Detroit Lions hired Brad Holmes to be their new general manager largely because they believe the 41-year-old college scout expert can build this franchise as a winner through the draft. Now, with Lions open to negotiate with Matthew Stafford – his most valuable asset – Holmes will have a chance to delve into this process immediately.
Lions have five draft choices to work with in 2021. Any negotiations involving Stafford – and several suitors are expected – will increase that, probably in a premium capacity. There are a number of possible destinations and choice-switching scenarios, and each opens up a number of possibilities for Holmes and the Lions as they begin an attempt to rebuild this franchise.
We examined four hypotheses of trade and simulated sketches in the first three rounds for Lions in each. Here’s what we found:
Trade with Carolina
Lions get: Panthers’ in the first round (No. 8 overall) and …