Ugly loss vaults Lions to the driver’s seat for No. 1 overall pick in 2022 NFL draft
It’s hard to find much to be positive about in Detroit after the Lions played one of their worst games in recent years in an ugly Week 6 loss to the visiting Cincinnati Bengals. But there might be a silver lining to getting trounced 34-11 at home.
The Lions are now in the driver’s seat to earn the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft. Detroit’s loss, paired with the Jacksonville Jaguars’ last-second victory in London over the Miami Dolphins, leaves Dan Campbell’s Lions as the only team without a win through Week 6.
If the draft were held today, Detroit owns the No. 1 pick. There is a handful of 1-win teams jockeying for position, a group that includes both New York teams, Miami, Houston and Jacksonville. The Philadelphia Eagles are one of four 2-4 teams, but the Eagles also own the Dolphins’ first-round pick thanks to a draft-day trade. Philadelphia would pick second, eighth and ninth — thanks to the Carson Wentz trade, the Eagles also own the Colts’ first-round pick.
Remember, having the worst record ensures that the Lions would also have the first pick in each of the seven rounds. Detroit did trade away its fourth-round pick to the Browns in the draft-day deal for LB Derrick Barnes in April, as well as its own fifth-round pick to Denver in a trade for WR Trinity Benson.
As for the top candidates for the No. 1 overall pick, Oregon DE Kayvon Thibodeaux, Alabama OT Evan Neal, Notre Dame S Kyle Hamilton and Ole Miss QB Matt Corral are emerging as the front-runners.
