The Lions added WR and special teams help before the trade deadline by dealing a mid-round pick for former Jaguars WR Mike Thomas. (US Presswire)

The Detroit Lions added depth at the receiver position Tuesday when they traded a reported mid-round 2013 draft pick to Jacksonville for Mike Thomas. The fourth-year player could make his Lions debut in the familiar confines of EverBank Field when his new team faces the Jaguars on Sunday.

Thomas has 13 catches for 80 yards for the Jaguars this season, and he has 171 catches for 1,768 yards and six touchdowns during his career. His best NFL season was 2010, when he made 66 catches for 820 yards and four touchdowns.

Thomas described the situation as “a whirlwind” and said it would be interesting to face his old team just five days after being traded. Still, he told the Detroit Free Press that he was happy to be a Lion.

“Any time a team is interested in you and wants to utilize you, I think it's a no-brainer [to be pleased to be traded],” he said.  “That’s what you want as a player in the NFL. You just want to play and be utilized.”

The decision to acquire Thomas was an interesting one since Detroit already has established depth at receiver and signed former Browns and Jaguars WR Brian Robiskie last week. A tipping point in the deal may be Thomas’ ability to step into a kick or punt return role, which would allow the Lions greater flexibility to make other roster moves before the deadline.

The mid-round pick Detroit parted with to get Thomas is the second 2013 draft pick the team has traded this calendar year. The Lions dealt their fourth-round pick to Minnesota to select LB Tahir Whitehead in the fifth round of the 2012 draft. The team should receive a compensatory draft pick due to the departure of cornerback Eric Wright in free agency, however, so the Thomas trade shouldn’t have a large effect on GM Martin Mayhew’s draft strategy.

The move also doesn't preclude Mayhew from making further changes to the roster. His status as one of the league's most active GMs around the trade deadline indicates that a trade for defensive help -- which CBSSports.com's Jason La Canfora reported was a possibility Tuesday -- could still happen.

The Lions won’t officially confirm the trade until after Thomas passes his physical, but they did announce that cornerback Justin Miller, who was signed for depth reasons before Detroit’s loss to the Bears in Week 7, had been released, leaving them with an open roster spot.

Follow Lions reporter John Kreger on Twitter at @CBSLions and @JohnKreger.