Jason Smith Should Be A Lion

I'm not sure if any of you have heard, but, the Lions are reportedly taking Jason Smith with the top pick in the 2009 NFL Draft. If this is true, the Lions are making the right move, and I'll tell you why Jason Smith over Matthew Stafford is the right choice.

First round quarterbacks becoming a bust is very common, to list a few:

Ryan Leaf

Leaf was drafted second overall by the San Diego Chargers in 1998. He ended up playing for four different teams before retiring at the age of 26. He retired with 3,666 yards, 14 touchdowns, 36 interceptions, and a passer rating of 50.0. Leaf is regarded as one of the biggest busts in NFL history.

Akili Smith

Smith was drafted third overall in the 1999 NFL draft by the Bengals. He played with three different teams before heading to NFL Europa to play for the Frankfurt Galaxy, then, the Canadian Football league with the Calgary Stampeders. He finished his NFL career with five touchdowns, 18 interceptions, 2,431 passing yards, and a quarterback rating of 49.4.

Tim Couch

Couch was drafted first overall by the Browns in 1999. He played for three NFL teams and the British Columbia Lions. Couch reportedly took anabolic steroids and human growth hormones. In the five seasons he played in he accumulated 64 touchdowns, 67 interceptions, 11,131 yards, and a quarterback rating of 75.1.

Cade McNown

McNown was drafted 12th overall by the Bears. He played for three NFL teams, he struggled in his first few seasons, ending his career as a backup. His NFL career ended with 16 touchdowns, 19 interceptions, 3,111 yards, and a quarterback rating of 67.7.

Jim Druckenmiller

Druckenmiller was drafted 26th overall by the 49ers. He played for three NFL teams and also had short lived XFL and AFL stints. He finished his NFL career with one touchdown, four interceptions, 239 yards, and a quarterback rating of 29.2.

I'm not saying that Stafford is going to be a bust, but even so called "experts" thought Leaf was going to have a better career then Peyton Manning.

Along with the busts, there is also a handful of late round or even undrafted gems:

Tony Romo

Romo went undrafted in the 2003 NFL draft and was then picked up by the Cowboys. After taking over the starting role in 2006, he has made two Pro Bowls and has thrown 81 touchdowns, 46 interceptions, 10,562 yards. He has a quarterback rating of 94.7.

Matt Cassel

Cassel was drafted in the seventh round of the 2007 NFL draft by the New England Patriots. After Brady went down in week one, Matt Cassel took over and led the Patriots to an 11-5 record, recording these stats in the process—23 touchdowns, 13 interceptions, 3,946 passing yards, and a quarterback rating of 88.2.

Tom Brady

Brady was drafted in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL draft. Brady has three super bowl rings, two super bowl MVP's awards, he has gone to four Pro Bowls, thrown 50 touchdowns in a NFL season (NFL record), the largest touchdown to interception difference plus-42 (NFL record), 28 game winning drives, a 21 game win streak, one NFL MVP award, and an Offensive Player of the Year award. Brady also led the Patriots to a 16-0 record in 2007. He currently has 197 touchdowns, 86 interceptions, 26,446 passing yards, and a quarterback rating of 92.9.

Kurt Warner

Warner went undrafted in the 1994 NFL draft. He has won two NFL MVP awards and a Super Bowl MVP award, which he won with the Rams. He is statistically the second most accurate quarterback in NFL history. He recently resigned with the Cardinals and led them to the Super Bowl.

Tyler Thigpen

Thigpen was drafted in the seventh round of the 2007 NFL draft by the Vikings. After being acquired by the Chiefs, he found his way to the starting role after their starting quarterback had gone down with injuries. Thigpen emerged as a good starter, throwing for 18 touchdowns, 13 interceptions, 2,649 passing yards, and a quarterback rating of 76.0 in 14 games. For some reason, the Chiefs just traded for Cassel. Thigpen, trade?

Why take a quarterback in the first round, when you could take one in a later round? A late-round quarterback will have to work harder to make the team, and they don't have very high expectations.

I believe the Lions should take Smith because the Lions already have a young quarterback in Drew Stanton that they should give a shot. They should slowly work him into the offense this year. If he succeeds, give him the starting job. If he plays horribly, there will be some great quarterbacks in the draft next year like Colt McCoy, Sam Bradford, and Tim Tebow.

If you take Stafford, who do you have to protect him? The Lions gave up 52 sacks last year, which was the second most in the league. In order to have a successful passing attack you need to have a successful offensive line. If you don't give your quarterback enough time to make reads and throw the ball, the resulting play is likely to be an interception or a sack.

Clearly, Smith is the better pick for Detroit.