Highlights of GM Bob Quinn Pre-Draft Meeting
In a new era of sports reporting, Lions general manager Bob Quinn held his annual pre-draft meeting with Detroit media via a Zoom video conference Friday morning.
Here are the highlights:
- The Lions will be funding "Feeding America," as part of the "Draft-A-Thon" charity happening on draft day.
- Quinn's home office setup for the draft includes a television, three monitors, two laptops, two cell phones, a printer and a main telephone.
- Quinn said they'll have an eight-10 person virtual meeting on draft day and a separate call with those that would normally be in the war room.
- Quinn said he's had trade conversations as far back as the combine and a few more in the past couple of weeks.
- Quinn said he doesn't anticipate trading back to where the Lions can’t still acquire a top-tier player
- Quinn said the organization tried to keep its preparation as normal as possible, replacing the normal 30 team visits with 30 virtual visits.
- Quinn on Slay trade: "Had a really good conversation with Darius when we ended up making the trade."
- Lions will be conducting their medical meeting today on the draft prospects.
- Quinn said a number of players reached out to the organization in free agency because they wanted to play for the Lions and Matt Patricia.
- Quinn said he's never seen someone so excited to be traded as safety Duron Harmon.
- Quinn on Patricia's relationship with players: "You can go ask anybody in the locker room right now what they think of coach and how they run the team. And they're 100 percent behind him. I have no concerns with that at all."
- Quinn has been working from home a lot in the past few weeks. He said he's enjoyed being at home with his family, and is enjoying lunches with his children.
- Quinn said upgrading the defense was a focus in free agency, and thinks he did that at every level.
- On picking at No. 3, Quinn said, "Never been here before and hope to never be here again."
- Quinn on trading in the NFL Draft: "If you like six guys and you feel like you can move back and they’re all similar graded, then, you try to do that. If there’s a grade variance, then you can’t go back as far."
- Quinn called this a deep draft at the cornerback position. And he said there are players that will be drafted beyond the first round that can start right away.
- Quinn on if there will be an NFL season: "I do think there will be a season, but I haven't been told that. I'm like you guys, I'm hoping this pandemic is cleared up as quick as possible and we can get back to normal. If I had to guess, yes. But, I don't know."
- Quinn definitely thinks undrafted free agents are going to have a tough road this year, especially without an in-person offseason program.
- Quinn said Stafford would be ready to fully participate in the offseason program if it started next week.
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