Matthew Stafford got his ring, and in return the Detroit Lions will get the 32nd pick in April’s NFL draft.
The Lions traded Stafford to the Los Angeles Rams last January for quarterback Jared Goff, a third-round pick in 2021 and first-round choices in 2022-23.
Stafford led a 15-play, 79-yard game-winning touchdown drive Sunday as the Rams beat the Cincinnati Bengals, 23-20, in Super Bowl LVI, giving the Rams the 32nd and final pick in the first round.
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The Lions, who used the third-round pick they received last year in the trade on cornerback Ifeatu Melifonwu, will have three of the draft’s first 34 picks and likely five of the first 100 selections.
They have the No. 2 overall pick after finishing 3-13-1, with the league’s second-worst record, and have corresponding picks at the top of Rounds 2 and 3 (Nos. 34 and 66). The Lions also are expected to get a compensatory draft pick at the end of the third round for losing Kenny Golladay in free agency.
Stafford led the Rams to a 12-5 record and the NFC West title, but the final 14 picks of each round are decided by postseason finish. The Bengals will pick 31st.
The last time the Lions had two first-round picks was 2010, when they took Ndamukong Suh second overall and traded up to draft Jahvid Best at No. 30.
Recent No. 32 overall picks include linebacker Joe Tryon-Shoyinka by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last year, running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire by the Kansas City Chiefs in 2020, receiver N’Keal Harry by the New England Patriots in 2019 and quarterback Lamar Jackson by the Baltimore Ravens in 2018.
The Lions received significant interest in Stafford when they put him on the trading block, at his request, last January. Among the offers they declined was one from the Carolina Panthers, which would have given the Lions the No. 7 and 8 picks in last year’s draft, plus quarterback Teddy Bridgewater and a 2021 fifth-round choice.
Asked why he did not take that trade in an interview on WXYT-FM (97.1) last month, Lions general manager Brad Holmes said, “Ultimately, we’re just moving forward and we’re going to take advantage of the capital that we have and at the end of the day we just got to be smart. We have the draft capital that we received in the trade and Jared finished the season well and we’re just moving forward and you can have all the draft capital you want but you’ve got to pick the right players.”
Holmes said at the Senior Bowl earlier this month he was not surprised by the success Stafford had with the Rams this season.
“I mean, I think we’re in two different phases and I think that’s what he had recognized,” Holmes said. “I respected his request and we did the best thing for our organization, the best thing for him.”
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.