Jeremiah: Trading Up for Georgia EDGE Lions 'Dream Scenario'

Jeremiah views Jalon Walker draft slide as Lions' perfect scenario.

Georgia Bulldogs linebacker Jalon Walker (11). | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The Detroit Lions have historically been aggressive during the NFL Draft since the tenure of general manager Brad Holmes began, having made first-round trades in three of his four drafts.

With the team holding the 28th overall pick in this year's draft, Detroit could again be looking to make a move up to acquire a high-end prospect.

The Lions' biggest need is widely viewed by pundits as the EDGE rusher position, as the team would benefit greatly from adding a running mate for Aidan Hutchinson.

Though NFL Draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah explained that he could see the Lions being patient in a deep EDGE class, there was one specific scenario where he could see Holmes making a significant move to climb the board and draft a premium talent.

That talent is Georgia's Jalon Walker, who is Jeremiah's fifth-best prospect in his most-recent rankings. If teams buy into the minimal concerns about him and he falls out of the top-10, Jeremiah believes the Lions could jump up to get him.

"To give you the dream scenario, Jalon Walker, everybody freaks out because he's kind of a tweener. He starts to drop a little bit and gets outside of the top-10," Jeremiah explained. "If I'm the Lions at that point in time, I might be willing to be ultra, ultra aggressive and throw him into our defensive mix. That would be the one scenario I could see, if you saw a star that started to drop that they would be inclined to be aggressive and go get him."

Walker is a standout defender who played roles both on and off the ball as a linebacker at Georgia. He's projected to serve a big role on the EDGE at the professional level, and has the athleticism to wreak havoc on opposing passers.

If not for that scenario, Jeremiah believes the Lions could get away with being patient for help at both pass-rusher as well as the interior offensive line. He noted that in order for the Lions to make a move up for a pass-rusher, it would have to be for a player they held a lot of confidence and conviction toward.

Additionally, trading up for an interior offensive lineman is somewhat unconventional. If the Lions were to make a deal to secure a interior lineman, then Jeremiah sees it as a smaller move up just a handful of spots.

"You look at the interior of the offensive line if they just wanted to fortify that. It's unusual to trade up for an interior offensive lineman," Jeremiah explained. "I don't know if that would be something they would do, maybe that's just a little baby move, up just a few spots to do something like that. If you're looking at different directions they could try and go, pass-rusher would be a spot. It's just, they would have to be in love with one of these pass-rushers to do that. Just with the sheer number of guys in this draft, I think maybe you be a little bit more patient."

With the roster being as strong as it currently is, Detroit does not have to feel pressure to move up. However, a talent such as Walker could entice them to do so.