Detroit Lions: 3 trade-up targets in the 2020 NFL Draft

Leki Fotu, Interior Defensive Lineman, Utah

With the array of needs the Detroit Lions find themselves having to fill, it’s inevitable that one of them ends up waiting for more than a few rounds to be addressed. That position here is along the interior of the defensive line. If the position is indeed put on hold until day three of the draft, then keep a careful eye on a trade into the middle of the fourth round to take Utah’s Leki Fotu.

Fotu is an interior stuffer that excels in plugging running lanes and is an ‘okay’ pass rusher as of now. He doesn’t bring quite the power rush to the game that you would like to see from a man of his size but shows potential for the future. If he can develop his pass rush moves and be a more consistent pass rusher from the inside, he will eventually develop into a quality one technique along the defensive line.

It’s not uncommon for Detroit Lions general manager Bob Quinn to trade future assets for a pick that could potentially help the team in the present. In this case, it would be unsurprising to see Quinn trade a 2021 third-round pick for a mid-fourth round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft and a later day three pick in 2021 (a fifth or sixth-rounder).

All in all, it would not be a bad deal for a defensive lineman that could be a quality rotation player in year one and quite possibly a quality starter by the time his rookie deal is about to expire.