Detroit Lions Weblog

Divining a Path Through the Thick Haze of Mystery and Intrigue

Traditionally, the week leading up to the NFL draft is rife with the kind of subterfuge, misinformation, and Orwellian “doublethink” that rivals anything that any tin foil helmet-wearing, Art Bell-enthusiast could conjure after going three complete days without proper sleep.

The Lions, like the rest of the league, are not immune from being involved in numerous improbable draft day scenarios. The sport’s chief talking heads, in the media, are ritually enlisted (kind of like Warren Beatty in the “Parallax View”) to be the primary outlets of much of this bogus league intel.

As observers, we all gladly eat from the hands of these outlets, which allows for many of us fans to feel like our own thoughts about team personnel matters aren’t so far afield from those who are really in power to make those difficult decisions. We also are made to feel like we are truly “inside” team personnel decisions, and are privy to info that no one else has received.

In the case of the Lions, there are beginning to be even more reports about a potential Roy Williams draft day trade(otherwise known as the rumors that refused to die!!!), and even more illogically, about the possibility of the Lions trading up to draft Boston College Qb Matt Ryan.

Where there’s smoke, there’s fire, in the case of Williams. As time presses closer, it seems increasingly likely that the Lions may receive an offer that they absolutely can’t refuse, especially given the dearth of legitimate game-changing talent in the ‘08 wide receiver draft class.

Williams has been diplomatic and said all of the right things about the Lions receiver situation, but I believe that ultimately, entering a contract year, he will not be content if he has to share the number of passes that he could potentially receive with the inevitable emergence of Calvin Johnson as the team’s primary receiving option.

That reality, leads me to believe that the Lions are going to extract another first round pick in exchange for Williams, likely to the Cowboys, Redskins, or Eagles, who all want to upset the balance of power within their division. With the Lions dire personnel situation, I believe that there are significantly worse things which could happen to the organization than an eventual trade of Williams.

For instance, trading up in the draft to select Qb Joey Harr-er, I mean QB Matt Ryan. The Lions absolutely should never, ever, select a quarterback in the first round again. If there is anything more guaranteed to fail than the Lions selecting a quarterback in the first round of any draft, in all of the professional sports landscape, I’d like to hear it.

The Lions appear to be facing the unfortunate scenario of having all of the players that they desire falling outside of the range of where they will select in the first and second rounds. DE Derrick Harvey, much like S Michael Huff, LB Derrick Johnson, LB Patrick Willis, and CB Quentin Jammer before him, is as tantalizing of a pick as there is on the draft board to upgrade the Lions defense.

Harvey is not likely going to be there at pick #15, along with players like T’s Ryan Clady and Chris Williams, so the Lions will face a very difficult decision, given their personnel needs.

In the second round, T Gosder Cherilus and LB Jerod Mayo also may not be there for the team, either. The Lions may be compelled to move in the draft to get the players that they truly desire, but in their case, they may want to consider taking the best value, with the maximum number of picks that they have at their disposal rather than sacrifice a pick or two to get the players that they most desire.

Here is my wish list of players I believe that it is reasonable that the Lions may be able to select in the first round:

1. DE Derrick Harvey

2. OT Ryan Clady

3. OG/OT Brandon Albert

4. OT Chris Williams

5. LB Dan Connor

6. OT Jeff Otah

7. DE Phillip Merling

8. DT Kentwan Balmer

9. LB Jerod Mayo

10. OT Gosder Cherilus

11. CB/RS Aquib Talib

You’ll notice, I think that the Lions should avoid skill players and attempt to build a sounder, more salable framework to build their organization upon.  With that in mind, I fully expect for the Lions to pick either Rashard Mendenhall or Jonathan Stewart in the first round, and subsequently TE Dustin Keller in the second round.  Unfettered skepticism still prevails…..