Detroit Lions grab Jeff Okudah AND 1st-round QB in PFF’s wild mock draft

While debate wages on between those that believe the Detroit Lions should take a chance on Tua Tagovailoa with the third overall pick and those that want to continue with the Matthew Stafford era, PFF offers an interesting third option with their latest mock draft, via PFF lead draft analyst Mike Renner.

At the top of the draft, Renner does what many Lions fans are hoping for: he trades out of the Lions’ third overall spot with the Miami Dolphins, dropping two spots while snagging one of Miami’s other first-round picks—26th overall.

To make matters even better for Detroit, in this scenario they grab Ohio State cornerback Jeff Okudah with the fifth overall pick, a player many believe the Lions would take with the third overall pick.

So they get Okudah and another first-round pick, what’s not to... Love?

Well, that’s when things get a little wacky. From there, Renner has the Lions trading up four spots with the Buffalo Bills to grab... Utah State quarterback Jordan Love.

“The Lions got the added first-rounder for the No. 3 overall pick and can stand to take some swings for the fences because of it,” Renner wrote. “They come back up and jump other teams with veteran quarterbacks who could be in the mix for Love’s services. Love finished top-five in both big-time throws and turnover-worthy plays this past season. That’s the definition of a high-risk, high-reward prospect.”

For me, personally, this would undo pretty much all the excitement from the first half of the draft. I would be perfectly fine with just grabbing Okudah with the third overall pick, so you’d think getting Okudah plus something more would be a better scenario. However, grabbing an inconsistent prospect like Love would be a huge wasted opportunity for Detroit to draft a better first-round talent at a position of bigger need. Trading up makes it even worse.

If the Lions would’ve stayed put at 26, they could’ve grabbed a receiver like Denzel Mims, who had a solid week at the Senior Bowl alongside the Lions coaching staff. Same with Wisconsin linebacker Zack Baun or LSU edge defender K’Lavon Chaisson.

While I think this mock draft is more palatable than grabbing Tagovailoa with the third overall pick—because at least you still have Okudah—this still seems like a wasted opportunity for Detroit.