Detroit Lions in-house multi-media reporter, Tori Petry met with Lions writer, Mike O’Hara at the NFL Combine to discuss the options that the Lions have in the upcoming draft, and if the team is interested in drafting a quarterback.
“Absolutely,” O’Hara said, “they have it for a lot of reasons, maybe not at the number three spot, but maybe a trade down into the later rounds, I could see as high as second round, third, fourth, or fifth. They’ve got to fill out the depth at that position, we saw that last year in the final eight games after Matthew Stafford went out. If you’re not ready at that position, you have no chance of winning in the National Football League, and clearly they have more to do.”
Of course, general manager Bob Quinn has been very adamant about the Lions having absolutely no trade talks regarding Matthew Stafford. O’Hara believes the same remains true saying, “I don’t think they are actively shopping [Matthew] Stafford, they don’t have to. With who is going to be on the board, teams are going to come to them. A deal will make itself if the Lions are interested in trading down.”
O’Hara speaks about the possibility of Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa going third overall in the draft saying, “this is a special player, a special athlete, and he brings an awful lot to you.” Of course, going down with the hip injury late in the season, Tagovailoa comes with some extra baggage, although Ian Rapoport has reported that Tagovailoa’s hip has received overwhelmingly positive feedback.
You can hear the extent of Petry and O’Hara’s conversation in the video below.
