DETROIT _ On one hand, there's the safe and obvious. That's the hand Lions general manager Bob Quinn generally plays in the first round. That's why most mock-drafters have them choosing Ohio State cornerback Jeff Okudah at No. 3.
The Lions need a corner. Okudah is one of the best prospects in years. Bam. Done. Right?
Ahh not so fast. Never has a pick looked so right and felt so wrong. Let me explain.
With the top two selections Thursday night seemingly set _ LSU quarterback Joe Burrow to the Bengals, Ohio State defensive end Chase Young to Washington _ the draft essentially starts with the Lions at No. 3. And this is no draft to play it safe, not when the Lions' logical pick is at a position almost never taken so high, for a variety of reasons. Since 2003, only four cornerbacks have gone in the top five, and no one as high as third since Ohio State's Shawn Springs in 1997.
That's why this selection, more than any in Quinn's five seasons here, has to be about maximizing value and being creative. It's about finding a trade that lands a slightly lower pick but garners another asset or two, no matter how difficult it might be to pull off.
You know who agrees, without exactly saying it? Bob Quinn agrees.
"(Trading) is a constant conversation," Quinn said Friday. "But like I said at the beginning, you can't just say, 'Hey, I'm going to trade.' You need a trade partner. You need somebody that wants to come up, and those conversations are happening."
