Goff was acquired in the Matthew Stafford trade two offseasons ago. He was viewed externally as a Bridget quarterback who would give the Lions time to draft and develop the right long-term replacement, although the Lions have always maintained they believed Goff could become that guy too. Sure enough, Goff has put his L.A. struggles behind him, playing like one of the best quarterbacks in the league down the stretch in 2021 before becoming one of the best quarterbacks in the league in 2022. He ranked among the league leaders in all major passing categories and led the No. 4 offense in the league.
Armed with two of the top 18 picks in this year’s draft, and a league-high five of the first 81 overall, the Lions had an opportunity to take one of the top quarterbacks in this year’s draft, and met with several of them, including Florida’s Anthony Richardson at the combine before hosting Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud in Allen Park.
But both of those guys wound up going in the top four picks, along with Alabama’s Bryce Young, and the Lions opted to trade back out of the No. 6 pick instead, where they continued building around Goff with the best pass-catching running back in the draft (Jahmyr Gibbs) and one of the top pass-catching tight ends in the draft (Sam LaPorta).
The Lions did eventually take Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker in the third round, the first time they’ve taken a quarterback since 2017 (sixth-rounder Brad Kaaya), and the highest they’ve taken one since Matthew Stafford in 2009 (first overall). Hooker is not an immediate threat to Goff for the starting job, and probably won’t play at all this season while working his way back from a torn ACL. He also played in the Art Briles offense at Tennessee, and there will be a big information gap for him to close before he’s ready to see a snap in the NFL.
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