After sending Jeff Okudah to the Falcons, here are five more players the Detroit Lions could trade before the 2023 NFL Draft.
Rather than carry him as depth even into the start of offseason work, the Detroit Lions traded cornerback Jeff Okudah to the Atlanta Falcons for a fifth-round pick later this month this week.
Trading Okudah felt obvious, as the May 1 deadline for the Lions to pick up his fifth-year option approached. If they drafted a cornerback, Okudah was not only not going to have that option picked up, he was going be bumped another notch down the depth chart. Better to move on, and let him get a fresh start elsewhere as soon as a possible.
Some other Lions players could be traded before the draft, and the draft could push some of the same guys toward being replaced anyway. Be it roster depth, contract situation, injury history, draft plans or whatever, there are some talented players who just aren’t part of the plan in Detroit and recouping any kind of asset would theoretically be in play.
Okudah is the likely headliner of any players the Lions trade before the draft. But sometime between now and April 27, these five players could be sent packing for whatever general manager Brad Holmes can get.