Spring Break
Point/Counterpoint: What should the Lions do with the first pick in the NFL Draft?
Max Jabbonsky and Kevin Duffy
Issue date: 4/22/09 Section: Sports
Trade the pick!
Only one good thing came out of the Detroit Lions' historically bad 0-16 record this past NFL season: getting the No. 1 overall selection in Saturday's NFL draft. There is currently a lot of speculation as to what the Lions will do with that pick, with options ranging from Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford to offensive tackle Jason Smith. But given the team's overall incompetence - winless NFL seasons don't happen by accident - they would benefit most from trading the pick and getting as many players in return as possible.
Draft Aaron Curry!
Wake Forest linebacker Aaron Curry is the only sure thing in Saturday's NFL Draft, and if anyone needs a sure thing, it's the Detroit Lions. The Lions have screwed up just about every pick they've had since Barry Sanders. Sure, they need a quarterback, but neither Mark Sanchez nor Matthew Stafford is an elite enough prospect to invest top dollar in.
Max: I think you may be underestimating just how bad the Lions are. "Sure thing" or not, the fact is that Peyton Manning wouldn't make the current team respectable, never mind a single college player. They need as much help as they can get, so they should focus on putting as many quality players in silver and blue as they can. Aaron Curry is a beast, but NFL football is the epitome of a team sport and, without a supporting cast, he will just be the defensive version of the aforementioned Sanders: a great player who never had the chance to win.
Kevin: First of all, Peyton Manning could make the Lions respectable. Pair him with Calvin Johnson and you have a nine or 10-win team. That's neither here nor there, however. I'm not saying that Curry will magically transform the Lions into a playoff team, but he will at least put them in the right direction. They can't fix this mess all at once, so they might as well build one piece at a time.
Max: History has shown that there is a great deal of inconsistency with selecting the first pick, so why wouldn't you want to get as many chances as possible? The San Diego Chargers are a great example, as they turned two No. 1 picks (who turned out to be Michael Vick and Eli Manning) into the best player in the NFL (LaDainian Tomlinson), a franchise quarterback (Phillip Rivers), an All-World pass rusher (Shawne Merriman) and an All-Pro kick returner (Tim Dwight). Isn't that better than a puppy killer and an inconsistent QB? That's right - if selected first overall, Aaron Curry might turn out to be a puppy killer. It's history.
Only one good thing came out of the Detroit Lions' historically bad 0-16 record this past NFL season: getting the No. 1 overall selection in Saturday's NFL draft. There is currently a lot of speculation as to what the Lions will do with that pick, with options ranging from Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford to offensive tackle Jason Smith. But given the team's overall incompetence - winless NFL seasons don't happen by accident - they would benefit most from trading the pick and getting as many players in return as possible.
Draft Aaron Curry!
Wake Forest linebacker Aaron Curry is the only sure thing in Saturday's NFL Draft, and if anyone needs a sure thing, it's the Detroit Lions. The Lions have screwed up just about every pick they've had since Barry Sanders. Sure, they need a quarterback, but neither Mark Sanchez nor Matthew Stafford is an elite enough prospect to invest top dollar in.
Max: I think you may be underestimating just how bad the Lions are. "Sure thing" or not, the fact is that Peyton Manning wouldn't make the current team respectable, never mind a single college player. They need as much help as they can get, so they should focus on putting as many quality players in silver and blue as they can. Aaron Curry is a beast, but NFL football is the epitome of a team sport and, without a supporting cast, he will just be the defensive version of the aforementioned Sanders: a great player who never had the chance to win.
Kevin: First of all, Peyton Manning could make the Lions respectable. Pair him with Calvin Johnson and you have a nine or 10-win team. That's neither here nor there, however. I'm not saying that Curry will magically transform the Lions into a playoff team, but he will at least put them in the right direction. They can't fix this mess all at once, so they might as well build one piece at a time.
Max: History has shown that there is a great deal of inconsistency with selecting the first pick, so why wouldn't you want to get as many chances as possible? The San Diego Chargers are a great example, as they turned two No. 1 picks (who turned out to be Michael Vick and Eli Manning) into the best player in the NFL (LaDainian Tomlinson), a franchise quarterback (Phillip Rivers), an All-World pass rusher (Shawne Merriman) and an All-Pro kick returner (Tim Dwight). Isn't that better than a puppy killer and an inconsistent QB? That's right - if selected first overall, Aaron Curry might turn out to be a puppy killer. It's history.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
BEn
posted 4/22/09 @ 11:49 AM EST
sell it on ebay! they will get more use out of it that way.
GregC
posted 4/23/09 @ 2:41 PM EST
Better to trade down and get multiple players, better chance of getting one that will work out. Don't put all your apples in one basket.
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