Stay at No. 3 or Trade Back: What Should the Lions Do?

Vito Chirco opines on what the Lions should do with the No. 3 overall pick

To trade or not to trade down from the No. 3 overall pick in this April's NFL Draft, that is the question for the Lions and front-office head honcho Bob Quinn.

And it'll continue to be a highly debated topic leading into the first night of the draft on April 23.

Let's take a dive now into the pros and cons of the Lions staying at No. 3.

Pros:

1.) Being able to draft a potentially franchise-changing quarterback for the present and future in former Alabama passer Tua Tagovailoa

If all his medicals continue to trend in the right direction, he could be Detroit's automatic selection at No. 3.  

He'd be a home-run pick for the organization from both a PR -- and we know the Lions could direly use some positive PR -- and on-field production perspective.

He would instantly build back some credibility for Quinn and Lions head man Matt Patricia, after the two suffered through a dismal 2019 campaign in which they each took a significant shot to their respective professional reputations.

And by taking Tagovailoa, it doesn't mean that the Lions' current franchise QB Matthew Stafford has to be traded.

Patricia & Co. could easily follow the Kansas City Chiefs' model with now Super Bowl-winning QB Patrick Mahomes, and allow Tua to sit for a year.

Then, next offseason, Detroit could look to move on from Stafford and officially hand over the keys to the team to Tua.

2.) Building up and reshaping the identity of the defense by drafting former Ohio State cornerback Jeff Okudah

He would form a dynamic 1-2 punch with Darius Slay on the outside in Lions' secondary -- if the organization chooses to hang on to Slay this offseason.

And if it decides to move on from Slay, Okudah -- with his superb man-coverage skills -- would become the new leader of Detroit's defensive backs, and still would help upgrade a passing defense that allowed a league-high 284.4 yards per contest a season ago.

Cons:

1.) Losing the leverage to acquire multiple draft assets in return for the highly-coveted pick

As a result of Tua more than likely still being on the board once the Lions are on the clock -- Joe Burrow and Chase Young are highly expected to go No. 1 and No. 2 overall to the Cincinnati Bengals and Washington Redskins, respectively -- Quinn & Co. can pretty much name their price and get whatever they want in return for the pick.

The Miami Dolphins and Las Vegas Raiders each have been rumored to be looking to trade up in the draft, and each possess multiple first-round picks (two for the Raiders and three for the Dolphins).

Both franchises have the draft capital necessary to make Quinn an offer that he potentially can't refuse.

2.) Losing out on the ability to get as much value as possible from pick(s) in first round 

If you're a draftnik, you care all about draft value -- as in getting players at spots in the draft that amplify their value to the team drafting them.

The Lions could feasibly get the most bang for their buck in the first round by trading down with the Dolphins and getting former Clemson LB Isaiah Simmons with Miami's pick at No. 5.

Simmons -- who lined up at six different positions in 2019 (safety, outside linebacker, inside linebacker, middle linebacker, cornerback and on the defensive line) -- put on a show Saturday at the NFL combine.

For starters, he recorded a 4.39 40-yard dash, faster than NFL speedsters Saquon Barkley (4.40 40-yard time) and Christian McCaffrey (4.48) -- both of whom log snaps at running back.

He also improved his draft stock by producing impressive marks in a couple other drills, as well as in his height and weight measurements -- as exemplified by the tweet below.

Isaiah Simmons
2020 #NFLCombine

• Taller than DK Metcalf

• Heavier than Roquan Smith

• Faster than Devin Hester

• Jumps higher than Julio Jones

• More explosive than Alvin Kamara@ClemsonFB @isaiahsimmons25 pic.twitter.com/NeotE79Ivg

— NFL Research (@NFLPlus) March 1, 2020

And remember, the Lions wouldn't just be acquiring one first-rounder from the Dolphins for the No. 3 selection.

Quinn & Co. would also be able to attain either the No. 18 or No. 26 pick from Miami.

It would further entice Detroit's front office to trade back.

And most importantly, it would allow the franchise to maximize the value it would receive from dealing the highly-desired selection.

The Lions hold all the leverage in the world at No. 3.

And now, they just have to do the right thing, and deal the pick for multiple assets in the 2020 NFL Draft.

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