Detroit Lions GM Bob Quinn hints at trading down... again

Detroit Lions general manager Bob Quinn doesn’t speak much publicly, but when he does, her certainly makes an impression. And when it’s around draft time, any NFL general manager talking publicly is bound to make waves, whether he’s telling truths or lobbing smokebombs into the discourse.

Quinn’s latest efforts came on Ian Rapoport’s podcast “RapSheet and Friends,” where he talked about picking in the top 10 for the first time as Lions GM. The eighth overall pick is the highest pick the Lions have held since 2013, when the franchise took Ezekiel Ansah fifth overall.

Quinn said he loves the draft and this time of year, and while he obviously didn’t reveal any names, he made it clear there are some prospects he’d love to take at eight.

“There’s a number of players I think I would like at that spot at this stage,” Quinn told Rapoport. “We’re about a month out, so the board isn’t entirely finalized yet.”

But then conversation slided to every fan’s dream: the trade down. Quinn almost seemed giddy about the idea and was surprisingly very open about his desire to move down and acquire some more picks.

“I always like draft picks,” Quinn said. “So if we can move back a little bit, a couple spots, and pick up another pick, the depth in this draft is really—from the late first to the third—there’s a lot of really good players in there. So, if I could ever move back a few spots, get a really good player in the first round and add another pick, I think that’s something that’d be great.”

Of course, one has to consider there’s an alternate motive for a general manager speaking so openly about a trade down. In fact, last year Bob Quinn said something almost identical.

“I’m always in the business of getting more draft picks,” Quinn revealed during an April pre-draft press conference in 2018. “I think that’s just good for business. The more you get, the more you’re going to hit on, so if we can acquire more picks, that would be something I’d look forward to.”

The Lions ended up trading up twice in the 2018 NFL Draft.

And just a few minutes prior in the interview with Rapoport, Quinn openly admitted that they put out misinformation to throw off teams of their intentions. When Rapoport joked about trying to chase down information on the 30 official visits the Lions will have for draft prospects, this is how Quinn answered.

“Good luck with that. Good luck. We put some misinformation out there.”

Still, considering his Patriots background and that franchise’s propensity to move back in the draft, maybe he’s serious this time.

“People out there listening, I’m open for business.”