We’re four days away from the 2023 NFL Draft and as we know the Detroit Lions should make two selections on the opening night of the draft. We’ve seen a million scenarios where the Lions take defensive ends, offensive linemen, cornerbacks and even quarterbacks.
While it’s always tough to pinpoint exactly what any organization will do on the opening night, we all have our wants and aspirations for our teams. Today, I want to go over a wishlist of players that I’d love to see selected by the Detroit Lions with the 6th and 18th overall picks of the 2023 NFL Draft.
6th Overall:
Will Anderson, EDGE, Alabama
This one is an obvious one. If he’s available by the 6th pick, the Lions will sprint to the podium. I’ve heard that he’s the top player on their board and there’s been some thought of the Lions moving up to get Anderson.
On my Big Board for the 2023 NFL Draft, I think he’s the best player in the draft. At 6-foot-3 and 253 pounds, he plays fluid and has great length while being able to translate speed-to-power off the edge. Pairing Anderson with Aidan Hutchinson would give the Lions an elite pairing that could threaten offensive tackles on a weekly basis in the NFL.
C.J. Stroud, QB, Ohio State
I’m sure this will be controversial for some but it does feel like the Lions are going to be in a similar situation as they were in the 2020 NFL Draft. During that draft, all signs were pointing to Matthew Stafford being near the end of his Lions career and rather than selecting quarterbacks Justin Herbert or Tua Tagovailoa, they selected cornerback Jeff Okudah.
Obviously, it was a tough decision as the Lions previous regime weren’t going to throw in the towel on Stafford and hit the reset button. But now they could be staring down the road again as Jared Goff is due for a contract extension next season.
Personally, I have no issues with Goff being the Lions starting quarterback. As long as there’s no regression to his game, he can be a quality starter. Last season he was efficient running Ben Johnson’s offense with 4,438 yards and 29 touchdowns. However, if Goff is going to want a contract that’s in the same ballpark as Deshaun Watson or Jalen Hurts, then we’ve got a problem.
That said, I think it would be tough for the Lions to pass on Ohio State quarterback CJ Stroud. Of course, he’s got to be available but Stroud would add the depth and competition to the position. By adding Stroud, the Lions would be bringing in a player that…
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