Detroit Lions a top trade-up candidate in NFL draft, 'knocking on the door' of Super Bowl

Brad Holmes made a big move up to take Jameson Williams in the first round of the 2022 draft, and one prominent analyst said he could see the Detroit Lions general manager getting aggressive in the first round again this year with the team so close to a Super Bowl.

"They are knocking on the door," NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah said in a conference call Wednesday. "They are right on the cusp of being a championship team, so if there’s a time to be aggressive this would be it."

The Lions, coming off an NFC championship game loss to the San Francisco 49ers, have the 29th pick in the first round of next week's draft among seven picks overall.

That likely is too low to land one of the draft's true blue-chip players, but Jeremiah said the Lions could be in position to fill an important need at cornerback or on the offensive line if a player they love at those positions starts to slide.

The Lions traded for Carlton Davis and signed Amik Robertson in free agency to bolster their secondary, but cut Cam Sutton, a 17-game starter last season, due to off-field issues. They hosted at least eight cornerbacks on pre-draft visits, including projected top-20 picks Terrion Arnold of Alabama and Quinyon Mitchell of Toledo (on a local visit).

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On the offensive line, the Lions return four of five starters from last season and signed Kevin Zeitler to play right guard, but have age and injury concerns on their interior front.

Jeremiah ranks nine offensive linemen among the draft's top 30 prospects.

"I wouldn’t rule that out," Jeremiah said of the Lions' trading up. "They’ve got some age on the offensive line, so if there’s a guy that they feel like they love to go up there and get one, that wouldn’t shock me at all. (Or) the corner position is one they can continue to look at. They’ve done a lot of homework on the corner class, in talking to some agents over the last week. So yeah, I think if one of those top corners starts to drift a little bit, they could go up there and do that as well."

Holmes has made nine draft-day trades in his three drafts as Lions GM, none bigger than jumping 20 spots to take Williams with the 12th pick of 2022 draft. The Lions dealt Picks 32, 34 and 66 to the Minnesota Vikings for Picks No. 12 and 46 in a trade that was widely considered slanted in their favor.

Along with the 29th pick this year, they have single-choices in the second (No. 51), third (No. 73), fifth (No. 164) and seventh rounds (No. 249), and two choices in Round 6 (Nos. 201 and 205).

According to the popular trade value chart, the Lions could move up to Pick 17 or 18 by packaging their first- and second-round picks, or Pick 19 by packaging their first- and third-rounders.

Here is every draft-day trade Holmes has made as Lions GM:

2023 — trade down: Lions sent Picks No. 6 and 81 to the Arizona Cardinals for Picks No. 12, 34, 168. The Cardinals took OT Paris Johnson Jr. at No. 6. The Lions gave up 1,785 points in the trade and received 1,783 back.

2023 — trade up: Lions sent Picks No. 48 and 159 to the Green Bay Packers for Pick No. 45. The Lions took DB Brian Branch at No. 45. The Lions gave up 446.6 points in the trade and received 450 points back.

2023 — trade down: Lions sent Picks No. 55 and 194 to the Kansas City Chiefs for Picks No. 63, 122 and 249. The Chiefs took WR Rashee Rice at No. 55. The Lions gave up 377.2 points and received 327 points back.

2023 — trade down: Lions sent Picks No. 63 and 183 to the Denver Broncos for Picks No. 68 and 139. The Broncos took WR Marvin Mims Jr. at No. 63. The Lions took QB Hendon Hooker at No. 68. The Lions gave up 292.6 points in the deal and received 286.5 points back.

2023 — trade up: Lions sent Picks No. 122, 139 and 168 to the Arizona Cardinals for Pick No. 96. The Lions took DT Brodric Martin with the 96th pick. The Lions gave up 110 points in the deal and received 116 points back.

2023 — pick-for-player trade: Lions sent Pick No. 249 and running back D'Andre Swift to the Philadelphia Eagles for Pick No. 219 and a fourth-rounder in 2025. The Lions, who were not on the clock when this deal was made, took WR Antoine Green at No. 219.

2022 — trade up: Lions sent Picks No. 32, 34 and 66 to the Minnesota Vikings for Picks No. 12 and 46. The Lions took WR Jameson Williams at No. 12. The Lions gave up 1,410 points in the deal and received 1,640 points back.

2022 — trade down: Lions sent Pick No. 181 to the Philadelphia Eagles for Picks No. 188 and 237. The Eagles took DE Kyron Johnson at No. 181. The Lions gave up 17.4 points in the deal and received 15.6 points back.

2021 — trade up: Lions sent Pick No. 153 and a future fourth-round pick to the Cleveland Browns for Picks No. 130 and 257. The Lions took LB Derrick Barnes at No. 130.

Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on X and Instagram at @davebirkett.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Why Detroit Lions could trade up for CB, OL in Round 1 of NFL draft