NFL Draft Rumors: Detroit Lions Must Trade Up for Stephon Gilmore

The Detroit Lions need to do everything they can to trade up in the 2012 NFL draft and pick South Carolina cornerback Stephon Gilmore.

This is a team with a desperate need for a legitimate starting cornerback, and desperate times call for desperate measures.

Gilmore is ranked by most draft experts and the second best corner in the draft behind LSU's Morris Claiborne, and considering the potency of NFL offenses as of late, that makes him an extremely valuable prospect.

Currently sitting at No. 23 overall, the chances are extremely slim that Gilmore will fall the Lions, so if they want to make a big splash to shore up their secondary, they're going to have to make a move.

The need is there, and according to Jason La Canfora of NFL.com, the desire is there as well:

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The Lions are seriously pursuing options to trade up in Thursday’s NFL draft, and multiple team executives believe South Carolina cornerback Stephon Gilmore would be a prime target.

Multiple team executives said Thursday that Detroit is one of a few teams looking to move up. The Lions, who currently hold the No. 23 pick in the draft, did a lot of work on cornerbacks and are very high on Gilmore.

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The Lions need to move up to get Gilmore.

For once in a very long time Detroit is not in the position to take a top 10 pick, so this may feel like foreign territory. At No. 23 they're still in great position to get an impact starter on their defense, but chances are a true No. 1 corner worth the value of a first round pick will not be available,

Let's not forget, even though the Lions were vastly improved in 2011 and even though their defensive line is one of the most daunting in the league, they experienced horrible struggles against the pass.

At the end of 2011 they allowed former Packers' backup quarterback Matt Flynn to complete 31-of-44 passes for 480 yards and six touchdowns, and then let Drew Brees go 33-of-43 for 466 yards and three touchdowns, as they lost to the Saints in the NFC Wild Card round.

Those are numbers that Lions fans are undoubtedly used to by now, but it just goes to show that no matter how dominant the defensive line or offense can be, if you can't stop the opponents passing game you aren't going to win anything of consequence.

That makes moving up to get Gilmore so much more important for the Lions, and if this is something that is seriously on the table, they owe it to their fan base to do everything possible to ensure that he's wearing Honolulu blue and silver this fall.