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Detroit Lions News & Rumors

Lions Sign UDFA TE Hunter Bryant

April 26th, 2020 at 6:34pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Hunter Bryant was one of the biggest surprise undrafted players, but he’s got a home now. The tight end has signed a free agent contract with the Lions, a source told Tom Pelissero of NFL Network (Twitter link).

Bryant got $60K in guaranteed cash from Detroit which includes a $20K signing bonus, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets. Bryant was seen as one of the better tight ends in the class by many, and was universally expected to get drafted. He went toward the top of the fourth-round in Matt Miller of Bleacher Report’s final mock draft.

Apparently medical concerns caused Bryant to slip, and given his knee-injury history that’s not too surprising. He was limited to nine games as a freshman and only five as a sophomore. In his junior season in 2019 he exploded and racked up 825 yards, the third-most of any tight end in the country.

Detroit currently has 2019 first-round pick T.J. Hockenson and veteran Jesse James at the position, but Bryant should have a good chance at becoming the team’s third tight end.

Lions Deny Backing Out Of Texans Trade

April 25th, 2020 at 9:02am CST by Ben Levine

It wouldn’t be a true NFL Draft if there wasn’t a bit of drama between two teams. John McClain of the Houston Chronicle tweets that Texans head coach/general manager Bill O’Brien was “furious” at the Lions for backing out of a trade.

According to McClain, the Texans “had a deal” to send the No. 90 pick to the Lions. Detroit ended up backing out at the “last instant,” and cameras caught O’Brien’s visible frustration. Houston ultimately kept the pick and settled for Florida linebacker Jonathan Greenard.

Predictably, Lions general manager Bob Quinn has already said that he was never close to a trade with the Texans.

“Listen, we talk to a lot of teams,” Quinn told Kyle Meinke of MLive.com (via Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com). “When we’re not on the clock, we talk to a bunch of teams, and it’s not just myself. We’ve got four or five people that make calls, so I’m not sure what that was about. But we didn’t have a trade.”

As Smith points out, Quinn and O’Brien were both on the Patriots staff between 2007 and 2011.

Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com writes that the NFL makes it abundantly clear that a trade isn’t finalized until it’s made official. Trade talks are currently made even tougher thanks to the unconventional draft setup.

Lions Acquire No. 75 From Colts

April 24th, 2020 at 9:14pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Lions are moving up 10 spots in the third round. They will jump from No. 85 to 75, with the Colts facilitating the move.

In exchange for moving down 10 positions, the Colts will receive fifth- and sixth-round picks (Nos. 148 and 182). This will give the Colts five combined picks in Rounds 5 and 6. The Lions will also pick up a sixth-rounder (No. 197) in the deal.

With the pick, the Lions took Ohio State guard Jonah Jackson. A one-time Rutgers recruit, Jackson helped on an offense that featured prolific numbers from Justin Fields and J.K. Dobbins. A 2019 graduate transfer, Jackson received first-team All-Big Ten acclaim in his lone season with the Buckeyes.

Detroit lost longtime guard/center starter Graham Glasgow this offseason. With the team having not addressed its O-line in the draft, Jackson will be a prime candidate to challenge for the guard spot Glasgow vacated.

Lions “Never Got A Firm Offer” For No. 3 Pick

April 24th, 2020 at 10:08am CST by Zachary Links

The Lions stayed at No. 3 overall last night and came away with their top target in cornerback Jeff Okudah. They tried to trade back and still grab the Ohio State star but, ultimately, there wasn’t much of a market for the pick. 

“We had a lot of conversations,” GM Bob Quinn said late Thursday night (via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press). “We never got a firm offer. No team put anything on the table. Had multiple conversations with multiple teams. They were kind of fishing around and we were open for business as you guys know, and nothing was ever put out in front of us to evaluate.”

The Dolphins, at No. 5, were a prime candidate for a swap, but they were intent on acquiring the No. 3 pick without giving up their No. 5 overall choice. Whatever the ‘Fins offered didn’t move the needle for Quinn & Co. – there was no chance of landing Okudah or any of their preferred targets later on in the first round. The Dolphins didn’t up their offer, either, because they were ultimately comfortable with Tua Tagovailoa and confident that he’d still be available with the fifth pick. They were right and, besides, their imagined Godfather offer of the No. 3 + No. 5 wouldn’t have convinced the Bengals to pass on Joe Burrow.

“The few teams that showed a little bit of interest, just ultimately as we got to [Thursday], for whatever reason, decided to stay put,” Quinn said. “And I think looking back, they probably got the guys they probably would have taken at three. So it takes two teams to tango and, listen, we feel good about it…Ultimately, looking back at it, it really didn’t mean much because nothing happened.”

Dolphins And Chargers Never Tried To Move Up

April 23rd, 2020 at 9:11pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

It took us until the 13th pick to get our first trade, and despite a lot of speculation it looks like the Lions and Giants were never that close to moving down.

Neither the Dolphins nor Chargers ever made offers for the third or fourth picks, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. In hindsight, it looks like the Lions and Giants were trying to trade down and were attempting to inflate the interest. There was a lot of talk that either Miami or Los Angeles would try to leap up to take a passer, but both stood pat and ended up getting their quarterbacks of the future anyway.

Schefter notes that the Dolphins and Chargers were always content to stay where they were. Miami of course took Tua Tagovailoa, while Los Angeles drafted Justin Herbert. The Lions nabbed cornerback Jeff Okudah after being unable to find a trade partner, while the Giants picked Georgia offensive tackle Andrew Thomas. The draft has been quieter than expected so far, and it seems like there was an overwhelming supply of teams looking to move down, with a very limited demand of teams looking to move up.

NFL Draft Rumors: Lions, 49ers, Giants

April 23rd, 2020 at 12:02pm CST by Zachary Links

The Lions (No. 3) and 49ers (Nos. 13 and 31) appear to be the most aggressive teams when it comes to trading down, Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports hears (via Twitter). He also hears that the Lions aren’t getting much in the way of enticing offers, whereas the Niners could have possibilities for both picks.

We know that the Dolphins want Detroit’s No. 3, but they’re trying to pry it loose without sacrificing their No. 5 pick. That could mean a package including their two other first-round picks, plus more from their significant stockpile. The Lions, understandably, are not jumping at any offers that take them out of the Top 5.

Meanwhile, the 49ers’ pick at No. 13 could fetch a big haul, especially if they hold until this evening and wait for one of this year’s stud wide receivers to fall.

Here’s more from Robinson, with all links going to Twitter:

  • There’s talk of the Dolphins eyeing an offensive tackle with their No. 5 pick, but the teams surrounding them in the draft order don’t believe that’s the case (link). Most of Robinson’s sources seem to think that pick is destined for Justin Herbert or Tua Tagovailoa. No matter what happens at #5, you can expect Miami to target tackles early on, especially since free agent pickup Ereck Flowers has been slotted for the interior.
  • Robinson isn’t sure what the Dolphins are going to do (same goes for everyone outside of their front office), but he senses that the Chargers are higher on Herbert than Tagovailoa (link). Robinson hears they like his makeup – Herbert has a cannon for an arm – and they’re skittish about Tagovailoa’s surgically-repaired hip. For what it’s worth, the Dolphins passed the Alabama star on his physical at the combine in February.
  • Assuming the Giants stay at No. 4, Robinson believes the conversation is down to Jedrick Wills Jr. and Tristan Wirfs (link). Some evaluators think Wirfs is better suited for guard, but the Giants believe that can be a strong tackle at the pro level.
  • With the draft drawing near, the Jaguars still aren’t getting any good bites on running back Leonard Fournette or defensive end Yannick Ngakoue (link). The Jags have been shopping Fournette for more than a month now; they might have scale back their asking price if they want to get a deal done. The Ngakoue market also seems pretty weak, though that has more to do with his contract demands. The Raiders touched base with the Jags on the franchise-tagged defensive end this week, but nothing’s brewing at the moment.

Dolphins Still Pushing For Bengals’ No. 1 Pick

April 23rd, 2020 at 11:19am CST by Zachary Links

The Dolphins are hoping to acquire the Lions’ No. 3 choice and package it with their own No. 5 for the Bengals’ first overall pick, Mike Florio of PFT hears. The Lions have told the Dolphins that they won’t give up the No. 3 pick without the No. 5 pick in the package, but Miami GM Chris Grier seems to think they can be swayed. 

Of course, even if Grier can swing that deal with Detroit, he still has to convince the Bengals to part with the No. 1 pick and pass on Joe Burrow. The Bengals say that’s not happening. So far, the Bengals have laughed off every offer, but it’s hard to imagine them hanging up on a team offering two Top-5 picks. At minimum, it’s something that they’d have to consider.

Burrow, by all accounts, is the Bengals’ favorite QB by a mile. But, with Nos. 3 and 5, they could tap their second-favorite passer and one of this year’s elite tackles. Tua Tagovailoa and Justin Herbert would likely be available for them with the third pick. Then, they’d probably have at least three of this year’s top four tackles, if not the whole bunch, available to them. Tua/Herbert + Jedrick Wills/Tristan Wirfs/Andrew Thomas/Mekhi Becton would be a pretty excellent haul by any measure.

It remains to be seen what else Miami would have to give up in order to convince Cincinnati to forego the right to draft Burrow, and one wonders if the team’s No. 18 or No. 26 selections — at least one of which would presumably have to go to Detroit in this scenario — would also be in play. For a rebuilding outfit that has a lot of needs to fill and that has spent a long time stockpiling premium draft capital, that would be an exceedingly steep price to pay.

On the other hand, franchise QBs don’t grow on trees, and not only does Burrow have limitless potential, he has fewer red flags than Tua and Herbert. Though he may have benefited from LSU’s stacked roster in 2019, his otherworldly Heisman-winning campaign, which featured a 76.3% completion rate, 5,671 passing yards, and 60 passing TDs, make Burrow a tantalizing prospect.

If a team knew that a player would turn out to be Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, etc., that team would have no issues trading away its entire draft haul in a given year to draft such a player, regardless of how rich that haul might be. And while no prospect is really a sure thing, if the Dolphins are convinced that Burrow is a future Hall-of-Famer — and they seem pretty sure — then it would be hard to fault them for swinging this kind of deal (at least not until a couple years have passed).

Miami hasn’t been able to make any progress on talks yet, but deadlines spur action, and the NFL Draft is just hours away.

Rory Parks contributed to this post.

Talks For Lions’ No. 3 Pick Are Heating Up

April 23rd, 2020 at 8:47am CST by Zachary Links

Talks for the Lions’ No. 3 overall draft pick have “heated up” over the last 24 hours with multiple teams, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Rapoport adds that clubs are looking to work out trades before the draft begins, just in case there are glitches, which has led to increased activity.

The Lions, reportedly, are planning for the No. 5 pick, which means that they could be closing in on a deal with the Dolphins. That swap would allow Miami to get their preferred quarterback or offensive tackle. Meanwhile, the Lions would likely still be in range for the players they’re supposedly targeting – Ohio State cornerback Jeffrey Okudah, Auburn defensive tackle Derrick Brown, and Clemson linebacker Isaiah Simmons.

Over the weekend, Lions GM Bob Quinn said that if he’s going to trade back, he wants to have a deal in place by Thursday afternoon. Right now, it sounds like things are trending in that direction.

As of this writing, the Lions have nine picks in the draft, including two third-round choices and a pair of fifth-round selections. Their needs include (but are not limited to): cornerback, defensive tackle, defensive end/outside linebacker, and safety.

Lions Expect To Trade For Dolphins’ No. 5 Pick

April 23rd, 2020 at 6:50am CST by Zachary Links

The Lions are “making plans for having the No. 5” pick in tonight’s draft, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald (via Twitter) hears. The Dolphins own that choice and they’ve been discussing a potential trade for the last few days.

At one point, the Dolphins were hoping to land the Lions’ No. 3 overall pick without sacrificing No. 5. Instead, they wanted to move up the board by dealing from the rest of their stockpile, which includes the Nos. 18 and 26 picks, plus a pair of Round 2 picks. No dice, it seems. If the Dolphins are to acquire Detroit’s No. 3 pick, they’ll have to cough up their own No. 5.

Had the Dolphins landed No. 3 and kept No. 5, they could have used those picks to address their two biggest needs at quarterback and tackle; not necessarily in that order, but probably in that order. If they send the No. 5 pick to Detroit, they could go either way at No. 3, where Tua Tagovailoa and Justin Herbert should both be available. After weeks of Herbert talk, the Dolphins are now said to be eyeing the Alabama star.

Trade or no trade, the Dolphins will also have to address their tackle situation early in the draft. This year’s top tackles include Alabama’s Jedrick Wills, Iowa’s Tristan Wirfs, Georgia’s Andrew Thomas, and Louisville’s Mekhi Becton.

Dolphins Considering Move To No. 3 Overall For OT

April 22nd, 2020 at 1:01pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Dolphins have contacted teams ahead of them in the draft order about a potential move up the board, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Instead of targeting a quarterback, however, Miami would be looking at an offensive tackle. The Dolphins — who currently hold the fifth overall selection — have spoken with the Lions about acquiring the No. 3 pick, per RapSheet.

The 2020 draft class contains at least four offensive tackle prospects who are expected to come off the board relatively early in the first round. In some order, most observers peg the top-four OTs as Alabama’s Jedrick Wills, Iowa’s Tristan Wirfs, Georgia’s Andrew Thomas, and Louisville’s Mekhi Becton.

Given that the Bengals and Redskins are almost assuredly taking Joe Burrow and Chase Young with pick Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, the Dolphins should be able to get one of those four tackles at No. 5 without making a move. But if they have their eye on a specific tackle, a trade up could potentially make sense.

Miami is in need of help at tackle after trading former first-rounder Laremy Tunsil to the Texans last year. The Tunsil deal allowed the Dolphins to acquire a haul of draft capital from Houston, but also left them short at a critical offensive position.

If Miami doesn’t end trade up, or doesn’t take a tackle at No. 5, there are still options for them further down the board. Houston’s Josh Jones, USC’s Austin Jackson, Boise State’s Ezra Cleveland, and Georgia’s Isaiah Wilson are also considered possible first-round selections.

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