And with the First Pick in the 2009 NFL Draft, the Detroit Lions Select…

And with the first pick in the 2009 NFL Draft, the Detroit Lions select…

A) Matthew Stafford, QB, UGA

B) Eugene Monroe, OT, UVA

C) Aaron Curry, LB, WF

D)  Jason Smith, OT, BAY

E) Michael Crabtree, WR, TTU

Over the course of the next two months, the above sentence will be completed multiple times with each of these names.  Which one is correct? Well, let’s first take a look at the lowly Lions’ needs:

QB–The Lions started three different quarterbacks during their 0-16 season in 2008. Jon Kitna will likely be cut in the next few weeks, and Dan Orlovsky has already opted to test the waters of free agency instead of re-signing with Detroit. That leaves Daunte Culpepper, who clearly has his better days behind him, and Drew Stanton, a young guy they still view in a “developmental” role.

OT–Can they really draft a young quarterback with such a weak offensive line? Everyone remembers what happened in a similar situation with Joey Harrington.  Last year, the Lions surrendered the second most sacks in the league: 52. Only San Francisco gave up more (55).

LB–To Detroit’s credit, they drafted a great young linebacker in 2006–Ernie Sims. Now, they could just use somebody (anybody!) to help him out back there. Teams scored an average of 32.3 points against this pathetic unit, which ranks dead last in the league.

WR–The Lions have a history of selecting big name wide receivers when their needs lay elsewhere. Calvin Johnson is going to be a star in this league, but he’s their only real target (and defending teams are well aware of this fact).

Now, let’s take a look at the Lions’ 1st round draft history over the last ten years:

(9) Chris Claiborne, LB, USC. No longer in league. Started 6/8 seasons.

(17) Aaron Gibson, OT, BC. Huge (literally over 400 lbs) bust. No longer in league. Played 16 games before being cut.

(20) Stockar McDougle, OT, OU. No longer in league.

(18) Jeff Backus, OT, MICH. Expected to start at guard this year/injured for most of 2008.

(3) Joey Harrington, QB, ORE. Another huge bust. Now with his 4th team as a back-up in New Orleans.

(2) Charles Rodgers, WR, MSU. Never panned out. No longer in league.

(7) Roy Williams, WR, UT. Traded to Dallas last season after clashing with management.

(30) Kevin Jones, RB, VT. Still in the league (barely). A back-up in Chicago.

(10) Mike Williams, WR, USC. A big gamble that turned out to be a huge waste. No longer in league.

(10) Ernie Sims, LB, FSU. Solid linebacker that is now their best defensive player.

(2) Calvin Johnson, WR, GT. Incredible, young player destined for great things. Best player on roster.

(17) Gosder Cherilus, OT, BC. Started some games in his first year. Jury is still out.

That’s 4 out of 12 1st round draft picks that are still with the team, and 3 of those were selected in the last 3 years. Roy Williams is the only current starter to have left the team.  5 of the 12 are no longer even in the league! It’s no wonder this team went 0-16 last season. 5 of the 12 were also selected from universities in the ACC.

At the end of the day, the Lions know that they need to make this one count. There are rumors swirling that they actually prefer Mark Sanchez over Matt Stafford, but surely Sanchez is too big a risk to take #1 overall. Plus, he was hardly a smash at the NFL Combine this past week. Taking an offensive lineman would make sense, but are they willing to do that for the second year in a row when they could have anyone in the entire draft? Selecting a receiver here would be just an awful decision. They can get guys to bolster their depth at the position in the later rounds.

Thus, I think they will select Aaron Curry with the first pick in the draft. He is the surest bet in the entire draft and would significantly improve their league-worst defense. And, hey, he did go to a school in the ACC, too.

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