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When it comes to NFL franchises, there is likely no other franchise that has stayed in the wine cellar of the league more frequently than the Detroit Lions. The Lions are in the midst of their 4th straight losing season, which is their 8th going back to their 0-16 season in 2008. The franchise is more popular for essentially wasting the careers of all-time greats Barry Sanders and Calvin Johnson. 

However, not all hope is lost. The team has a feisty head coach in Dan Campbell, and has been competitive in games with some of the league’s best teams. They have a bundle of draft picks to accelerate the rebuild, and I will be taking you through my version of an ideal rebuild for the Lions. Just to get out in front of this, here are some of the rules of the series:

• Trade rules: Trades will be extremely limited. I do not know the value teams place on certain assets, so I will limit myself to 2 hypothetical trades. 
• Free Agents: I will propose some free agent signings, this all hinges on players willing to come to the franchise as real life issues may prevent some of the signings.

Step One: The draft

First things first, let’s assume we do not win a game. With the combination of our first pick and the Rams, we will likely have picks 1 and we will call it 26 in this draft, plus 2 firsts the following season. At pick 1, it seems clear at this point that Aidan Hutchinson is the guy. Michigan man, someone who has game changing potential on the edge, and the Heisman runner-up is someone who immediately will make a defense with only 20 sacks (so far) and 52 hurries a lot better, as he is coming off a 14+ sack season. He is currently projected to go number 1 overall.

Pick 26 is where we get risky. Jared Goff has been very pedestrian without McVay and a loaded Rams offense, and while the weapons surrounding Goff are not the best, the Lions need to find their eventual QB. The 2022 Draft QB class can be summed up in one word, confusing. Guys like Matt Corral, Carson Strong, Desmond Ridder, Malik Willis, Sam Howell, and Kenny Pickett are all intriguing for different reasons, and several guys will likely be available here. All things considered, the pick here, in my opinion is Carson Strong. Carson Strong just completed his second straight season at Nevada with over 70% completion and a QBR over 158.0 for the season. Additionally, he is someone who can learn the system, and wait for Goff to either play his way out of the spot, or take Strong under his wing for a season. At 26, the gaudy expectations of a first round QB are less, allowing Strong to play with a bit more confidence knowing the scrutiny will likely be less than the QBs taken before him. 

The final draft related move I have is actually a trade before draft night. The Lions will send a 4th round pick to the Bucaneers for linebacker Lavonte David. David will be entering the final year of his contract at 33 years old, and with a young, solid core at LB anchored by Devin White and several star players contracts up, primarily Chris Godwin and OJ Howard, the Bucs may be open to moving a vet going into another season at a $15 million price tag. David comes in and really sets the tone in the defensive huddle, and builds a culture that the Lions are looking to improve. 

Step two: Free agency

The draft is over. Hutchinson and Strong have clear roles, David joins as a true defensive leader. Now we look into some upcoming free agents that may be beneficial to this Detroit team. My philosophy is going to be potentially overlooked vets, as well as young players with a lot to prove. 

1. Vernon Hargreaves– a first round pick for the Bucaneers in 2016, Hargreaves is only a 26 year old defensive back and has been a bit of a journeyman, with stops in Houston, Tampa and finally settling with the Cinncinati Bengals. To me, Hargreaves is the kind of player you plug in with Jeff Okudah and get a serviceable corner to go along with your ideal star. Not that this is a revolutionary concept, but 2 young players with loads of potential could pair nicely and help a secondary that gives up 244 passing yards a game. 
2. This is less of a free agent signing, but more of a huge swing on a proven talent via trade. Likely will cost a 2nd round pick and eating some heavy salary, but a trade for Courtland Sutton (current Broncos Wide Reciever) would be ideal. Sutton gives you a true alpha WR to give Goff/Strong a reliable number 1 target, and frees Sutton from the purgatory that is the Broncos WR room. Although Denver just inked a new extension for Sutton, they would still have weapons in Jerry Jeudy, Tim Patrick, Noah Fant, and a returning KJ Hamler. This move makes sense for both teams, and now gives Detroit some strong offensive fire power.

Recap

Essentially what we have done is this: we added pieces to strengthen some weak spots for a Detroit team with holes all over. The offense looks a lot better with a replacement for Jared Goff, adding Courtland Sutton and ideally sewing up the O-Line in the later rounds of the draft , while keeping DeAndre Swift, TJ Hockenson, Amon Ra St. Brown, and Jamaal Williams as weapons. The defense gets a vet leader in Lavonte David and gets a solid role player in Vernon Hargreaves, as well as a huge get in Aidan Hutchinson. In my humble opinion, this puts the Lions in a spot to be more competitive, and take a step towards the playoff hunt, while maintaining 2 first-round picks the following year to really put themselves in contender status. 

The next franchise that needs fixing… is the Jacksonville Jaguars. Tune in next week for Fixing NFL franchises. A new series, hopefully coming every week on this website.

Author’s discord handle: 50shadesofjj#6991 (Please DM him if you have any Questions or concerns about this article)