The debate over the number one pick has ended. The historically bad Lions will select Georgia QB Matthew Stafford to become the face of their franchise.
Not only will Stafford be the first pick tomorrow, but he'll immediately become one of the highest paid players in the league. He will join Albert Haynesworth as one of two NFL players with 40+ million dollars guaranteed on their contracts.
This money will bring even greater expectations on Stafford, who will undoubtedly be compared to last year's rookie sensations at QB, Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco.
The Lions skipped on a safer pick. They could've followed the Bill Parcells model and draft an offensive tackle. Either one of Jason Smith or Eugene Monroe could've came in and started next year. Or the Lions could've gone with star linebacker Aaron Curry, who would team with Julian Peterson and Ernie Sims to give the team a lethal second level.
They went with Stafford, and showed faith in their current bookend tackles (veteran Jeff Backus and youngster Gosder Cherilus), because they feel he can be the same type of leader and playmaker that somebody like Matt Ryan is for Atlanta. Maybe nobody is expecting him to take Detroit to the playoffs, but certainly the expectations of more high-octane offense will emerge in Motor City over the next few months. Stafford has all the physical tools and he'll be airing it out to one of the best packages of raw talent in the entire league, Calvin Johnson.
Now the Lions just need to address the defense and they might win a game or two next year.
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