Jared Goff is playing his best football, and that could change Lions' draft plans

The Detroit Lions are one of the hottest teams in the NFL and the play of quarterback Jared Goff is a big reason why.

His performance could very quickly change some of the Lions' offseason draft plans. 

Most 2023 mock drafts have had the Lions focusing on quarterback, with Ohio State's C.J. Stroud being the name most prominently connected to them (as was the case in one of CBS' most recent mocks). The Lions look like a strong contender to have a top-five pick thanks to owning the Los Angeles Rams' 2023 pick as a result of the Matthew Stafford trade, further fueling speculation that quarterback would be the target.

But with Goff putting together a strong season that keeps getting better, and with the Lions boasting one of the league's best offenses, the Lions could look to go a different direction with that pick. 

Goff told the Lions' team website on Wednesday that he thinks he is playing the best football of his career, which is a pretty strong statement when you remember he has been to a couple of Pro Bowls and led the Los Angeles Rams to a Super Bowl berth a few years ago. 

But over the past six weeks, a stretch that has seen the Lions go 4-2, he has thrown eight touchdowns to only one interception while owning a 103.1 passer rating during that stretch. A team can win with that level of quarterback play, especially given the young weapons the Lions have accumulated at the skill positions in recent years. They have some promising wide receivers in Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams, as well as running backs D'Andre Swift and Jamaal Williams. 

That collection of talent has produced the NFL's sixth best offense going into their Week 14 game against the Minnesota Vikings. 

But as noted by Colton Pouncy, the Lions beat writer for the Athletic, the team has a great opportunity this offseason to fix its most glaring need -- the league's worst defense. 

Armed with two first-round picks (the Rams pick plus their own) the Lions could end up with two of the draft's top-20 picks and completely revamp its defense. Imagine pairing Jalen Carter or Myles Murphy on the defensive line alongside 2022 No. 2 overall pick Aiden Hutchinson, and then using the Lions' own pick later in the round on a defensive back like Joey Porter Jr., Sam Smith, Brian Branch or Kelee Ringo?

That could be a game-changer for the defense.

The question for the Lions is whether Goff's improvement is legit, or if it is just something temporary. 

Nothing can change a franchise more than a superstar quarterback and the Lions will be in a prime position to add a potential star in the draft. But if Goff is good enough to lead what is already one of the best offenses in the league, they might be able to fix the more pressing needs to get them back in the playoffs as soon as next season. It's not like Goff is somebody that came out of nowhere. He was a former top pick and has had success in the NFL. He may have just needed to find the right spot to find consistent success.

In the end the Stafford trade has turned out to be a win-win for both teams. It got the Rams a Super Bowl, while the Lions now have the better quarterback and a chance to add a franchise player to their lineup on either side of the ball.