It’s one of the most intriguing subplots to the Detroit Lions and their next stop along this year’s offseason.
In two weeks' time, the 2022 NFL Draft will have worked its way through 105 selections from the posting of this article. Currently, the Lions own five of those picks, and those choices made by Brad Holmes and Co. will be critical in getting this rebuild off the ground after a rather uneventful free agency period.
But will the team use one of those picks on a quarterback? It’s a question that’s been on the minds of Lions fans everywhere for months.
Today’s Question of the Day is...
Do the Detroit Lions take a quarterback in the 2022 NFL Draft?
Had you asked me this question on Halloween of last year, I would have told you trick or treating be damned, Holmes better be ready to go door-to-door asking each general manager if their quarterback was available or if their future draft capital could be had in an effort to draft his own. The Lions were winless, Jared Goff looked as listless as he did in Los Angeles, and fans were already growing impatient with the rebuild.
Fast forward to the conclusion of the game against Green Bay in Week 18 and it was an entirely different feel. The Lions finished their final six games going .500, Goff was 3-1 over that stretch—which included the “Flu Game” against the Denver Broncos in Week 14—and all of a sudden, there was a tangible sense of optimism surrounding this team.
But that didn’t stop draftniks from mocking a quarterback to the Lions at 32 with the pick they acquired from the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for now Super Bowl champion Matthew Stafford. It happened early and often as our own Erik Schlitt kept track of these sorts of things all offseason long. For a brief period of time, one of those quarterbacks, Malik Willis, became the en vogue pick at No. 2 for Detroit.
Those trains have since been making their way through the station less and less often, and a lot of that coincides with both Holmes and Dan Campbell making comments about their confidence in Goff as the team’s quarterback.
In our recent chat with The Ringer’s Danny Kelly—which you can check out right here—Kelly made some points that had me reconsider my stance on Detroit waiting until 32 to draft a quarterback. Essentially, it boils down to teams trying to get the most bang for their buck with each pick. And if the value is there for a quarterback with Detroit’s second pick in the first round—depending on the player, of course—I think I’m coming around a bit on Detroit going with a new signal-caller at that spot.
Of course, I’m still the acting conductor for what’s left of the train chugging along for Malik Willis to be the pick at No. 2.
Your turn.
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