The Detroit Lions got the player they needed to upgrade their defense, but they couldn't get a draft-night trade to add to their stash of draft picks.
They added an important building block by taking cornerback Jeff Okudah of Ohio State in the first round and third overall in the 2020 draft Thursday night.
Okudah was rated the No. 1 cornerback in the draft by a wide margin and should be an opening-day starter.
But expectations from fans and media that the Lions would trade back with teams like the Dolphins and Chargers, who wanted to draft quarterbacks, never materialized.
The trade winds that had been gusting in the virtual world for several weeks leading up to the draft were calm Thursday night in the NFL's first-ever virtual draft, necessitated by the Covid-19 pandemic.
When general manager Bob Quinn spoke in his press conference after the first round, it was obvious that the Lions had settled on taking Okudah if he was on the board, and he was philosophical about not being able to make a trade – which he was more than willing to do.
"Really a complete corner in our eyes," he said of Okudah. "Corners come in all shapes and sizes. He kind of fits the mold of a top-flight cornerback. He can cover big guys. He can cover small guys ... support the run.
"He plays the ball very well in the air. He's very much a student of the game."
As Quinn said often, the Lions were open for business in the trade market, but nobody was shopping at the top of the draft. The first trade was at No. 13, when the Bucs moved up one spot in a deal with the 49ers.
"I'll give you exactly what happened," Quinn said "We had a lot of conversations. We never got a firm offer. No team put anything on the table. We had multiple conversations with multiple teams. They were kind of fishing around.
"We were open for business, as you know. Nothing was ever put in front of us to evaluate. We were open and willing to move back a little bit. We thought we had a couple players we liked if we moved back a little bit.
"We stood pat and took the player we felt could best help our team, and we're excited to have Jeff."
Even before the annual NFL Combine workouts and testing in February, league executives and draft insiders said the draft would begin with the Lions at No. 3 because of the certainty that quarterback Joe Burrow of LSU and edge rusher Chase Young would go 1-2 to the Bengals and Redskins respectively.
Quinn never blinked in the spotlight or flinched from being asked about the value of such a high pick – by far the highest of his five seasons as GM – and whether he might draft a quarterback.
View photos of cornerback Jeff Okudah.
Ohio State Jeff Okudah stops Florida Atlantic tight end John Raine during an NCAA football game on Saturday, Aug. 31, 2019 in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Paul Vernon)
A detail view of Ohio State defensive back Jeff Okudah's new Era New jersey during the NFL football scouting combine, Sunday, March 1, 2020, in Indianapolis. (Aaron M. Sprecher via AP)
Ohio St. cornerback Jeff Okudah poses for a portrait during the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine, Saturday, Feb. 29, 2020 in Indianapolis. (Todd Rosenberg via AP)
Ohio St. cornerback Jeff Okudah poses for a portrait during the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine, Saturday, Feb. 29, 2020 in Indianapolis. (Todd Rosenberg via AP)
FILE - In this March 1, 2020, file photo, Ohio State defensive back Jeff Okudah runs a drill at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis Okudah is a likely first-round pick in the NFL draft Thursday, April 23, 2020. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File)
Ohio State defensive back Jeff Okudah participates in a drill during the NFL football scouting combine, Sunday, March 1, 2020, in Indianapolis. (Aaron M. Sprecher via AP)
Ohio State defensive back Jeff Okudah runs the 40-yard dash during the NFL football scouting combine, Sunday, March 1, 2020, in Indianapolis. (Aaron M. Sprecher via AP)
Ohio State defensive back Jeff Okudah runs a drill at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Sunday, March 1, 2020. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Ohio State defensive back Jeff Okudah runs a drill at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Sunday, March 1, 2020. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Ohio State defensive back Jeff Okudah watches the 40-yard dash at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Sunday, March 1, 2020. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Ohio State defensive back Jeff Okudah runs a drill at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Sunday, March 1, 2020. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Ohio State defensive back Jeff Okudah watches the 40-yard dash at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Sunday, March 1, 2020. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Ohio State defensive back Jeff Okudah stretches at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Sunday, March 1, 2020. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Ohio State defensive back Jeff Okudah runs the 40-yard dash at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Sunday, March 1, 2020. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Ohio State defensive back Jeff Okudah runs the 40-yard dash at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Sunday, March 1, 2020. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Ohio St. cornerback Jeff Okudah poses for a portrait during the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine, Wednesday, Feb. 29, 2020 in Indianapolis. (Todd Rosenberg via AP)
Ohio State cornerback Jeff Okudah plays against Michigan in the first half of an NCAA college football game in Ann Arbor, Mich., Saturday, Nov. 30, 2019. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Ohio State cornerback Jeff Okudah plays against Michigan in the second half of an NCAA college football game in Ann Arbor, Mich., Saturday, Nov. 30, 2019. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Wisconsin running back Garrett Groshek (37) is tackled by Ohio State cornerback Jeff Okudah (1) during the second half of the Big Ten championship NCAA college football game Saturday, Dec. 7, 2019, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Ohio State defensive back Jeff Okudah speaks during a news conference at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Friday, Feb. 28, 2020. (AP Photo/AJ Mast)
FILE - In this Aug. 31, 2019, file photo, Ohio State defensive back Jeff Okudah plays against Florida Atlantic in an NCAA college football game, in Columbus, Ohio. Okudah was selected to The Associated Press All-Big Conference team, Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2019. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete, File)
Ohio State cornerback Jeff Okudah plays against Michigan in the first half of an NCAA college football game in Ann Arbor, Mich., Saturday, Nov. 30, 2019. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Michigan quarterback Shea Patterson (2) tries to avoid Ohio State cornerback Jeff Okudah (1) in the first half of an NCAA college football game in Ann Arbor, Mich., Saturday, Nov. 30, 2019. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Ohio State cornerback Jeff Okudah plays against Michigan in the first half of an NCAA college football game in Ann Arbor, Mich., Saturday, Nov. 30, 2019. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Ohio State cornerback Jeff Okudah plays against Michigan in the first half of an NCAA college football game in Ann Arbor, Mich., Saturday, Nov. 30, 2019. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Ohio State defensive end Chase Young (2) and cornerback Jeff Okudah (1) celebrate after an NCAA college football game against Michigan in Ann Arbor, Mich., Saturday, Nov. 30, 2019. Ohio State won 56-27. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Florida Atlantic running back Larry McCammon, left, scores a touchdown past Ohio State defensive back Jeff Okudah during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Aug. 31, 2019, in Columbus, Ohio. Ohio State beat Florida Atlantic 45-21. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)
Ohio State cornerback Jeff Okudah reaches but cannot reach a tipped pass in the first half of an NCAA college football game against Michigan in Ann Arbor, Mich., Saturday, Nov. 30, 2019. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Ohio State defensive back Jeff Okudah plays against Penn State during an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 23, 2019, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)
Rutgers wide receiver Isaiah Washington fumbles the ball as he is tackled by Ohio State cornerback Jeff Okudah (1) during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 16, 2019, in Piscataway, N.J. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
Ohio State cornerback Jeff Okudah stands on the sidelines during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Northwestern Friday, Oct. 18, 2019, in Evanston, Ill. Ohio State won 52-3. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
Ohio State defensive back Jeff Okudah plays against Florida Atlantic in an NCAA college football game Saturday, Aug. 31, 2019, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)
Ohio State defensive back Jeff Okudah, bottom, tackles Florida Atlantic tight end Harrison Bryant during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Aug. 31, 2019, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)
Ohio State defensive back Jeff Okudah plays against Florida Atlantic in an NCAA college football game Saturday, Aug. 31, 2019, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)
Ohio State defensive back Jeff Okudah plays against Florida Atlantic in an NCAA college football game Saturday, Aug. 31, 2019, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)
Asked specifically at the Combine if he would consider drafting Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, Quinn replied: "Yeah. We'll look at all those guys. I think I said this a couple days ago, that we're drafting at three, so we have to look at everybody."
What about the value of the pick – a clear reference to potential trade offers to move down and collect additional draft picks?
"I think the value of the No. 3 pick is always very high," he said. "It doesn't matter who the prospect is, or what the year is. It's all about the cost, right? It's all about what they would pay to get there."
And so began two months of speculation, reports and rumors of trade offers to the Lions to trade up for the No. 3 pick.
The Dolphins, with a desperate need for a franchise quarterback and three first-round picks – 5, 18 and 27 – were supposedly the top candidate to move up and garnered by far the most attention. But at mid-afternoon on draft day Thursday, there was no hint of them or the Chargers making an offer.
Both teams held firm. The Dolphins drafted Tagovailoa with the fifth pick, and the Chargers took Justin Herbert of Oregon with the next pick.
In the end, the Lions got the player they wanted.
