Matt Stafford's Workout with Lions a Ruse?

Former Georgia QB Matt Stafford, the widely-projected No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft, is slated to work out with the Detroit Lions, according to Mlive.com.

So what? Everybody knew they would do this. The Lions have the top pick in the draft, and Stafford is on the top of nearly every draft board.

Yet head coach Jim Schwartz continues to be coy about drafting Stafford, sticking to his philosophy to "not necessarily lock in on a particular position."

On the other hand, he also believes that the quarterback position "can only be stop-gap [and] transitional for so long."

Further muddling the situation is the front office's decision to restructure Daunte Culpepper's deal, presumably putting him in the mix for next season's starting job, and continued talks with Dan Orlovsky, who becomes a free agent on Feb. 27.

Why the mixed signals from Schwartz? There are no teams picking ahead of his, so he has no worries about someone plucking Stafford to keep him away from the Lions.

There are the obvious reasons. If Stafford tanks at Pro Day and at his private workout, Schwartz doesn't want to be on record as saying he wants Stafford to be "the guy." He'd lose credibility before he ever set foot on Ford Field. It's too early to choose a sure No. 1 pick before combines and workouts, anyway.

Or could it be the Lions are still exploring opportunities to trade down in the draft? It's unlikely, but there are some desperate teams out there, and the Lions are doing the right thing if they're trying to shop the pick.

Stafford will work out with the Lions and show good results while the buzz continues.

The Lions will report how great he looked in camp, and ESPN will spread it until it becomes accepted knowledge, like when everyone was convinced JaMarcus Russell was the next big thing because of a strong arm.

Sure, why not?

Suddenly, Stafford will go into demand. That No. 1 pick money doesn't look bad when a few million dollars and a third-round draft pick is all that stands between you and the future face of your franchise.

Of course, these results could be true. Maybe Stafford is the next big thing. But a shiny new quarterback leading a team that still gives up 30 points a game won't do much for the win-loss record.

The major obstacle here is the presence of rapidly-rising Mark Sanchez of USC. The conventional wisdom here is if Stafford goes to Detroit, Sanchez goes to Kansas City with the third pick, barring a disastrous workout.

If the Lions pass on Stafford, the Chiefs gladly snap him up, and Sanchez falls to the middle of the first round, perhaps to the 49ers at pick 10. If both are gone, the 49ers likely pick defense, but few can argue that they need a quarterback.

Few, still, can argue that the Lions wouldn't gladly trade the No. 1 pick for a lower first-round pick and a third-rounder. Their problems are numerous, and nearly all of them need to be solved through the draft.

No other quarterback is worth a pick in the top half of the first round. So to any team looking for a top-rated quarterback between picks No. 4 and No. 20, it's trade up or miss out.

The Raiders are a team that should be interested, but it will likely take Al Davis another couple of years to release Russell into perpetual third-stringdom, where he is destined to remain with Alex Smith and perhaps Matthew Stafford.

Will it be the Lions or someone else who roll the dice with Stafford?

With the draft rich in left tackles and the quarterback situation in Detroit every bit as confusing now as it was after Jon Kitna hit the shelf for the season (and his career?), it's probably the Lions.

But just in case you're interested, Matt Stafford will soon be a wanted man, and the pick to secure him just might be for sale.

Any takers?