2020 NFL Draft - Number 3 Pick Betting Odds, Preview, & Predictions

The Detroit Lions hold the No. 3 overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft after finishing the 2019 regular season 3-12-1 good for last in the NFC North. Detroit is expected to draft the top defensive player remaining on the board with the No. 3 pick but could trade down with another team that wants to draft a quarterback in the top three. Most football analysts have the Lions picking Ohio State quarterback Jeffrey Okudah to shore up a very weak defensive secondary.

Okudah has been considered the best NFL quality cornerback in this year's draft and through the first two seasons with the Ohio State Buckeyes the cornerback had a combined 49 tackles. However in 2019 as a junior, Okudah posted 34 tackles, nine pass deflections and three interceptions. One obvious reason the Lions will likely choose Okudah is Detroit traded away Darius Slay to the Philadelphia Eagles, which left a huge void in the Lions secondary.

However, the Lions are very open to trading away their No. 3 overall pick on April 23rd.The Lions have nine selections already in the draft and if Detroit was to trade their pick it could add at least two if not three more picks. The Miami Dolphins and the Los Angeles Chargers who hold the 5th and 6th overall picks respectively are interested in moving up to pick one of the top quarterbacks such Tua Tagovailoa or Justin Herber.

The Lions front office led by general manager Bob Quinn is even willing to trade outside the top 10 as long as they are able to collect a sufficient number of picks in exchange for their number three overall choice.  If Detroit does hold onto the No. 3 pick and does not decide to select Okudah Detroit could choose linebacker Isaiah Simmons out of Clemson. Simmons is considered one of the best athletes in the draft and ran a 4.39 second 40-yard dash during the NFL combine. In 2019, Simmons had 8 sacks and three interceptions.

The Lions need to shore up a very weak defense and will pick the top rated defensive player available regardless if they choose at their current No. 3 pick overall or trade down to add additional selections. Detroit finished next-to-last in overall defense in 2019 allowing an average of 400.4 yards per game. The Lions were last in defense allowing an average of 284.4 yards per game while the rushing defense was 20th in the league allowing an average of 115.9 yards per game on the ground. It's obvious with those statistical results why the Lions will pick Jeffrey Okudah with the No. 3 overall pick.