In the past week, the term “positional value” has been used ad nauseum to criticize the Detroit Lions’ 2023 draft haul, particularly the first-round choices of running back Jahmyr Gibbs and linebacker Jack Campbell. While there is certainly a fair argument to be made against picking those positions that high, the actual argument seems to have gotten lost amidst people just screaming the term over and over again.
Our good friend Brett Whitefield—the director of data and research from Fantasy Points—swung by our First Byte podcast to discuss the Lions’ draft. We broke down each individual prospect, and in the middle of the discussion, he gave a very simple way to look at the expectations for the Lions’ top picks because they did not prioritize positional value.