tied to a quarterback, leading to a plethora of decisions for Holmes and coach Dan Campbell, as they evaluate what they need to do at the agency and in the draft, starting with choice number 7.