Lions Select Trey Lance in Birkett's First Mock Draft
While many believe the Detroit Lions will not select a quarterback in the first round of this year's NFL Draft, a Hall of Fame voter sees things differently.
In his first released mock draft, Detroit Free Press Lions beat writer Dave Birkett believes quarterback Trey Lance will be selected and that he has the tools to be a star player in the league.
"Don’t think for a second the Lions are out of the quarterback market because they acquired Jared Goff. The extra draft capital they have is nice, but it won’t mean a thing if they don’t get the quarterback position right. Lance has the tools to be a star. He’s not ready to play yet, and in Detroit, he can sit a season and take over in 2022," Birkett explained.
Trey Lance is a 6-foot-4, 226-pound quarterback who started to make waves among draft analysts following his 2019 campaign.
Many scouts have reported that Lance's best assets are his strong arm and his mobility.
Will his issues with accuracy cause some to shy away from the inexperienced quarterback?
Many believe that Lance should sit for a season or two, prior to taking over as a starting quarterback in the NFL.
For Lance, sitting back and learning from starter Jared Goff, as well as offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn and quarterbacks coach Mark Brunell, may put him in the best position to succeed in the long term -- if drafted by Detroit.
More from SI All Lions:
Lions Will Not 'Sell the Bank' to Win Immediately
Ragnow: 'I'm Going to Embrace Jared Goff'
Lions Coaching Staff Finalized
Matthew Stafford Has Contacted Jared Goff
Lions 3-Round Mock Draft: Improving the Defense
Get the latest Detroit Lions news by joining our community. Click "Follow" at the top right of our SI All Lions page. Mobile users click the notification bell. Be sure to follow us on Twitter @DetroitPodcast.