Lions Closer to Landing Jalen Carter, Will Anderson in 2023 NFL Draft

What Chicago Bears trading No. 1 pick to Carolina Panthers means for Detroit Lions.

The Detroit Lions may find themselves on the positive side of luck in the upcoming NFL Draft. 

On Friday, the Chicago Bears made the decision to deal the No. 1 overall pick to the Carolina Panthers. 

In exchange, the Panthers sent the Bears wideout DJ Moore, the No. 9 overall pick, the No. 61 overall selection, a first-round pick in 2024 and a second-round pick in 2025. 

According to Sports Illustrated, "The Bears GM took the best deal on the table and gave his scouting staff a chance to recalibrate with a little more than a month to go before the draft. While the Bears didn’t field as much as the Titans did from the Rams in 2016, the Rams were shooting from a historically low draft spot and, thus, had to add a premium. The biggest sweetener here for Poles is the addition of Moore, a legitimate No. 1 wide receiver, who would potentially field a low first or high second-round pick from a team as is."

Detroit general manager Brad Holmes has used first-round draft picks the past two seasons to build inside the trenches. 

Selecting Penei Sewell in 2021 and Aidan Hutchinson in 2022 have turned out to be successful, as the young linemen should be core pieces of the team for many seasons to come. 

Now that the Panthers are certain to select a quarterback at No. 1, the decisions made by the Cardinals (No. 3) and Seahawks (No. 5) will go a long way in determining if Detroit can land EDGE rusher Will Anderson Jr. or interior defensive lineman Jalen Carter at No. 6 overall. 

Several draft analysts are expecting three quarterbacks to be selected in the top five this year, opening up the potential of Anderson or Carter landing in Detroit. 

Carter may dip ever so slightly, based on his questionable off-the-field decisions at Georgia. 

If both end up being selected before pick No. 6, expect defensive lineman Tyree Wilson to be targeted by the Lions. Wilson has been mocked to Detroit in several projections released the past two months.

For NFL teams to have success in the draft, luck plays a significant part. 

Holmes and the front office are certain to continue building in the trenches, so adding proven talent will bode well for their fortunes during the 2023 season.