5 players Detroit Lions should draft in the first round

5 players Lions should draft in the first round

MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA - JANUARY 11: DeVonta Smith #6 of the Alabama Crimson Tide celebrates his touchdown during the second quarter of the College Football Playoff National Championship game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Hard Rock Stadium on January 11, 2021 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

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MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – DECEMBER 08: Marvin Jones #11 of the Detroit Lions congratulates teammate Kenny Golladay #19 on a touchdown against the Minnesota Vikings during the fourth quarter of the game at U.S. Bank Stadium on December 8, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings defeated the Lions 20-7. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /

The Lions are facing a mass wide receiver exodus in free agency. It’s a safe bet Detroit needs to add a star wideout in Round 1 of the 2021 NFL Draft.

If Jared Goff is going to be successful for the Lions next season he needs to be surrounded by quality talent at the wide receiver position. The impending free agency of Kenny Golladay, Marvin Jones, and Danny Amendola leaves Detroit’s front office with a lot of offseason work to do on that front.

Jones and Amendola are almost certainly headed for greener pastures. The only way Golladay will stay in the Motor City is if the team slaps the franchise tag on him. That makes it a near certainty that the Lions will spend the No. 7 overall pick in April’s draft on a new No. 1 wide receiver.

The good news for fans in Detroit is that this year’s class of wideouts is stocked full of elite prospects. Value will match up well for the Lions at their biggest position of need. Exactly which wideout the franchise might choose could come down to a simple matter of taste.

If Detroit doesn’t go for a wideout then it’s a product of the franchise being blown away by the potential of a prospect at another position. Lions fans should keep a close eye on these five players in Round 1.

5. Trey Lance

Goff may just be a stop-gap for the Lions at the quarterback position. At the very least, his presence isn’t going to stop Detroit from taking a high-level prospect like Lance if he falls to them at No. 6.

He’s just the sort of elite prospect the Lions need to build their offense of the future around. Drafting Lance won’t increase Detroit’s win total in 2021, but it would position the franchise well for the future.

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