I looked down at my Christmas list and I realized that I had just one person left to buy for.

Every year I buy this guy’s present last, and for good reason. Annually, I make my way into the area sports memorabilia store and pick out some sort of Detroit Lions memorabilia for this guy.

Despite the torture of being a true Lions fan, he never leaves their side, watching every Sunday game as if it had playoff implications.

After searching the store for the perfect gift, I stumbled upon a commemorative Detroit Lions football. The ball listed all of the Lions great team achievements since the beginning of the franchise’s existence.

I went up to pay for the item and stumbled across commemorative balls for some other NFL teams. There was the Dallas Cowboys, the San Francisco 49ers, the Indianapolis Colts, the New England Patriots, and the Green Bay Packers.

After scanning some of the team achievements of these storied teams, the Detroit Lions ball I held in my hand looked somewhat bare.

It listed no Super Bowl Championships, no Conference Championships, and very few Division Championships. And I began to wonder: what do all of these franchises do right that the Lions always seem to do wrong?

The answer?

The Draft.

Since the hiring of CEO and President of Football Operations Matt Millen shortly after the 2001 season, the Lions' draft record has been so far below mediocre that it can officially be referred to as a joke.

The Lions have had eight first-round picks during the Millen Era. Of those eight selections, three of them are no longer with the team. And it seems as if current WR Roy Williams and starting RB Kevin Jones are slated to be the fourth and fifth members of that club.

With Williams and Jones set to become free agents following next season, it wouldn’t be a surprise to anyone if they both decided to leave.

Jones, the 30th overall pick in the 2004 draft, is hardly a running back anymore in Mike Martz’ offensive scheme

Jones has only had 20+ carries on two occasions this season. The first time, Jones pounded the ball 23 times against the stingy defense of the defending NFC Champion Chicago Bears.

In just his second game after returning from a foot injury that was supposed to sideline him for the entire 2007 season, Jones led the way to help the Lions improve to 4-2.

The second time, Jones also carried the ball 23 times in a Ford Field showdown against the NFC powerhouse Cowboys. On that day, the Lions came within 16 seconds of pulling off one of the most stunning upsets of the 2007 season.

When Martz hands the ball to Jones, good things happen.

When Martz provides Jones with 20+ carries a game, Jones is averaging 98.5 yards, and his rush per carry average is at 4.3 yards.

But Jones is averaging just 12 carries per game, and more rountinely be seen running routes and laying blocks rather carrying the football.

As for Williams, his reasons for wanting to leave might be about more than the losing that takes place on the football field.

Tom Kowalski of WDFN radio station in Detroit says that sources close to Williams have revealed his desire to play in Texas after next season. Williams, a standout at the University of Texas, has family in Texas and has been known to openly speak about his love for the state.

Williams' desire to leave might also stem from butting heads with Martz.

William’s yards-per-catch average is down almost three full yards from last year’s average of 16. With former Ram Shaun McDonald boasting a close relationship with Martz from their St. Louis days and the ownership's apparent desire to see rookie WR Calvin Johnson get his catches, Williams has become little more than a Martz pawn.

Can you blame him for wanting to leave?

In 2001, Millen made arguably his best pick not named Roy Williams or Kevin Jones.

With the 18th pick in the draft, Millen selected OT Jeff Backus out of the University of Michigan.

Backus has been praised for his durability. Not only did he dress for every college game while at Michigan, Backus has started his first 110 games in the NFL.

Along with Backus, Millen selected C Dominic Raiola and DT Shawn Rogers in the second-round of the draft. Raiola and Backus were drafted mainly to fill the large hole left by Jeff Hartings who signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers after the 2001 season.

Hartings moved to the center position upon arriving with the Steelers and made the Pro Bowl in 2005 and 2006 before retiring. Backus and Raiola have no such honor accredited to either of their names.

What’s even worse?

The Patriots selected OT Matt Light with the Lions original second-round-pick. Light took part in the 2007 Pro Bowl and was elected to the upcoming 2008 team along with eight of his Patriots teammates. Since being selected in the draft, Light has helped protect superstar QB Tom Brady along with one of the best offensive lines to ever grace the league.

Instead of selecting Backus, the Lions  also had the chance to end their eternal search for a starting quarterback by selected QB Drew Brees who went to San Diego in the second round. They probably could have also saved themselves years of gambling on wide receivers by drafting Reggie Wayne who went to the Colts late in the first round.

However, compared to the drafts that were to follow, the 2001 draft was something positive to look back on.

In 2002 and 2003, Millen used the third and second pick in the draft to take QB Joey Harrington and WR Charles Rogers.

Despite being listed as a fragile, breakable receiver, Millen drafted C. Rogers out of Michigan State. Rogers lived up to his reputation by breaking his collarbone in consecutive seasons to begin his career before failing a drug test in his third-season. C. Rogers in now out of work in the NFL and is fighting for $10 million of his original $14 million signing bonus.

Harrington is soon to follow.

After being run out of Detroit, Harrington looked to prove himself in roles with the Miami Dolphins and the Atlanta Falcons. Harrington was replaced by another sub-par quarterback in Cleo Lemon during his tenure with Miami and, more recently, lost his job to Byron Leftwich in Atlanta. Harrington has proved that he is not only lacking the skills to be a credible NFL starter, but, he might not even worth the gamble as an NFL backup. Harrington may have started his final game on an NFL field.

The brutal drafting continued in 2005 when Millen gambled on USC WR Mike Williams after he hadn’t played a competitive football game in over a year.

M. Williams became the third wide receiver drafted by the Lions in three years.

After embarrassing the number 88, once worn by Hall-of-Fame Lions TE Charlie Sanders, M. Williams was shipped off to Oakland along with Josh McCown in exchange for a fourth round draft pick shortly before the 2007 draft.

Now with the Tennessee Titans, M. Williams will be remembered in Detroit more for his constant struggle with his waistline rather then any type of on field heroics displayed during any one of his eight catches with the team.

By the way, M. Williams weighed a whopping 271 pounds when he signed with the Titans. Maybe he would have been succeeded in solving the Lions problems on the offensive line.

In the previous three mentioned drafts, the Lions had a chance to use their first pick to draft such high caliber players as LB Shawn Merrimann, LB DeMarcus Ware, DB Troy Polamalu, DB Ed Reed, DE Dwight Freeney, DE Terrell Suggs, S Roy Williams, DT Albert Haynesworth, OT Bryant McKinnie, TE Jeremy Shockey, WR Andre Johnson, RB Larry Johnson, RB Joseph Addai, and some guy by the name of QB Tony Romo.

Even 2007 sure-thing Calvin Johnson should be a questioned Millen pick. After all, the team had such a severe need on the offensive line and a surplus of wide receivers on the depth chart, but Millen couldn’t resist Johnson. The team might have fared better with OT Joe Thomas who has been the backbone of a very strong offensive line in Cleveland.

Despite the team’s apparent struggles under Millen, Owner William Clay Ford Sr. awarded Millen a five-year-contract-extension. Through 14 games in the 2007 season, the Lions are 30-80 under Millen’s guidance.

While it will take a bit more time to season what’s to come out of 2006 first-round pick LB Ernie Sims and 2007 the second overall pick in Johnson, one can’t help but wonder: what can we expect in this years draft?

The Lions seem to have a dire in their secondary where the team gets passed on more than any other team in the NFL.

DB Antoine Cason might be available in the middle of the draft where the Lions are more than likely going to pick from. Cason, who has fared well at Arizona this year, could take over as a part of the solution in preventing the long-ball that the Lions have been helpless defending this year.

When Millen drafted Backus in 2001, he hoped to fill the holes in Detroit’s offensive line. Seven years later, he should still be looking to do the same.

Trading up in the draft to get star OT Jake Long out of Michigan would be great in theory for the Lions. They would plug up holes in that line and Long alone could possibly save Kitna from couple of sacks. However, the theory might not be plausible as the Lions don’t have a lot to trade up with and I can’t see Long dropping any further than 5th in the draft where St. Louis might look to should look to add depth at this position.

OT Ryan Clady at Boise State is someone Millen should definitely keep tabs on as well as OT Sam Baker from USC. Both would provide immediate help for the Lions.

Free agency? Not the answer for a team like the Lions who are trying to continue rebuilding.

The draft is where teams really build contenders. Free agency is where pretenders try to catch up (see Indianapolis Colts draft list).

If the Lions are going to have any chance on building from 2007, their most successful season under Millen, it starts on April 26th, 2008.