NFL Draft 2009 Recap

Well I guess it doesn't matter if the Lions have the first pick, or the last pick in the draft, because either way you look at it, they will mess it up.  Now I am not saying that drafting the top QB in this years draft was bad, but there are so many other holes that needed to be filled, other than the QB situation.  Here is my take on the whole scenario for the Lions.  They are in desperate need for an Offensive Line.  They could have either traded down their #1 pick to get two lower picks in the draft and take two solid defensive players.  This would have allowed them to get the most young talent defensively, something they really need.

Defense wins championships, but offense definitely helps a lot as well.  I really like Stafford, and I think he has a rather fantastic arm for a young kid, but when you look at the Lions offensive side of the spectrum, your left with some huge holes.  There is no Offensive Line left.  If the Lions had Tom Brady throwing the ball last season, they still would have been awful.  Your QB needs to be safe at all times, and in order to run the ball successfully in the NFL, you need a strong O-Line creating holes for your RB to run through!  I mean I guess the Lions are awful at drafting (which we have known for years), and they stink at trading as well!  Oh well, I say sell the franchise to Europe... or better yet, GET A NEW OWNER!!! It all starts with the owner of the team, and how badly he wants to win!  Mike Illitch of the Detroit Red Wings/Detroit Tigers is not satisfied with a bad team, so he makes sure that those he puts in charge are going to help his teams succeed.

Anyway, onward to my evaluation of the actual pick itself.  Matt Stafford is young, and fresh out of his Junior year in college.  This being said, there is a ton of upside to signing a young kid like this with a lot of promise.  He will be learning from one of the great NFL QB's to ever play the game in Cullpepper, and after Cullpepper is done in Detroit, it will be Stafford's offense to take over and run.  He has a heck of an arm for a person his age, so getting the ball downfield and to recievers should not be a huge problem.  The Stafford/Calvin Johnson connection should be a dominant force once they establish a strong relationship (we hope) and that will hopefully help jump start the Lion offense.

The Lions could have waited to draft a solid QB next year in the draft because there are like four or five coming out of college next year (that we know of).  They could have gone full out on defense/o-line, gotten that stuff straightened out, and have a somewhat decent record which would allow them to have a solid draft pick the following year.  Then they pick up a fantastic young QB who can be protected by a solid o-line and backed up by a strong defense.  It will be interesting to see how this pick plays out, only time will tell Lions fans... Only time will tell.  Who knows, you could be looking at the team that goes 0-32 for the first time (two straight seasons of 0-16, I wouldn't put it past them to do that!)

Pick Choice: C+/B-

Rest of the Draft Picks (First Round Only):

2. St. Louis Rams: Jason Smith (OT) 

3. KC Chiefs: Tyson Jackson (DE)

4. Seattle Seahawks: Aaron Curry (OLB)

5. NY Jets: Mark Sanchez (QB)

6. Cincinnati Bangles: Andre Smith (OT)

7. Oakland Raiders: Darius Haywood-Bey (WR)

8. Jacksonville Jaguars: Eugene Monroe (OT)

9. Green Bay Packers: B.J. Raji (DT)

10. SF 49'ers: Michael Crabtree (WR)

11. Buffalo Bills: Aaron Maybin (DE)

12. Denver Broncos: Knowshon Moreno (RB)

13. Washington Redskins: Brian Orakpo (DE)

14. New Orleans Saints: Malcolm Jenkins (CB)

15. Texas Texans: Brian Cushing (OLB)

16. San Diego Chargers: Larry English (DE)

17. TB Buccaneers: Josh Freeman (QB)

18. Denver Broncos: Robert Ayers (LB)

19. Philadelphia Eagles: Jeremy Maclin (WR)

20. Detroit Lions: Brandon Pettigrew (TE)

21. Cleveland Browns: Alex Mack (C)

22. Minnesota Vikings: Percy Harvin (WR)

23. Baltimore Ravens: Michael Oher (OT)

24. Atlanta Falcons: Peria Jerry (DT)

25. Miami Dolphins: Vontae Davis (CB)

26. Green Bay Packers: Clay Matthews (OLB)

27. Indianapolis Colts: Donald Brown (RB)

28. Buffalo Bills: Eric Wood (C)

29. NY Giants: Hakeem Nicks (WR)

30. Tennessee Titans: Kenny Britt (WR)

31. Arizona Cardinals: Chris Wells (RB)

32. Pittsburgh Steelers: Evander Hood (DT)

Matt Stafford On Being Drafted By The Lions & Being The #1 Overall Pick:

Feel Free To Comment On The Rounds That Followed The First, And Which Teams You Thought Benefited From The Draft... Will The Lions Find Success With Matt Stafford?

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