The Detroit Lions should trade down for Yannick Ngakoue

The Lions seem to be the talk of the town in the NFL right now. They currently hold the third pick in the draft and are that unpredictable team in a group of pretty predictable teams in the top 10. The Lions are the wild card here, so, naturally, the Lions should do a wild card thing. The Lions should revolve their entire Thursday around getting Yannick Ngakoue to Detroit. Why? Because the Lions failed free agency that’s why.

You don’t think so? Please tell me what the Lions did this offseason that changes their fortune. They lost Darius Slay in trade to the Eagles, added more Patriots talent all over the field, let Graham Glasgow walk for no apparent reason and then did next to nothing to replace him. Biggest of all, they completely ignored their inability to get to the quarterback and signed no pass rushers. After all that they still have $30 mill left to spend. Bob Quinn went bargain shopping. That’s all well and good, but it really didn’t do anything to make the team better on paper. Their moves could wind up being great. We’ll see soon enough.

Bob Quinn has a huge opportunity to right all the wrongs and come out looking like a genius this week. And he’s got all the fire power in the world to make it happen. The Lions need to trade down with the Jacksonville Jaguars and bring Ngakoue to Detroit. Here’s how it could work.

Per Mike Garofolo, teams have been trying to trade for Ngakoue, but their encountering an issue.

The Jaguars apparently want something worthwhile in return for parting with a player they’re not going to get to sign with them. That’s fine. The Lions have a bargaining chip that some of these other teams don’t have. They have the ability to pay that high price. But the Jags are going to have to pay a little too.

The Lions can offer the third overall pick and their extra fifth-round pick to Jacksonville in exchange for Yannick Ngakoue and the ninth overall pick.

This trade works out for everyone involved. The Jags get to move up to the third pick and likely snag Jeff Okuddah while also having the 20th pick and shedding themselves of Ngakoue and the drama of a potential hold out from a player that really doesn’t want to be with the organization anymore. That way the two parties don’t have to argue on Twitter anymore too.

By the way, that’s something that I’m sure is going to cause some concern for Lions fans. Is Ngakoue a “locker room cancer?” First of all, I think that term is dumb. When I quit the carpet business because I hated that job and wanted out, nobody ever said I was a “cubicle cancer.” People often hate working for their employer. Judging by the amount of people trying to get out of Jacksonville right now, it’s not hard to imagine this being nothing that Ngakoue is doing and everything that the Kahn family and company seems to be doing.

The Lions get a Pro Bowl defensive end who’s only 24 years old and is one of the better players in the league at his position. With Flowers on the other side and Danny Shelton in the middle, that’s a pretty decent looking group. But wait, there’s more. Rumor has it the Lions really like Auburn Defensive tackle Derrick Brown. There’s a chance that if he can get past the Panthers at seven, the Lions can go out and get the guy they supposedly really like. The Lions walk into this week with a mediocre defensive line and walk out with a pretty dang good one. Of course, if Brown is gone by nine, the Lions still have options with Florida corner C.J. Henderson, South Carolina defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw or even Louisville offensive tackle Mehki Becton.

Lastly, Yannick Ngakoue wins because he gets paid. That’s reportedly the other reason the Jags are having a hard time moving Ngakoue is because he going to want a large contract and teams aren’t looking to dole out a big deal. Maybe it’s because they don’t have the money? You know what team is pretty damn liquid right now? The Detroit Lions. As mentioned earlier, the Lions have $30 million to spend. Only the Browns have more money than the Lions right now. They have what it takes to make Ngakoue a happy man monetarily.

This trade almost makes too much sense to not happen. It’s something that works for everyone involved, and it’s a move that Bob Quinn should really make and dare I say, needs to make. With the Lions coaching staff and front office on the hot seat, it’s time for Bob to use that bat of his and start swinging for the fences.