The Detroit Lions are encouraged to trade their 17th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft to gain more draft capital. This strategy is suggested due to impending expensive contracts that will impact the team's finances.
Lions urged to make 17th-pick trade during draft for 4 contract reasons originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
After missing the playoffs, the Detroit Lions are slated to make the 17th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
They could go a different route, though, one that involves a trade.
Specifically, ESPN's Bill Barnwell thinks the Lions should trade down from No. 17 to accumulate more draft capital.
The main reason? Expensive contracts are about to hit the Detroit books.
This offseason, a quartet is eligible for extensions: Jahmyr Gibbs, Sam LaPorta, Jack Campbell and Brian Branch.
While it's not a guarantee the Lions pay all of them, they certainly could, and with increases in salaries comes a need for more cheap, young talent to supplement them.
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The 17th pick could land one such player. But if the Lions could turn No. 17 into two or three picks a bit later in the draft, maybe that's the best use of resources.
"It would be a surprise if the Lions traded out of the first round and did something drastic, and given their needs at offensive tackle and edge rusher, they probably don't want to drop too far to ensure having a shot at a player who can step in as a starter in 2026," Barnwell writes. "But dropping down a few spots and getting a third-round pick back would be the ideal scenario for Holmes."
It's not always easy to find a trade-down partner. There usually needs to be someone on draft night who slides just a bit and entices a team to move up to get him.
The Lions should be motivated to find one, though, even if it's just to drop 5-10 picks down the board. Any little extra draft resource will help Detroit down the road to fill in the roster around its big-money players.
The Lions are urged to trade their 17th pick to accumulate more draft capital, primarily due to expensive contracts that will soon affect their budget.
The Lions are facing significant financial impacts as expensive contracts are set to hit their books, prompting the need for strategic moves in the draft.
ESPN's Bill Barnwell suggested that the Detroit Lions should trade down from the 17th pick to better manage their draft strategy and finances.
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