NFL Network's Jason La Canfora reported yesterday that the Lions are not just open to trading the No. 2 overall pick, but they are actually actively looking for deals to move down in the first round.
The Lions are actively shopping the second overall pick in April’s draft, according to a league source, and would be very comfortable trading down, looking to stockpile three or four assets.
The Lions already have been in discussions with other teams about the prospect, according to the source, and have ample time to make such a move before the draft begins April 22.
I think most years teams at the top of the draft in the Lions' position would like to stockpile some picks and move down. However, how often do those teams actively solicit trades? Well, I'm not really sure. I'm sure it happens all the time, but to me the difference between this being a Captain Obvious type of story where it's nothing more than a report that the Lions are open to trading down and something worth talking about is the fact that La Canfora said the Lions are "actively shopping" the second pick. I suppose this isn't too surprising and is sort of obvious in the sense that it should be expected that the Lions will try to find deals, but I guess I didn't think we would outright hear about it.
Going back to the point about how often this does happen, Adam Schefter later reported on Tuesday that the Rams, Lions, Buccaneers, and Redskins have all talked about trading down. Although the top of the draft seems to be stacked with talent, it sounds like teams would rather move down and get some extra picks than just go with one of the big names like Ndamukong Suh or Gerald McCoy or Eric Berry. Then again, some teams probably have someone other than one of the big names in mind and want to move down so they don't reach on the pick. Take the Rams, for example. As of right now none of the quarterbacks are considered to be worth the top overall pick. That doesn't mean one for sure won't be selected at the top of the draft, but you can bet the Rams would rather trade down a few spots and take a QB there rather than with the top pick.
For the Lions, they seem to be in quite possibly the best position to make a trade. It is a hell of a lot easier to move down from the second overall pick than the first, and even if the Rams somehow put together a deal with the hope of drafting a QB a few spots down from their original pick, the Lions could always use that to entice a team to trade up if they want to get their guy. More than anything this will come down to whether or not a team falls in love with a player enough to spend the resources to move up to the second overall pick. With that in mind, I'm hoping that the quarterbacks blow up in the coming weeks and have their stock rise to where they are top-pick value. Teams could definitely try to trade up for a player like Suh or McCoy, but the odds are better if a QB is the target.
Although I would love to see the Lions bulk up their defensive line with Suh or McCoy, I would much rather see them trade down and gain extra picks. Depending on how far down they move, a trade could still give them the opportunity to pick one of the top players whose names have been thrown around on here (like Eric Berry or C.J. Spiller). Even if the Lions miss out on the supposed top-tier talent, the next level still has lots of great players who would be reaches at the No. 2 pick but perfect value shortly after. Besides, if the Lions can find a way to add draft picks, a trade would be more than worth it. This draft is shaping up to be one of the deepest that I can remember, so the more the merrier in that regard.