The 2022 NFL Draft is quickly approaching, with the first round set to begin on April 28th.
Many teams will hope to draft franchise players who can impact the future of their team for years to come.
There might not be a team more in need of impact players than the Detroit Lions.
The Lions had a brutal 2021 season, finishing the year 3-13-1, which earned them the second pick in the draft.
There has been speculation as to where the Lions will go with this pick, with many believing that they could be in the market to draft a franchise quarterback to learn behind Jared Goff going forward.
Lions’ general manager Brad Holmes (seen at left above with head coach Dan Campbell) discussed that possibility on Thursday, and hinted the team could be interested in going in that direction.
Brad Holmes, on the possibility of a QB at 2: "I’ve been saying all along that we’re looking for a game-changer at that pick, and really any pick. I’ve said 'all positions' — if that position is a quarterback, then it’s a quarterback."
— Chris Burke (@ChrisBurkeNFL) April 21, 2022
While this doesn’t exactly mean that the Lions will ultimately take a quarterback, there are certainly some potential “game-changers” at quarterback in this draft class.
Liberty quarterback Malik Willis is someone who has caught the eye of many NFL scouts with an intriguing combination of speed and arm strength that could be a target for Detroit with their first-round pick.
Goff was at best subpar in his first year in Detroit, throwing for 3,245 yards and 19 touchdowns in 2021 with little team success.
It would certainly be intriguing if Detroit were to go in that direction. In any case, it’s clear the team will look to add an impact piece with this pick near the top of the draft. And fans will get a good preseason look at whoever they pick, as the Lions will be featured on Hard Knocks this summer.