Player to Trade Up For

The Lions are in an interesting position this year. There isn't a ten item list of needs to be addressed through the draft. I would list their "needs" as:

Offensive Line-An upgrade at RG is needed. Stephen Peterman should be bagging groceries at Hiller's. Upgrades would be nice everywhere, but Backus-Sims-Raiola-???-Cherilous is servicable. Their stats weren't that horrible last year, giving up the 6th least amount of sacks in the NFL. Of course the Lions had the 10th worst rushing attack, but that can be attributed to Jahvid Best's injuries, and having Maurice Morris as your back-up. I fear I am underestimating the importance Martin Mayhew is placing on replacing Backus.

Backup RB. The aforementioned Maurice Morris teamed with Kevin Smith to fail miserably at replacing Jahvid Best. A larger, between the tackles runner to team with Best is a pretty high priority, IMO.

Developmental QB-I won't beat around the bush here: Matthew Stafford can't stay healthy. I know, I know, shocking news. Shaun Hill is a serviceable backup, and performed well replacing Stafford last season. But the third stringer is still a sore spot. Drew Stanton also played well, but the organization obviously has no faith in him or his abilities. They started Shaun Hill over Stanton when Hill had a BROKEN ARM!!! Grabbing a guy in the 7th round to sit for a few years is the best approach. The QBs available that late will have glaring holes in their game, but they can be worked on over time. And if they don't pan out? Cut him and grab another one next year. 3rd string quarterbacks are disposable.

Linebackers-Notice the s. They have none. Well, they have DeAndre Levy. That's about it. Julian Peterson was cut. Ashlee Palmer and Landon Johnson are nice depth pieces, and Bobby Carpenter played well after he joined the rotation, but that's it. Unfortunately, there won't be a LB worth drafting at #13. Look for multiple LBs to be drafted between the 2nd-5th rounds.

Defensive Backfield help-Chris Houston might be gone. Alphonso Smith was as inconsistent as Vegas buffet seafood. Those are the best corners on the roster. Safety is ok with Delmas and Erik Coleman. This is the point of my post, in a nutshell.

I want the Lions to trade up for Patrick Peterson. Trade up to #5 with Arizona and draft Peterson. Give up your 2nd rounder, 3rd rounder, next year's 1st rounder, whatever. I want to see Peterson in Honolulu Blue and Silver. He could team with Houston to give Detroit one of the best CB tandems in the NFL. Find linebackers in free agency. Or find them in Canada. It worked for the Dolphins.

The point is, Peterson is better than the sum of the players they can draft with the picks they will have to give up. I like Amukamara, and if I knew for certain he would be there at #13, I would not advocate this strategy. There are 3 guys in this draft I would be happy to trade up for. Peterson, Dareus, and AJ Green. If Detroit could land one of them, I wouldn't care what it costs.

So with all this said, prepare to see Tyron Smith or Anthony Castonzo in a Lions jersey in the future.