Amid the NFL teams that might be interested in trading up to acquire Jadeveon Clowney, the Detroit Lions are one that makes little sense at first glance.
Would the club really be willing to pay the high price it will take to be in position to draft the former South Carolina defensive end?
The Lions will host Clowney, according to NFL Media insider Ian Rapoport, on one of the 30 prospect visits allotted to each NFL team. Detroit holds the No. 10 pick, a far cry from where Clowney is projected to go -- as early as the Houston Texans at No. 1 overall, and perhaps no later than the Jacksonville Jaguars at No. 3.
The Lions, if they want the draft's most highly regarded pass rusher, certainly can't afford to wait on him at No. 10.
But they might not want to wait, either.
The Ndamukong Suh saga has worn thin in Detroit, perhaps too thin, and the Detroit Free Press suggested Monday morning that a pre-draft trade of Suh could be in order. Moving from the No. 10 pick to one of the top three picks in any draft doesn't come cheaply, but a player of Suh's raw talent -- baggage and all -- might be an intriguing bait for a club willing to give Suh a fresh start. Especially if the Lions were to sell themselves on the notion that pairing Clowney with Ziggy Ansah as a dynamic defensive end tandem makes more sense than the Suh-Nick Fairley interior tandem that has anchored as much headache on the Lions' defensive line as it has production.
Then again, there are those who wonder whether Clowney will be a headache himself. Clowney's work ethic has been the primary question about him among scouts, and he has shut down his pre-draft private workout schedule.
Less ground-shifting draft options for the Lions include North Carolina tight end Eric Ebron, whom Rapoport reported will also visit the club, Texas A&M wide receiver Mike Evans, or perhaps Oklahoma State cornerback Justin Gilbert.
The defensive line should be the last place the Lions would look to invest another first-round pick.
Unless they're ready to divest in the same area.
*Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter **@ChaseGoodbread*.
