Tuesday open thread: Should the Detroit Lions draft Justin Fields?

As we get closer to draft day, the top of the class is starting to come into clearer focus. Barring one of the biggest shockers in recent draft history, Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson will be the first two picks in the draft. The 49ers remain an enigma, but if recent reports are accurate the pick there will be either Mac Jones or Trey Lance.

The Detroit Lions will have to sit through three more picks before they’re on the clock, and while a lot can happen in those picks, we still have a pretty good idea of who will fall to them. And according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields could very well be one of those players. On his podcast this week, Schefter said there’s an 85-95 percent chance Fields falls to Pick 6 or 7.

By now, we’ve exhausted the “should the Lions draft a quarterback?” question to death. But most of that conversation has been had with the assumption that the quarterback available would be a guy like Lance. Fields should be an entirely different conversation.

So today’s Question of the Day is:

If he’s there, should the Lions draft Justin Fields?

My answer: Personally, I think this would present the ideal case to trade down, and that would be my first preference. I like Fields as a prospect, but I’m not certain enough in my evaluation to take a big swing on a franchise quarterback when you could perhaps maximize the value of the pick by trading down.

However, trading down is always easier said than done. Because the Panthers, who hold pick No. 8, added Sam Darnold, teams may not think it’s necessary to trade with the Lions when they can wait a pick or two later to jump.

So if that’s the case, and the Lions can’t get a reasonable trade down offer, I would absolutely support drafting Fields. Unlike a guy like Lance, there isn’t a ton of projection to do with Fields. He has plenty of tape out there, he’s played against pro-level competition and on the biggest college stages, and he’s shown up huge in those moments. Yes, there are a couple of very bad games out there, but the good heavily outweighs the bad. And there’s no question Fields has the physical tools to make it at the next level.

So while I would prefer to see the Lions’ increase their draft capital as their primary objective, Fields is a pretty darn good “consolation prize.”

Your turn.