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By NATE ATKINS -- natkins@mlive.com

The Lions have a number of needs to address this offseason, but resources aren't unlimited. They're looking at potential trades, even of one of their better players, because flexibility is a nice asset to have.

They have around $27 million to spend and more than 20 roster spots to fill. They'll have the draft, with six picks all in the back halves of rounds. They've said they plan to target the second- and third-tier free agents because they can get more with that kind of approach.

What if they found a way to do something similar in the draft by creating more picks? It's a popular idea to want to trade down, though teams around the league aren't always willing to help out. Someone has to want to jump up to that exact spot for a specific player, and that often doesn't unfold until the clock is running.

But it's an hypothetical the Lions will consider as they look to next week's free-agency period and next month's draft and find ways to fill their holes. It's one that came alive for me when I did one of the mock draft simulations at Fan Speak, with the option of executing trades.

I set the difficulty at its hardest and the big board for teams to draft from as a composite of many different ones. I took over the Lions with the chance to make each selection, and then a trade came along. Here's how it unfolded:

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TRADE: Lions send first pick to Buccaneers for a boatload

Right before the mock draft simulation started, the Buccaneers decided to get really aggressive to try to take that next step with Jameis Winston. They offered their picks in the second, third, fourth and fifth rounds for Detroit's No. 20 selection.

Why they would do all that to trade up and reach for an undersized linebacker in Oklahoma's Ogbonnia Okoronkwo is beyond me. But they did. We can pretend they were going after somebody more sought-after if it helps with this long analogy. The Cowboys also offered to trade up but with lower selections, so teams were interested in the Lions' range.

This left the Lions (in this case, me) with this slate to work with:

Round 2, Pick 6

Round 2, Pick 19

Round 3, Pick 5

Round 3, Pick 18

Round 4, Pick 8

Round 4, Pick 17

Round 5, Pick 7

Round 5, Pick 16

Round 7, Pick 19

All of a sudden, six picks became nine, and by the time Day 2 arrived, the Lions were off and running.

Here's what I drafted in each spot:

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Round 2, Pick 6: Taven Bryan, DL, Florida

The Lions drafted a Florida player with their first pick last year in Jarrad Davis, and now they got a former teammate of his who really enjoyed his leadership. More than that, though, Bryan offers untapped potential through the roof. At 6 feet 4 inches and 291 pounds, he has the versatility for even and odd fronts, and his Combine measurables rate very favorably to JJ Watt's. His production was light in part because his lower-body strength is still developing, but this would be the potential impact defender in the middle that Detroit has lacked in recent years.

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Round 2, Pick 19: James Daniels, C, Iowa

The Lions can find cheaper alternatives at guard or center, but the value here was stunning. Daniels is widely being projected as a late first-round pick, mostly because he is smart, versatile and so solid from a program that breeds sound technique up front. Sitting back and waiting for a good interior lineman to fall can work for Detroit since Graham Glasgow can play guard or center. Daniels would step in from Day One with his balanced skill set and readiness, and that would help spark the last-ranked run game.

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Round 3, Pick 5: Rashaad Penny, RB, San Diego State

Another way to boost the running game is to get a versatile runner. The Lions need someone who can stay healthy while finishing runs, and the nation's leading rusher last season will do that. At 5 feet 11 inches and 220 pounds, Penny had the third-best 40-yard dash time of any running back at 4.46 seconds. He'll excel with decent blocking, and with seven career return touchdowns, he can step into Detroit's hole at kick returner from Day One. Penny needs serious work as a pass protector, but the Lions are suited to ease him into those plays with Ameer Abdullah and Theo Riddick in tow. This wasn't an easy pick over Georgia's Nick Chubb, who is a better all-around athlete, but I think Penny has the higher ceiling as a runner.

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Round 3, Pick 18: Justin Reid, S, Stanford

The Lions are sending two cornerbacks and one safety into free agency, so I expect them to add to at least one spot in the draft. Matt Patricia loves a versatile safety group, and Justin Reid offered fantastic value here, as he could go early on Day 2. The brother of former 49ers Pro Bowl safety Eric Reid measures 6 feet 1 inch and 204 pounds with a blazing 4.4-second 40 time. He'll step in and help in run support and man coverage, and he's a great choice to eventually take over all Glover Quin does for the back end.

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Round 4, Pick 8: Duke Dawson, CB, Florida

Yes, a fourth Florida defender. This one is value more than anything else, but that synergy can help, too. Dawson took over for Teez Tabor last year in Gainesville and broke out as an All-Southeastern Conference performer thanks to his speed, physicality and the ball skills to create four interceptions. At 5 feet 10 inches and 208 pounds, he's built for the slot, which allows Tabor to grow more as an outside defender. The Lions do what the Patriots do here and treat defensive back like a position you can never have too much of.

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Round 4, Pick 17: Marquis Haynes, EDGE, Mississippi

The Lions just missed out on some good edge defenders earlier in the draft, so they strike here with a pass-rush specialist. Haynes is 6 feet 3 inches but just 225 pounds, so he has strength to add to be a run-down defender. But his burst and get-off is surreal, and he showed it by racking up 47.5 tackles for loss and 32 sacks in the SEC. Having him loop around an Ansah, Kerry Hyder or Anthony Zettel once they bump or stunt inside on passing downs would bring a speed element Patricia can enjoy tinkering with.

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Round 5, Pick 7: Troy Fumigalli, TE, Wisconsin

The noise is loud about a potential Eric Ebron trade, and whether or not it goes down, it seems less likely he'll be in Detroit after his fifth-year option season this year. That creates a need to develop more of an 'F' tight end who can hurt slower linebackers up the seam. Fumigalli has size at 6 feet 6 inches and 248 pounds and uses it as a solid blocker. He's not all that athletic, which would make this a slight variation from the offense with Ebron, but his awareness and competitiveness to find holes and make contested catches could be a nice help for Matthew Stafford in time.

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Round 5, Pick 16: J'Mon Moore, WR, Missouri

Wide receiver doesn't seem like a pressing need on this team, but with picks to spare, it'd be good to go after a talented one to learn under Marvin Jones and Golden Tate, especially as Tate enters a contract year. Moore has size at 6 feet 3 inches and 204 pounds. He runs pretty well. And he's really quick out of his breaks. He led the SEC with 1,012 yards to go along with eight scores last season. He needs work learning routes and becoming a better pro, but that's what Detroit's depth chart and Stafford allow to grow.

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Round 7, Pick 19: Chris Worley, LB, Ohio State

The Lions have the three-down guy in Jarrad Davis, so layering him with depth can be smart. Worley was one of the key leaders at Ohio State, organizing one of the best defenses in one of the most physical conferences. He is tough and instinctive with decent size at 6 feet 2 inches and 230 pounds. He's Davis without the athleticism, which makes him a good backup and a special teams asset.

Here's a look back at the haul:

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The total:

In this mock draft simulation, the Lions came away with nine players who could step in and provide something early on. They addressed the run game early and often, but it didn't keep them from adding help on defense.

Trading down can answer a number of questions at once, especially in a draft as deep as this. It's easier said than done, of course. It likely won't happen with a team looking to trade up for a small linebacker, but drafts are also unpredictable. You never know what another team might try and which player might fall who is too good to pass on.

Maybe a team like the Steelers or Vikings wants to trade up for a quarterback who falls. Perhaps someone more needy at wide receiver wants to jump on one of the good ones in that region. Teams got aggressive not long after this spot in last year's draft. Lots can unfold between now and when the Lions are on the clock.

It can help to have a number of possible directions to go in. The Lions have that this offseason. And a larger number of assets could help chase those down, if they can find another team who wants to do something aggressive.

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