3 Day One Nightmare Scenarios for Detroit Lions in 2022 NFL Draft
The upcoming decisions facing the Detroit Lions in the 2022 NFL Draft could have reverberating effects for several seasons to come.
Lions general manager Brad Holmes and the personnel department will be tasked with adding impactful draft prospects to a locker room in desperate need of high-end talent, primarily on the defensive side of the football.
While head coach Dan Campbell and the coaching staff are in search of players who will see the field and contribute quickly, an argument can be made for the Lions to draft a quarterback in the first round of the draft.
While it is highly unlikely, Liberty quarterback Malik Willis may just be talented enough to force the Lions to select him and sit him behind quarterback Jared Goff.
Supporters of the Lions have made it quite clear online that drafting a quarterback in 2022 is likely a detriment to the rebuilding process.
Here are three nightmare scenarios that could upset Lions fans on the first day of the draft.
Drafting quarterback Malik Willis with the No. 2 pick
All offseason, members of the front office and coaching staff have praised the second-half performance of Jared Goff, which was in part due to tight ends coach Ben Johnson being given increased responsibilities in the offense.
"Look, I like Goff," Campbell told reporters last week, via the team's website. "I like where he's at. I thought he finished strong last year. I'm glad we've got him this year. And I like the prospects that are in this draft, I do."
While drafting a developmental quarterback sounds ideal, this is not the correct time in the rebuild to select players who will not produce immediately.
While Willis certainly has high upside, his selection in the first round comes with a great deal of risk.
Those risks should prevent commissioner Roger Goodell from calling his name when it is the Lions' turn to hand in their card on night one of the draft.
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Passing on an EDGE rusher with the No. 2 pick
Detroit has clearly lacked the ability to rush the passer for the past several seasons.
If the aim is to improve the defense, it would behoove Holmes and Co. to add one of the top pass-rushers to this roster.
The team has several young defensive backs already on the roster. Therefore, making the decision to draft cornerback Ahmad Gardner or safety Kyle Hamilton would be widely critiqued by supporters.
Given the pick of Jeff Okudah at No. 3 has yet to pan out, gambling on a defensive back seems like playing with fire, especially with multiple pass-rushers available to select at the top of the draft.
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Trading up to No. 1 to select defensive end Aidan Hutchinson
The Lions can ill-afford to give up any draft capital at all.
Having multiple first-round picks in 2022 and 2023 have at least given the team an opportunity to stockpile talent.
While Hutchinson is a local favorite, the asking price to move up to the No. 1 spot will not be light.
Even if Hutchinson is available at No. 2 overall, it is feasible that multiple players could end up with brighter futures when all is said and done.
