Should QB Matt Stafford go #1 in the 2009 NFL Draft?

Why Matt Stafford Will Not Go #1 in the 2009 NFL Draft:

Daryl Breault:

1. Economics- Stafford will likely top Jake Long’s 2007 figure of $30 million in guaranteed money by a good 5-10 million, possibly more because he’s a QB. Taking a LT or a defensive player could keep the rise to a minimum, which probably sounds very good to Lions owner William Clay Ford right about now. Ford has the reputation for being one of, if not the, stingiest owner in the league (Cincy’s Mike Brown is the other option depending on which side of the Michigan/Ohio border you live on). I’m thinking that right there should be a pretty good indicator of what the Lions, or their ownership anyways, are thinking.

2. 0-16- This is probably the worst team of all time and is definitely the worst defence of all time. They have two young players in WR Calvin Johnson and RB Kevin Smith with which to start building the offense but as this team has shown time and time and time and time again is that none of it will matter unless they start putting serious resources into their offensive line. On defence, they have LB Ernie Sims, who had a very bad year anyways, and what? DT Cory Redding? DE Dewayne White? LB Jordan Dizon? S Daniel Bullocks? There’s no way anyone can suggest that throwing Stafford out there to get teed off on is a good idea, and do you think Ford really wants to spend $40 million on someone so they can keep him on the bench for a year?

3. Jim Schwartz is a defensive guy- Schwartz has a background in defence; he’s going to be thinking defence first. That whole replacing Bobby Layne thing, every Lions coach for 50 years has said, thought, felt or been told that. There’s more going on with this franchise than just a terrible history at quarterback and defence should be a prime target. Throwing money at Stafford is a Band-Aid on a gunshot wound.

4. He’s not the best player in the draft- Stafford may be the best QB, but he’s not the best player in the draft. Injury aside, that distinction probably best falls to Texas Tech WR Michael Crabtree, though others could hold that distinction as well like one of the offensive tackles but no seems quite sure which one, fellow Bulldog RB Knowshon Moreno, Wake Forest LB Aaron Curry, either Texas DE Brian Orakpo or FSU DE/OLB Everette Brown, BC DT B.J. Raji, Ohio State CB Malcolm Jenkins, a personal favorite in Wake Forest CB Alphonso Smith, or someone I left off and I’m sure someone thinks I have. Regardless, there is better talent at the top of the draft than Stafford. A lot of people have talked themselves into Stafford as the top pick solely because of his standing as the draft’s top passer.

5. Junior QB’s are a huge risk- Underclassmen quarterbacks have a long history of failure in the NFL. One thing Stafford has going for him is that despite the fact that he’s a junior, he has 39 starts in college football’s toughest conference, the SEC. Regardless, his footwork and decision making needed another year of seasoning before he should be considered worthy of the top pick.

6. Daunte Culpepper re-worked his deal- This does not mean Culpepper is a lock to be the starter next year but he is obviously the team’s top choice for a bridge QB. Culpepper has a history with OC Scott Linehan, who got the best out of the QB in Minnesota, and that pair could be thinking they can get it done for a couple seasons while Schwartz puts his team together.

7. Even though I believe Stafford is the absolute wrong choice for the Lions at #1, Stafford must be appealing to ownership because he’s a band-aid, quick fix. He will get people interested in the Lions without them actually having to put the time and resources into creating a winning franchise, as is their history. Stafford is the easy way out for them and that’s makes it such a strong possibility he will go #1. It is the Lions after all.
I know I’m in the minority with this, but hopefully I’m the cautious voice in the wind of people going gaga over a mediocre QB. Don’t mistake the best QB for the best player. Detroit needs to rebuild the o-line, the d-line, the LB corps and their secondary and Stafford does nothing to fix any of that.

Why Matt Stafford Will Go #1 in the 2009 NFL Draft:

Robert Bryant:

1. When was the last time the Lions had a franchise quarterback to build their team around? The lions have to build their fan base back up by giving their fans some hope for the future. The same hope that Troy Aikman gave the Cowboys in the 80s, that Peyton Manning gave the Colts in the 90s and more recently Matt Ryan gave to the Falcons. Yes Stafford could be the next Ryan leaf, but that’s no reason to bury your head in the sand and get passive. When you draft at the top you have to swing for the fence and get a quarterback to build around. You don’t get to draft #1 overall very often so if there is a quarterback with Stafford’s ability at the top and you need a QB then you have to take him. The Lions might not have a shot at Sam Bradford, Colt McCoy, Tim Tebow next year. Heck who knows if those three will even be at the top of the Draft Board this time next year. There might not even be a franchise type quarterback available next year.

2. Economics, no I don’t think that’s an issue because whomever they draft at #1 he will demand a huge contract, so quite the contrary, if you are going to pay the big bucks anyway, you might as well pay it to a quarterback, who traditionally demands a high priced contract anyway.

3. The Lions just traded QB Jon Kitna to the Cowboys, that is a clear sign that they are cleaning up the dead weight at the quarterback position in order to get Stafford. Dante Culpepper might be the starter next year, but three years from now I could see Stafford and the Lions competing for a playoff spot. Can you see Culpepper in that same light in three years?

4. Yes Junior quarterbacks are a risk, but all rookie quarterbacks are anyway and the Lions have the luxury to be patient with Stafford. They aren’t expected to compete for a playoff spot this year anyway, so there won’t be any pressure to inject him into the lineup to soon. They will be able to build their team around a good young quarterback, he will be able to stand on the sideline for a year or two and learn the offense.

5. Now let’s talk talent, Stafford might not be the best player, but he is darn close to it. Probably the only players that would make sense at #1 besides Stafford are LB Aaron Curry and OT Jason Smith. Curry is good, but do you really want to invest that much money into a linebacker? Smith is also good, but he isn’t that good and he isn’t even in the same league as last years #1 pick Jake Long. Stafford has much more talent than most people think. He has all the physical tools that you want in a quarterback, he is a big kid 6’ 3” 237 lbs, he stands tall in the pocket and has great footwork. Stafford is accurate and has a very powerful arm with a quick release. Stafford was well coached at Georgia and is a smart kid. Even though he is only a junior, he has been the starting quarterback at Georgia since he was a freshman, so he has two more years experience than say, USC's QB Mark Sanchez. I predict he will have a fantastic performance at Georgia’s Pro Day on March 19th, 2009 and pretty much end this debate.