Detroit Lions compromise draft position with win against the Cardinals

While the Detroit Lions win against the Arizona Cardinals was a shocking one and quite exciting to watch unfold, they are starting to hurt their draft position. The Lions winning a game was great to avoid an 0-16-1 season, but they will keep falling in the draft order if they continue to win.

The Detroit Lions pieced together a heck of a game on Sunday to overcome the odds and defeated the heavily-favorited Cardinals in a 30-12 victory. The 28-point margin certainly was a testament to how the team played.

Even being without some key players on both sides of the ball, the Lions were able to get it done. They came out swinging, and quarterback Jared Goff looked like a true quarterback, leading the team down the field. As expected, it was a heavy dose of Craig Reynolds in the run game, and the Lions would come away victorious.

The win itself is excellent and exciting for this fanbase to see this team keep grinding it out for 60-minutes. Dan Campbell is a great coach for this team, and it’s starting to prove why week in and week out. But this win does have some negative connotations.

The Detroit Lions victory hurts their draft position hopes.

At this point, the Lions have to be hoping for the highest draft position possible. They had the first pick almost as a sure-bet, but the last few weeks have seen them start to ruin that possibility. After Sunday’s action, the Jacksonville Jaguars have passed them up for the top draft position.

While the Lions are hoping for a shot at Aidan Hutchinson from the hometown Michigan Wolverines, they are also rumored to be considering Oregon’s Kayvon Thibodeaux. But, if they keep winning games, they are going to put themselves into a tough spot moving forward.

Looking ahead, the Lions are slated to face the Atlanta Falcons, Seattle Seahawks, and Green Bay Packers. Those first two games are ones that the Lions could actually find themselves in the driver seat for if they keep playing the way they did on Sunday.

If that happens and the Lions keep winning, they are going to continue to jeopardize that first overall pick and could find themselves continuing to slip down the draft board. It’s really a “Lions” move to go ahead and mess up their draft position while winning what are essentially meaningless games to win.

But, on the flip side, at least this team never quits. Campbell has these guys ready and chomping at the bit to get out on the field and give their all for the entire game.