Survey Results: Detroit Lions fans willing to pay steep price to land edge rusher in a trade

The results from our latest SB Nation Reacts Survey are in and Lions fans are willing to pay a steep price to secure an edge rusher in a trade.

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NFL. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Detroit Lions fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

In this week’s SB Nation Reacts survey, we asked Detroit Lions fans two questions:

1. Are you confident the Lions are headed in the right direction?
2. How much should the Lions be willing to trade for an edge rusher?

The Lions have been on fire of late and fans have been incredibly confident in the direction of the franchise. In Week 4, after beating the Seahawks, Lions fans’ confidence peaked at 99% of fans, barely moved (98% fan confidence) after destroying the Dallas Cowboys, and now, with a huge win over the Minnesota Vikings, things have held steady with 98% of Lions fans feeling confident in the direction of the organization.

While confidence is very high, there is one spot where fans are a bit panicked: edge rusher. After losing Aidan Hutchinson, probably for the season, the Lions have been on the hunt for an edge rusher.

“I don’t feel like we’re pressured to, ‘Oh man, everybody’s moving, we’ve got to move,’” coach Dan Campbell said earlier this week. “ No, I don’t feel that. […] Like I say, we are not going to be in a hurry. If it’s right, it’s right, and we’re going to do our homework, do our due diligence, and if it makes sense, it makes sense, if it doesn’t, it doesn’t.”

While being patient is key to maximizing value in a trade, the Lions are clearly aware they could use some help on the edge. Which brings us to our second question this week: How much should the Lions be willing to trade for an edge rusher?

The dilemma for fans here is: How much of the Lions’ future are you willing to give up in order to increase the team’s chances of making a run at the Super Bowl? Holmes values his draft picks, especially in the first few rounds. But would he be willing to part with a first-round pick (or more) in order to secure “the right” player?

Lions fans hope the answer is: Yes.

Over 60% of Lions fans are comfortable giving up at least one first-round pick and 87% are willing to give up at least a second day (Rounds 2 and 3) to grab an edge rusher.

To get a closer look into the minds of Lions fans, here are a few of the explanations from the comment section of the original article, lightly edited for length and clarity:

• CLF: “I’m not worried about late 1st round picks at this point. Let’s say the Lions get a couple pass rushers with the 1st and 2nd this draft, is that better or worse than using both on a 27-year-old superstar that is proven? And it seems like he’s a 100% match for Lions’ locker room culture. I see the value in both…. but it’s midseason, not April.”
• NorthLion: “I voted for using one first round pick …….as the Maxx. (See what I did there?). Although honestly, I’m a little uncomfortable even saying that. I trust Brad Holmes’s judgment and I am very confident that he will get good value without endangering the long-term plans. If there was a “whatever Brad Holmes thinks” option, I would have voted for that.”
• Enelsoniii: “It’s probably fortunate for Lions fans that Holmes is in charge! Many of the ideas here are far outside of what Holmes would consider, as he sees this as a 3-4 year window (and maybe longer) Super Bowl team.”

SB Nation also ran their own national survey at the beginning of the week, asking all NFL fans if they thought the Lions would cover the +10.5 point spread over the Titans set by FanDuel Sportsbook, and 91% of NFL fans believe Detroit will cover.

That national confidence is reflected in the betting line movement this week, as the spread has shifted to Lions -11.5, indicating people are betting on Detroit to win and cover.