The continual talk about the Detroit Lions possibly drafting a quarterback is speculation that will be answered soon enough.
The Detroit Lions are entering year two of their rebuild. So regardless of who is under center, eight or nine wins is probably the best-case scenario in 2022.
Anyone who takes a good look at the Lions roster knows there are still plenty of holes that need to be filled. It is incredibly difficult to rebuild a team from the ground up, as general manager Brad Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell are doing.
With another draft as productive as last year the Lions could certainly be more competitive, but it’s highly unlikely it will propel them into the playoffs next season. But they could be respectable.
Even though the Lions aren’t at the point they are ready to plug in their quarterback of the future, it is still a very popular and prominent discussion heading toward the draft.
The question of if/when Lions draft a quarterback will be answered soon
The vast majority of people believe in Jared Goff is a bridge quarterback. I don’t disagree at all. But Goff was quite good in his last six starts season, after Campbell took over the play-calling duties.
That doesn’t mean that Goff is automatically the Lions’ quarterback of the future. But considering his contract status and last year’s hot finish, even if Holmes gets his quarterback of the future in the upcoming draft, Goff will still be Detroit’s starter this fall—barring injury.
The question is if Holmes sees more value in trying to find defensive play makers with Detroit’s early picks, or if it’s worth gambling on a passer in what is considered a weak quarterback class.
The truth is the biggest value of selecting a quarterback would be that he could sit behind Goff and learn for a year. Holmes recently spoke about the value in that. However, that same philosophy could apply to 2023.
Holmes has no interest in showing his cards, like any general manager in the league. So what he’ll do is going to remain unknowable.
Will the Lions draft a quarterback later this month? No one knows for sure, but if Holmes has his eye on someone in this draft class he believes could be Detroit’s quarterback of the future, no one should be surprised if he pulls the trigger. However, no one should also be surprised if the Lions wait until what is expected to be a better quarterback class next year.