The start of the 2020 NFL Draft is mere hours away. We've known for weeks that the first two selections will likely be LSU quarterback Joe Burrow (to the Bengals) and Ohio State edge rusher Chase Young (to Washington); and while there had been a widespread assumption that the Detroit Lions would select Young's teammate, Jeffrey Okudah, with the No. 3 overall pick, there is increasing buzz Thursday afternoon that the Lions are actually looking to trade down.
Early in the morning, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported that the Lions have been engaged with multiple teams about trading down from the No. 3 spot and that talks have heated up in the past 24 hours. Later, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald reported that the Lions have actually already made plans to trade with the Giants or Dolphins, who hold the No. 4 (New York) and No. 5 (Miami) picks in the first round. Salguero did caution that no deal has been finalized yet but stated that they have a "degree of confidence they will be able to trade their pick."
Later in the day, separate reports emerged that both the Jaguars and Chargers had been in contact with the Lions in the hopes of moving up to No. 3. Jacksonville is armed with the No. 9 and 20 overall picks, while the Chargers sit just behind the Dolphins at No. 6 overall.
The recent buzz about the Dolphins possibly trading up to select an offensive tackle is perhaps what would motivate the Giants to surrender something in order to get to No. 3. Most draft insiders have assumed Dave Gettleman and company have their eyes on taking the first tackle off the board, whether that be Tristan Wirfs, Jedrick Wills, or Andrew Thomas; and while Gettleman now insists he has "computer folks" doing analytics work for him, we have seen in the past he is more than willing to buck modern thinking in order to land his player of choice.
Meanwhile, Miami moving up to take a non-quarterback doesn't actually seem all that likely given that the Dolphins have three first-round picks and could easily stay put and take any of the three aforementioned tackles, or someone like Mekhi Becton, Josh Jones, Ezra Cleveland, or Isaiah Wilson. The more likely trade-up scenario for the Dolphins would involve them vaulting up to No. 3 to land their quarterback of choice, thus ensuring teams like the Chargers, Jaguars, or Patriots cannot swoop in and yank their preferred passer out from under them.
In either of those trade scenarios, the Lions would likely be able to land Okudah and pick up extra draft capital for their troubles. And if Okudah is not actually their target, they would presumably still be able to land whoever is, even if they move a bit further down the board, which is where Los Angeles and Jacksonville come into play. For either of those teams moving up the board, one would presume their target is Tagovailoa, but it could also be Justin Herbert or even an offensive tackle.
