Skip to player
Skip to main content
Skip to footer
Search
Connect
Watch fullscreen
Like
Comments
Bookmark
Share
Add to Playlist
Report
Trading one player could lead to a dominant pass rush for the Detroit Lions
AtoZ Sports
Follow
4/8/2025
Mike Payton speculates how a Sam LaPorta trade could get the Detroit Lions into the top five to draft Abdul Carter in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Category
🥇
Sports
Transcript
Display full video transcript
00:00
There is always a nuclear option and if the Lions were to go with that nuclear option to get up to
00:07
the top five in the NFL draft they're going to have to get rid of somebody and here's who we
00:12
think it could be. I'm Mike Payne with A to Z Sports to Trade. Today we're going to talk about
00:18
why there is a nuclear option for the Lions to try to trade up to the top five to get one of
00:23
the best edge rushers in the class and why they would have to trade a player away to get that
00:29
and that player would probably be Sam Laporta. Now look calm down I know you might be freaking out
00:35
just by the very thought of this being a possibility but it could be and you really have to look at it
00:42
in a few different ways. The first one is this gives you the chance to get that edge rusher that
00:48
premier guy that elite guy across the way from Aiden Hutchinson and just really stabilize that
00:56
defensive line and just be one of the best defenses in the league. Imagine if you could
01:00
have Abdul Carter on the opposite side of Aiden Hutchinson that's a possibility it's a real life
01:05
thing that could happen but you're going to have to give somebody up to get that and Laporta would
01:10
be really the only guy that makes sense. Any team that's going to make this type of trade with the
01:14
Lions they're going to want a good player. They're not going to want you know the third linebacker the
01:20
third cornerback. As good as you think Hendon Hooker is no team's going to trade you a top five pick for
01:26
him because he's just not that. He's just not that guy. The Lions are going to have to trade somebody
01:31
good and it's just like you know when the Titans traded up with the Eagles they sent AJ Brown over
01:37
there. Tyreek Hill recently got traded for a first round pick. Aaron Rodgers got traded for a first round
01:43
pick. These are some of the guys that are getting traded for these very high picks. So that's why you look at
01:50
Sam Laporta. The reason I bring him in is because when you look at some of the guys like Aiden Hutchinson,
01:56
Kirby Joseph, Jamison Williams, Brian Branch, Jack Campbell, Jameer Gibbs, some of these guys that
02:01
have to get extensions soon you are going to have to make Aiden Hutchinson the highest paid edge rusher.
02:06
You're going to have to make Kirby Joseph the highest paid safety. You're going to have to make
02:10
Jameer Gibbs probably the highest paid running back. You're going to have to make Jamison Williams not the
02:16
highest paid receiver but a pretty well paid receiver. You're going to have to make
02:19
Brian Branch one of the highest paid safeties if you know he's probably number two right after Kirby
02:25
Joseph. You have to make all these guys not just well paid not high paid guys but like the highest
02:31
paid guys. These are some of the best players at their market and when it comes time for them to get
02:36
contracts they're going to get paid and Sam Laporta is not going to be any different. He's going to wind
02:41
up being the highest paid tight end in the game. Now when you think about all the things that you can
02:46
sacrifice to try to make all those other guys get paid to have that strong defense to have all these
02:53
great things that you want you start really thinking about you know do what we really need
02:59
to have the highest paid tight end in the league. You look at Trey McBride's contract it was it was
03:04
gigantic. It's it's big. Laporta is going to get more than that. What is the one player that you would
03:10
be willing to sacrifice? And now look I don't want Sam Laporta to go. I'm right there with you. I would love if
03:15
the Lions were able to pay all these guys and keep everyone and everybody's happy and we all
03:21
you know just sleep well at night and don't even think about it but one of these guys is going to
03:28
have to go. And you find yourself between Jack Campbell and Sam Laporta every time I get to this
03:36
conversation in my head it's Sam Laporta or Jack Campbell and I look at Campbell and I think how good
03:41
can he get and can he be the green dot of this defense can he be a very important linebacker very
03:47
important part of this defense versus can the Lions probably find another tight end and I feel like
03:54
I feel like it's the latter and I maybe I'm crazy for that but again we thought it was crazy when
03:59
they traded TJ Hawkinson but it was the same similar situation they they didn't want to have to pay him
04:06
what he actually wound up getting paid which was a lot. You have to make the decision at some point
04:10
do you want to be a good team that pays everybody that everybody loves or do you want to be a great
04:17
team that goes out and gets the players that they need at you know at the sacrifice that you lose
04:26
somebody that you love and and that's kind of the sucky part of this whole business and again I don't
04:30
want Laporta to go anywhere but this is a this is something that makes sense if the Lions could trade up
04:36
to the top five pick and it costs them Sam Laporta they get Abdul Carter and they have two unbelievable
04:42
edge rushers it's hard not to pay that price it really isn't let me know what you guys think in
04:49
the comments I'd love to hear it maybe I'm crazy but this is the nuclear option the last thing you
04:55
want to do but it is there it's break glass in case of Sam Laporta I guess you could call it let me
05:02
know what you guys think we'll see you next time
Recommended
4:06
|
Up next
This Trade Would've Changed The ENTIRE Draft For The Lions...
AtoZ Sports
4/30/2025
5:49
6 UNDERRATED Prospects That The Lions Could Draft...
AtoZ Sports
4/14/2025
8:58
Full Detroit Lions 2025 NFL Mock Draft, With A Few Surprises...
AtoZ Sports
3/26/2025
3:38
Detroit Lions Mock Draft: Lions Take A BIG SWING In The 1st Round...
AtoZ Sports
4/9/2025
4:28
3 Players That The Lions MUST DRAFT, If They Fall In The 1st Round...
AtoZ Sports
4/27/2025
5:13
Three Players the Detroit Lions could trade up for in the 2025 NFL Draft
AtoZ Sports
3/23/2025
5:49
Don't Be Surprised IF The Lions TRADE Jameson Williams, During The NFL Draft...
AtoZ Sports
4/17/2025
2:29
One Lions 2024 draft pick could be switching positions
AtoZ Sports
4/1/2025
4:08
One Lions draft pick just doesn't make any sense...
AtoZ Sports
5/12/2025
0:42
4 Edge Rushers The Lions SHOULD Target, If Za'Darius Smith Leaves Detroit...
AtoZ Sports
5/13/2025
8:00
7 Free Agents That Would Be PERFECT For The Detroit Lions...
AtoZ Sports
3/6/2025
3:27
The Lions And Vikings Could HELP Each Other Out, In The NFL Draft...
AtoZ Sports
4/18/2025
5:28
The Lions SOLIDIFIED The Future Of Their Offensive Line, In The NFL Draft...
AtoZ Sports
5/2/2025
3:30
Are they Lions looking to replace one of their BEST players...?
AtoZ Sports
3/27/2025
6:50
The Lions Draft Class Shows A CLEAR Vision For This Team...
AtoZ Sports
4/29/2025
3:32
This is one FA cornerback the Lions have wanted for years!
AtoZ Sports
3/6/2025
4:47
4 SURPRISING Players The Lions Could Target In The 1st Round Of The Draft...
AtoZ Sports
4/27/2025
2:50
This guys is the Lions ONLY CHANCE at winning Rookie of the Year!
AtoZ Sports
6/19/2025
3:28
The Lions Made A Good Pick In The 1st Round, But MISSED OUT On A Great Player...
AtoZ Sports
4/27/2025
2:20
The Lions could look a few different ways for their next starting center
AtoZ Sports
6/6/2025
4:37
The Lions Have A BIG Problem After Week 1 Of NFL Free Agency...
AtoZ Sports
3/17/2025
3:46
The Lions have David Montgomery's replacement on the roster already
AtoZ Sports
5/9/2025
3:25
Why Ahmed Hassanein Gives The Lions A HUGE Advantage In 2025...
AtoZ Sports
5/18/2025
3:17
The Lions Might Have Found Their Next GREAT Offensive Lineman...
AtoZ Sports
3/20/2025
3:17
3 Lions Players Who Might LOSE Their Starting Jobs To Rookies...
AtoZ Sports
5/4/2025