It’s unlikely?, but a bold trade idea would make the Detroit Lions offense absolutely unstoppable.
The Detroit Lions enter the 2023 NFL Draft in a position where they could do just about anything. Stay put, take the best player available with both first-round picks on Thursday night, trade up or down…..trade someone? Or trade for someone?
Ian Hartitz, formerly of Pro Football Focus and now of Matthew Berry’s Fantasy Life, recently offered “3 Potential Draft Day Trades.” Top to bottom they seem to decrease in real likelihood, but we should know by now to rule nothing out.
Of course the last of the three trade ideas relates to the Lions.
Falcons trade TE Kyle Pitts to the Lions
The Lions’ current TE room:
Brock Wright: Former undrafted free agent who managed only one game with more than 25 receiving yards after the Hockenson trade.
Shane Zylstra: Former undrafted free agent who popped off for a 5-26-3 receiving line in Week 16 last season. His production in 16 other career games: 9-68-1.
James Mitchell: Perhaps the most-intriguing receiving prospect of the group, Mitchell fell to the fifth round of the 2022 NFL Draft in large part because of a torn ACL just two games into his senior season. Mitchell’s 11-113-1 receiving line in 14 games as a rookie wasn’t dominant by any stretch of the imagination, just realize his collegiate reviews were largely sterling from a route-running and burst perspective.
Derrick Deese Jr.: Former undrafted free agent who hasn’t played an NFL snap, although his 47-730-4 receiving line during his final season at San Jose State does paint the picture of a TE with some level of receiving upside.
Hartitz is not new to the idea the Lions could use a talent upgrade at tight end, and we welcome him to the bandwagon. James Mitchell is full of potential, but Brock Wright and Shane Zylstra are replacement level at best.
Addition of Kyle Pitts would make the Detroit Lions’ offense unstoppable
After a fantastic rookie season, when he topped 1,000 yards, the Falcons turned Pitts into an in-line tight end and blocker last season (much to the chagrin of fantasy managers who burned a high pick on him). Then a knee injury ended his season early.
The Falcons are unlikely to trade Pitts, so let’s start there. And the price would be high to get him if they were willing to move him. But it’s clear Arthur Smith wants to run the ball constantly, and to not use Pitts as a prominent passing game target is to openly (and willingly) misuse him.
The Lions don’t have many ways they can raise the ceiling of a top-tier offense from last year. A tight end who is a legit passing game weapon is one though, and even the faint/unlikely idea Pitts could be acquired is eye-opening.
There’s about a one-in-a-hundred-billion chance Pitts is traded during the draft, let alone to Detroit. But there’s no doubt adding him would make the Lions’ offense unstoppable.