The 2024 NFL Draft is less than two weeks away and I’m really starting to lean towards the idea of a trade up for the Lions. A lot of it comes from a question we got in this weeks mailbag where a reader asked if the draft is where Lions GM Brad Holmes likes to go all in. In the past that’s what we’ve seen. Every risky move he’s made as been in the draft.
So I’m going to continue that here with today’s draft. I’m going all in on this one like I know the Lions are about to contend for a championship and they just need a few extra guys. Let’s jump into it.
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When you go all in you have to literally go all in. You’ve got to take your chips and move them to the center of the table. That’s what I did. I saw what I wanted and I put the chips in the middle of the table for a chance to go up and get my guy.
Lions get: 13th and 44th picks
Raiders get: 29th, 61st and 73rd picks and the Lions first and third-round picks in 2025
You have to do what you have to do. You can’t go all in without the risk of giving up the future.
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The Lions go out and get the top cornerback in the 2024 NFL Draft with this move. Arnold is very good and is an immediate day one starter for the Lions. It’s the perfect move for a team that’s completely rebuilding their secondary for the future.
Arnold had a big season for Alabama last year. He allowed a 50.7 passer rating and picked off five passes. Teams really had to think twice when they threw his way.
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An interesting thing happened on the way to the second round. The Raiders decided to trade down from the 29th pick the Lions traded them. They may have traded down too far. So when we got to the 44th pick and Bo Nix was still on the board, the Raiders called back and asked to trade up. So I obliged.
Lions get: 50th and 77th picks
Raiders get: 44th and 164th picks
And just like that, the Lions are back in the third round again and still have a higher second round pick than they had before. The problem is that there is going to be a gap between 77 and 201. I just could not pull a trade off and when you see who I got at 77, you’ll know why I didn’t trade down from there.
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We’ve talked a lot about the Lions need for a big bodied X receiver and here he is. The thing I like the most about Legette is that he can bully cornerbacks with his strength and size, but he can also fly down the field. He can also fly in the end zone when he goes up and gets the ball too. Jared Goff and Antwaan Randle-El will be grinning ear to ear with this one.
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This felt like such a steal at 77. Kneeland is a guy that’s expected to go in the second-round at some point and the Lions were able to scoop in him up near the top of the third-round.
I’ve talked about Kneeland a lot. He is a guy that a lot of teams are going to be interested in. It’s all about that 4.7 speed and his ability to move offensive linemen around. He just bull rushes through guys. If he can’t do that, he finds a way to get around them.
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Another steal if you ask me. Vaki could have gone in the fifth, but the Lions were able to get him in the sixth. After an offseason of talking to him at the Senior Bowl, the combine, his pro day and at his top-30 visit, the Lions are loving life being the team to get him.
Vaki is a three way guy. The Lions could use him in rotation at safety and then use him for special plays on offense and have him return kicks on special teams. He did it all at Utah. He very well could be the next Jamal Agnew.
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Here’s one I don’t think is possible at the end of the day. Boyd has been talking with just about every team in the league and his draft stock is rising. He could find himself drafted in the fourth or the fifth when it’s all said and done. If the Lions could get him in the sixth, that would be a steal. They’re one of the teams he’s met with by the way.
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The Lions would make NFL history with this pick here. Stiggers would be the first player to ever be drafted without playing a single down of college football. He had a big year in the CFL in 2023 and won the leagues rookie of the year award. He’s met with the Lions for a top-30 visit as well as a bevy of other teams. He’s going to get picked. We’ll find out where soon.