Will The Lions Screw This Draft Up?
I don’t think I need to point out the fact that a lot of Detroit fans get very nervous this time of year. I am not picking on the Lions totally because the Pistons and Tigers have had their fair share of botched drafts. I know what you are going to say…”Well Turbo drafting players is an inexact science.” I completely agree! But when the same ownership is in place for this long and history keeps repeating itself, well, you get my point. But the Lions have the number 2 overall pick as well as the 32nd pick from the Rams that they got in the Matthew Stafford trade. Teams having multiple picks in this year’s draft is a theme and with drafts in the past few years would yield a lot of movement with teams trading up to get quarterbacks but with this season’s draft, the quarterback class is less than stellar.
Since I brought up quarterback let’s address the elephant in the room. Should the Lions take a quarterback? In my opinion, nope. There isn’t a single quarterback in this class in my opinion is worth a first round grade. If they want to take one later in the draft I am fine with that but with the team being as bad as they are, there are way more holes to fill. Drafting a quarterback with either of the first round picks in my opinion would be a waste. Goff is a better option at this point and at the end of last year was actually not too bad. Is he the long term answer, no, but next year’s quarterback class has way more potential and talent.
So with that being said what should they do? Well the short answer is anything but taking a quarterback. LOL! With the number 2 pick they have a ton of options. The clear cut favorite I am sure of most Lions fans is Aidan Hutchinson from Michigan. He will provide an excellent rush off the edge and this is a huge deal when it comes to playing Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers twice a year. Another option is Sauce Gardner from Cincinnati. He is by far the best cornerback in this year’s draft and before you point out the fact that he played in a lesser conference look at his stats. When you have a dominate player like that in a lesser conference you should expect him to dominate and he did exactly that. A lock down corner would be an amazing addition to the Lions defense. If you want to project what they will do with their second first round pick I would look to add one of the many awesome receivers that are in this class. I am almost certain that both the boys from Ohio State will be off the board but this season, as with the last handful of draft classes, is loaded with wide receivers.
I know I bag on the Lions frequently but I will give credit where it is due. Last year I was very impressed with their draft so I am hoping that they keep the momentum going. I do believe that Dan Campbell is the right coach for this team and they are on the verge of turning the corner. But in order to do this, this draft is very important. I know that your team goes as your quarterback goes but this draft is loaded with non-sexy positions and as I said, Goff isn’t horrible. The only way the Lions can screw this draft up is to waste a pick on a quarterback in this class. So if you are reading this Dan Campbell, load up on other positions and improve around Goff.