Report: Jaguars Made Late Call to Lions About Trade for No. 3 Pick in NFL Draft

The Jacksonville Jaguars reportedly aren't content to stay pat at No. 9 overall in Thursday night's 2020 NFL draft, per ESPN's Adam Schefter:

The Detroit Lions sit at No. 3 overall and "have been engaged with multiple teams on potentially trading out" of that spot, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport earlier Thursday. 

Lions general manager Bob Quinn has not made it a secret that the Lions are open for business at No. 3:

As for what a trade between the Jags and Lions would look like, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press evaluated the possibility on April 13:

"The Jaguars aren't really going to roll with Gardner Minshew as their quarterback, are they? Jacksonville has as big a need as any team at the position and must leapfrog the Dolphins and Chargers to get one.

"That leaves the Lions at No. 3 and Giants at No. 4 as potential trading partners. The Jaguars haven't been connected to either [Tua] Tagovailoa or [Justin] Herbert much, but no one thought GM Dave Caldwell would take Blake Bortles with the No. 3 pick of the 2014 draft, either. He might be lurking in the wings, and with his job on the line, he might be willing to bet the farm to get the quarterback he wants."

To that end, Bleacher Report's Matt Miller wrote on April 3: "Sources around the league wouldn't rule out a surprise pick at quarterback or wide receiver. That said, the consensus among sources has [the Jaguars] going defensive tackle and cornerback in the first round."

Minshew was taken by Jacksonville in the sixth round of last year's draft. The 23-year-old stepped into the starting quarterback job when Nick Foles suffered a season-ending broken clavicle in the regular-season opener. Minshew Mania quickly became a phenomenon. The Washington State product threw for 3,271 yards, 21 touchdowns and six interceptions across 12 starts for the 6-10 Jaguars last season.

"I know Coach [Doug] Marrone likes to bring three quarterbacks to camp for rep purposes [in practice] and I think we can look at that situation," Caldwell told ESPN's Michael DiRocco on April 19. "We'll get through the draft and see what comes out of the draft. If one presents itself, we'll pull the trigger. If not, we'll look to see what's on the street."

It's hard to believe the Jags would trade up to No. 3 just to fulfill Marrone's three-quarterback preference for training camp. If Jacksonville trades up and selects a quarterback, it would seem likely that the organization would at least be looking to push Minshew and create a quarterback competition.

However, the Jaguars have plenty of other needs throughout the roster that could be addressed at No. 3. Former Ohio State cornerback Jeff Okudah has widely been projected to go at No. 3 overall in mock drafts. Jacksonville traded away All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey last October and Pro Bowl cornerback A.J. Bouye in March.

Detroit and Jacksonville's respective plans will be revealed when the draft begins at 8 p.m. ET.