Dan Campbell warns Lions fans to ‘be ready’ for the team to trade out of the 1st round

The Detroit Lions currently hold the No. 29 pick in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft. “Currently” is the optimal word to focus on when looking at what the Lions might do with their pick on Thursday night in Detroit.

Lions head coach Dan Campbell matter-of-factly lent more fuel to the fire that the team will trade out of the first round. In a Wednesday morning appearance on 97.1 The Ticket, Campbell made it clear the Lions won’t draft someone at 29 just to keep the fans in attendance in Detroit happy.

“If our guy’s not there, we will move back, so I’m just preparing the fans,” Campbell said. “Be ready. You never know what’s gonna happen here.”

Campbell’s proclamation meshes with GM Brad Holmes’s similar warning. During his pre-draft press conference, Holmes effectively asked for preemptive forgiveness from the local fans for trading out of the first round.

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The Lions have one pick each in the first three rounds, then none in the fourth round. Detroit traded away its own third-round pick for cornerback Carlton Davis earlier this offseason, though they still have the Vikings’ third-rounder at No. 73 from the T.J. Hockenson trade. The Lions then have one pick in the fifth round, two in the sixth round and one final pick in the seventh round on Saturday.