2019 NFL Draft odds: Detroit Lions have a good shot at a top 5 pick

The Detroit Lions’ playoff chances all but died on Soldier Field on Sunday. At 3-6, the team is now a full three games back in the division and there are five teams between them and the final wild card spot in the NFC. They’re far from mathematically eliminated, but given the upcoming schedule and their current level of play, there’s no point in dwelling on the playoffs. The dream is over.

So with that behind us, it’s time to start paying attention to the 2019 NFL Draft, and GOOD NEWS! The Lions are lined up right now to compete for a top five pick. At the moment, there are just six teams with worse records than the Lions: the Bills, Jets, Cardinals, 49ers, Giants and Raiders. As a result, the Lions have a 34.6 percent chance at a top five pick, according to Football Outsiders’ odds, and a 2.0 percent chance at the top pick in the draft.

The Lions haven’t picked in the top five since taking Ezekiel Ansah with the fifth overall pick in 2013. However, from 2002 to 2010 they picked in the top five on five different occasions. Here is their haul from that time period: Joey Harrington (2002), Charles Rogers (2003), Calvin Johnson (2007), Matthew Stafford (2009), Ndamukong Suh (2010).

Obviously there’s a long ways to go for the remainder of the 2018 season, and the Lions could fall closer to the first overall pick, or they could string together a couple of wins and move near the middle of the pack. But considering their schedule is on the tougher end of the spectrum, Detroit could be in for another early pick on draft day.