The Detroit Lions have the 2nd pick in the 2010 NFL Draft. You could say that judging by past history they are liable to take anyone here. But the Matt Millen days are over. The selection of Matthew Stafford 1st overall in 2009 seems to make one think that a bit of sanity is returning to Detroit.
It has been said that the NFL is a copycat league. Someone has a great new innovation, then everyone starts to use it. Come up with a plan to build a franchise, and others will try the same plan if it has been successful. Detroit had a chance in 2009 to do just that, and blew it right out the window.
For years Detroit has been the butt of draft jokes for who they took high in the first round. Joey Harrington, Charles Rogers, Roy Williams, Mike Williams. It seemed to be a never ending list of offensive skill players that did not work out. Then inspiration came in the form of the Atlanta Falcons in 2008.
There have been very few franchises in a state of disarray as Atlanta after the 2007 season. Their coach goes pig-sooey and takes off for Arkansas before the end of the season. Their quarterback ends up in Leavenworth after conviction on dog fighting charges. But a new coach and new general manager had a plan, and it worked to a T.
With the 3rd Pick, the Falcons select Matt Ryan. Their quarterback of the future and the face of the franchise. Then they trade up to the 21st slot and take Sam Baker, offensive tackle from USC. Many people saw this as a reach. Atlanta did not. They knew Ryan needed a blind side protector, and unless they wanted a repeat of what happened with David Carr in Houston they had to move up to grab Baker.
The plan worked perfectly. The addition of Michael Turner in free agency and the revitalization of Roddy White helped make Ryan a sensation from his first pass, a 62 yard touchdown. Atlanta finished 11-5 and made the playoffs as a wild card. Injuries slowed the Falcons in 2009, but they finished with the first back-to-back winning seasons in franchise history
Detroit had the opportunity to copy Atlanta, but got it half right. The selection of Stafford seems wise, but with the 20th selection Detroit opted for Brandon Pettigrew instead of Michael Oher. Pettigrew has the tools to be a great tight end, but Oher showed in his rookie season that he is a great tackle now. Injuries to Stafford in his rookie season has many people wondering why they passed on Oher when he was there for the taking.
Detroit has a lot of holes on both sides of the ball. Now there are many who say they might take Russell Okung with the 2nd overall pick in 2010. Okung has all the tools to be a great left tackle for years to come, but with the depth of lineman on both sides of the ball I can't see them passing on either Ndamukong Suh or Gerald McCoy when they can get a tackle like Charles Brown, Vladimir Ducasse, Anthony Davis or Bruce Campbell at the top of the 2nd Round. In much the same way St. Louis needs to find the best pair of picks for their team, Detroit does as well. Talents such as Suh and McCoy don't come around often. Take the player you feel can stop the opponent the best, then take the tackle who can best protect Stafford. A Win/Win for Detroit, after too many years of Loss-Loss-Loss-Loss....
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