Dave Birkett posted an interesting question on Twitter last night. If a situation presented itself where the Detroit Lions felt comfortable moving out of the 23rd overall slot in the 2012 NFL Draft, would you rather they go up or down? Here's Birkett's exact question:
Question since plenty have asked about trades: Would you rather see Lions trade up a few spots for CB or trade down for extra pick/take OL?
— Dave Birkett (@davebirkett) April 23, 2012
With the way the draft is shaping up, the Lions very well may have to make a move up into the teens if they want a shot at drafting Dre Kirkpatrick or Stephon Gilmore. It's very possible both will be off the board by the time the Lions go on the clock at No. 23, so if they wanted to land one of the top three corners, a trade up may be necessary. Of course, chances are somebody like Janoris Jenkins will be there at No. 23 given his character concerns, but will talent trump the red flags for the Lions if it comes down to him at the cornerback position?
On the flip side, let's say guys like Kirkpatrick and Gilmore are already off the board and Jenkins isn't a legitimate option. The Lions could stay put and probably have a shot at one of Whitney Mercilus and Nick Perry. Those are two solid options on the defensive line. For the sake of this question, though, let's say the Lions aren't really thrilled with the players on the board and would rather move down. By doing this, they would pick up an extra selection or two later in the draft and could potentially land an offensive lineman like Peter Konz, Kevin Zeitler or Mike Adams, just to name a few of the options. This would give the Lions the lineman of the future they are perceived to be in need of, and it would lessen the chances of them reaching to fill this need.
For me, if it strictly came down to moving up to get a corner or moving down to get an offensive lineman, give me option No. 1 every time. Obviously if you bring other scenarios like staying put and drafting Jenkins or picking a defensive end into the equation, then my opinion would be different. (I'd take a DE over moving down, for example.) However, for this specific scenario, I'd much rather see the Lions give up a couple picks in order to go and get a guy like Kirkpatrick, who would immediately upgrade the talent and depth at cornerback. To me, somebody like that has a better chance of contributing right away. While building for the future is important as well and there likely will be some solid options at corner available in the second round, I'd feel more comfortable with the Lions addressing their need for offensive linemen later on if the opportunity to get a guy like Kirkpatrick was there.
What say you?
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