Jason Smith Joins Lions after Team Passes on Matt Stafford

Jay Cutler is no longer an option and there isn't another quarterback out there the Lions should want.

The Browns could offer Brady Quinn or Derek Anderson, but the Lions would have to give up draft picks to receive one of them. It's doubtful Detroit will trade for one of them, or any other QB for that matter.

With all this, drafting Matt Stafford would make a lot of sense wouldn't it?

The answer to that question is NO. The Lions are, or at least should be, smarter than taking a QB with their first overall pick.

What are the pros and cons of taking Stafford?

Pros

Stafford could possibly become a good QB in the NFL. The Lions need a QB and he could be just that. He could even become a franchise QB.

That's it though...There are literally no more pros to drafting Stafford. His pros are all possibilities; nothing is for sure.

Cons

Stafford will be very expensive, not to mention he could bust and lose the Lions tons of cash. Not something an 0-16 team needs on their conscience or payroll.

If the Lions draft Stafford, he could sit behind Daunte Culpepper for some time. The fans would be outraged if he sat while Detroit was losing. The Lions would have many disgruntled fans.

The Lions don't have a great offensive line and everyone knows what that can mean for a new NFL QB.

The past will haunt them as well. Here is a breakdown of the highly regarded quarterbacks drafted the last few years.

2006 NFL Draft

Vince Young (Tennessee Titans, Third Overall)

Vince hasn't had a great season since he entered the NFL. After his sub-par rookie season, the Madden NFL football video game decided to feature Young on the cover. The "cover curse" has haunted him since.

He followed up his rookie season with an even worse season, then lost his starting role in 2008 to Kerry Collins. He is currently the backup for the Titans, and has had some issues. He has seen his share of physical and mental problems.

Matt Leinart (Arizona Cardinals, 10th Overall)

Like Young, Leinart hasn't had a stellar season since he entered the NFL. He had a below average rookie season as well, and has worsened since then. He doesn't have the "cover curse" on his track record, but he has Kurt Warner in front of him.

The Pro Bowl, Super Bowl runner-up QB with his new contract will keep Leinart out of the starting role and in the backup slot for at least a few more years.

Jay Cutler (Denver Broncos, 11th Overall)

Cutler, unlike Young and Leinart, actually sat most of his rookie season. He started/played in five games. In his limited time, he showed promise.

His three-year career hasn't been spectacular but he is definitely the better out of the three so far. He was just traded to the Chicago Bears Thursday.

2007 NFL Draft

JaMarcus Russell (Oakland Raiders, First Overall)

Russell's career started out rough with his contract hold-out. He ended up playing in four games, starting in only one.

He hasn't lived up to his first-overall selection but his last season wasn't horrible. He started 15 games and had a 77.1 passer rating.

The Raiders have been in the dumps and he could have breakout season in '09—key word being could.

Brady Quinn (Cleveland Browns, 22nd Overall)

Considered the steal of the draft, Quinn hasn't proven any real value.

In his rookie season, he played in one offensive drive all year due to Derek Anderson's breakout Pro Bowl season. The following season, Anderson beat him out again until week 10 when he was handed the starting role.

Quinn started three games until he he hurt his finger, which turned into a season-ending surgery. In his three games, Quinn didn't do great, but didn't do horribly.

He is heading into the '09 season assumed to compete with Anderson for the starting QB role.

Trent Edwards (Buffalo Bills, 92nd Overall)

Edwards wasn't a highly regarded QB but came out better than both Quinn and Russell. His rookie season was decent, and he showed improvement in his sophomore season. He chased JP Losman out of the starting role, and currently holds the starting role in Buffalo.

With newly added receiver Terrell Owens, his numbers could improve again.

2008 NFL Draft

Matt Ryan (Atlanta Falcons, Third Overall)

Ryan, drafted to fill the shoes of the arrested Michael Vick, turned out to be a great selection. Although many saw this being a possible mistake, Ryan panned out.

He had a great season and led the Falcons to the NFL playoffs. They lost in the first round but they made it that far.

Running back Michael Turner benefited the offense, but Ryan's performance can't go without credit.

Joe Flacco (Baltimore Ravens, 18th Overall)

Another first-round QB selection that panned out well. Flacco started off the season slow but got better as the year went on. He led the Ravens to the playoffs and became the first rookie QB to win two playoff games. They lost the AFC title game to the Pittsburgh Steelers, but the rookie made his mark.

Outside of 2008, the last few drafts haven't shown a first-round QB selection to be a smart pick, especially if the QB is ranked first or second at the position.

No team should ever expect a Ryan or Flacco, especially the Lions. They have too much riding on this pick to assume they will get a great starting QB.

Cutler and Edwards weren't viewed as the best quarterbacks in their drafts, but they've panned out better than the others.

Since the Lions have two first-round selections (first and 20th), they can manage a QB later in the draft. Mark Sanchez or Josh Freeman could be available by their second pick.

So if they don't take Stafford first overall, who should they draft? If they draft a receiver with their first overall pick, the front office will pull an Art Modell, leaving Detroit in the middle of the night.

A great need in Detroit is offensive lineman...

If the Lions are smart, they will draft OL Jason Smith. The move is safer than taking Stafford and would help the offense more overall.

Just think of the top linemen drafted in the last few years: D'Brickashaw Ferguson, Joe Thomas, and Jake Long.

The Lions have plenty of O-linemen but could use an upgrade. A young talent like J. Smith could help solidify their O-line for years to come.

If the Lions were able to draft Jason Smith and QB Mark Sanchez (or Josh Freeman), the offense could be great in the future.