2009 NFL Draft

[racosun]

Well, having to watch a terrible football team play some really terrible football is probably the biggest drawback to being a Lions fan, but it also means we get to discuss all the best college players and the possibility of them coming to Motown to save our franchise each year. After years of toying with having the #1 overall pick, we finally have achieved our goal. Too bad Millen wasn't here to pick it for us, just so Charles Rogers and Joey Harrington can lose their "bust" labels (or at least have them tarnished a bit).

After ditching Roy "Look at me, I got a first down and I play for the losing team" Williams to the 'Boys for their first- and third-round picks, we now have a decent amount of high picks from which to rebuild with. Problem is, our venerable owner WCF Sr. seems to think we already have the guys in place that we need to pull a rabbit out of our asses and nail this draft. Let's see: fire Millen, who had no GM experience of any kind, and let his lackey (Martin Mayhew) stay on and sail the rudderless ship a bit farther out to sea. Mayhew himself has no GM experience, other than what he was able to learn from Millen. Early word has Mayhew and the Lions looking at even more possible head coaches with little or no head coaching experience. Jason Garrett? Isn't he under intense fire from his own players about his play-calling in Dallas? He's one guy we might not need permission to speak with, as Jerry Jones will probably be under the gun to fire him if he insists on keeping Wade Phillips for 2009. Others in the head-coaching mix include the Pats' offensive coordinator and a host of other inexperienced candidates.

That brings us to the draft. How can we, as Lions fans, trust that the team is going to turn this ship around? In today's NFL, parity rules. That's been proven. Look at Miami for recent proof. 1-15 last season, AFC East Champs this year. What about the Falcons? Lousy last sesaon, impressive a year later. Yet somehow, the Lions have managed to stay bad, really bad, for a very consistent period of time. How, you ask? Ownership and it's loyalty to bad employees.

All this said, the Lions will have two of the top 20 picks in the draft for 2009. Who do we take #1 overall? Do we trade out of it to save some money and pick up more players? What will the owner do when Mayhew screws this one up and sets us up to have an even worse season next year? (Don't laugh, it's possible)

Fire away (unless your WCF, then just promote from within).

[football junkie]

Take QB Sam Bradford No. 1; take either OT Jason Smith or Michael Oher No. 20.

That gives you two bookend (but learning) tackles, a franchise QB, the best young wide out in the game, Calvin Johnson, and a 1,000 yard rusher in Kevin Smith -- all of them 25 or under.

Land Mike Shanahan, exactly because he's the type of person who'd want to take an 0-16 team and transform them into a Superbowl Champion, no not after one season!

Use all the rest of those draft picks building a defense over the next two years.

[Canseco]

#1 Pick - OT Andre Smith, Alabama
#20 Pick - LB Rey Maualuga, USC
#33 Pick - QB Josh Freeman, Kansas State

[racosun]

Mel "Hairspray" Kiper has the Lions taking QB Matt Stafford with the #1 overall pick. Ugg. Rumors are also swirling that he's going to get a guaranteed $40 million from us. Double-Ugg. Add that to the fact that he'll most likely sit his first season, and then ask yourselves, is this the right move? That's a ton of cash for an unproven NFL player who won't even help you until next year at the earliest.

I myself prefer the freak-of-nature LB Aaron Curry. Him alongside Ernie Sims and Julian Peterson and our LB core in not only good, but among the best in the league. Sure, it'll be expensive, but we need defense and having a good LB corps will certainly help on that side of the ball. Culpepper is in better shape and reunited with his old O-coordinator Scott Linehan, so the offense will be improved. Use the #20 pick on another tackle to compliment last year's top pick Cherilus, and move Backus to right guard. O-line is improved, D is improved, and we have a strong base to build around.

Yet somehow I lack faith in the front-office to do the right thing. I don't think Stafford is even the best available QB (USC's Sanchez). I just hope we aren't taking another Happy Feet Harrington and missing out on a freak in Curry.

[ATLFalcons]

I say they should go with Curry and just build that defense. We saw what Schwartz did with the Titans D. Grab an O-lineman and QB with the other two high picks, respectively.

[racosun]

The Lions have already agreed to terms with LB Aaron Curry, who is the back-up plan in case the team can't reach a pre-draft deal with QB Matt Stafford. So far, no deal, but the team is definitely leaning towards Stafford as their #1 pick. He'll sit behind Culpepper for a year and learn from a top-notch offensive coordinator in Scott Linehan.

I wish this draft had a clear-cut #1 guy, but it doesn't. At least the O-linemen are deep, and there should still be a top guy awaiting us at #20. I think my big problem with Stafford is that I'm still feeling burned by Joey Harrington. But I do have at least a shred of hope, since it won't be Millen making the pick this year. Then again, the guy who WILL be making the pick "learned" from Millen for nearly a decade. Hopefully he noticed the mistakes and will be smart about it. The Roy Williams trade was beautiful, so yes, there is hope.

Tomorrow's the big day, let's cross our fingers and hope this is the moment the franchise turns from laughingstock to up-and-coming contender. The Dolphins turned it around quickly, as did the Falcons, so why not us?

[racosun]

There needs to be a rookie salary cap, FOR SURE! The team that has the #1 pick is automatically hamstrung with a massive contract, one that gets bigger and bigger each year. As we all know, that pick is no sure-fire lock to be good, and then all of a sudden that player is the highest-paid PLAYER in the entire league without having to prove whether he's any good or not.

Each year the team with the top pick tries really hard to trade out of that spot, because of the reason I just named. Apparantly the Bengals offered us the #3 overall pick in this years' draft and a 4th-rounder for our #20 overall and our #33 (2nd round, pick #1). We turned it down due to the large contract the #3 pick carries with him. We could have had Stafford AND Curry, but the rookie salaries once again kicked our butts.

I'm sure there will be a major fight between the owners and the player's union during the next CBA over the rookie pay scale. Even many veteran players are sick and tired of seeing a new kid come in (completely unproven) and rolling into the team's training facility in a new Bentley, only to flame out after two or three years. David Carr. Reggie Bush. Joey Harrington. Charles Rogers. Ryan Leaf. It goes on and on. These guys didn't earn any of the millions they got when they were drafted, yet they will have made more money in their pathetic careers than most NFL players who actually contribute to a teams success for a decade or longer.

[racosun]

And with the 20th pick in the NFL Draft, the Detroit Lions select...

Brandon Pettigrew, tight end, Oklahoma State.

This guy is a monster who can catch and block, and was very highly-rated coming into the draft. In fact, he was easily the highest-rated TE in this year's draft, with many so-called "experts" saying he was a top-10 pick. At #20, the Lions might have got themselves a steal, and certainly have another huge end-zone target for Culpepper and Stafford to look for when Calvin Johnson is double-teamed.

He's also a kid with a bit of a mean steak, which is good for a monster guy like this. He was charged with a felony in January of last year for assaulting a police officer, but most say that it was an isolated incident and was completely out-of-character for Pettigrew.

It was thought that the Lions would look to an offensive lineman or a middle linebacker at this spot, and there were a few good ones available, but with a team that has as many holes as it does, this was a solid pick. You can expect some rookie mistakes, but by the time Stafford is ready to play, Pettigrew should be a viable asset to the team and a large target to look for for years to come. His blocking is top-notch, and he perhaps loves pancaking players as much as he does catching passes. A definite blue-collar type who is sure to become a fan-favorite quickly.