Published: April 23, 2009 06:55 am      

Lions have No. 1 pick; Who will they take?

Detroit needs a future QB

By DENNIS CHASE

I prefer left tackle Jason Smith or linebacker Aaron Curry, but I'm OK with quarterback Matt Stafford, if reports are true that the Georgia quarterback will be the Lions pick if a contract can be worked out by Friday.

Here's what I like about Stafford: He's smart (35 on the Wonderlic), can make all the throws, and has 34 college starts under his belt (even though he's just 21 years of age) playing in the nation's toughest conference.

Here's what I question about Stafford: He doesn't always step up and take charge in the big games.

I thought Georgia played some uninspired football at times last season -- Stafford included.

Still, I think the talent is there. And, let's face it, the Lions do need to find a quarterback for the future.

Stafford's by no means a polished product yet. He'll need time to learn and mature. Let's just hope, if he is the pick, the Lions don't rush him.

And that could be a problem. Unless Detroit improves its offensive line -- and wouldn't Smith look good at left tackle? -- I'm not sure Daunte Culpepper can stay injury-free.

Can Lions bail out Ford?

BY JAMES COOK

The Detroit Lions are starting over. They've done this before, and it didn't work. They need to learn from that lesson.

You don't throw a No. 1 pick quarterback onto a horrific team. See Harrington, Joey. That turned out well.

Sure, a lot of teams seem to have turned from bad into playoff contenders right about when they draft a QB early, but those teams were also close to -- or already -- turning the corner before that. Detroit doesn't know there is a corner.

The answer is to build from the trenches out. A quarterback, no matter how talented, is limited by the effectiveness of his offensive line -- and the Lions' line has been atrocious.

The pick should be Baylor left tackle Jason Smith, but it won't be.

Detroit is reportedly in "imminent" contract talks with quarterback Matt Stafford at the behest of owner William Clay Ford.

If it sounds familiar, it's because it was Ford who forced former GM Matt Millen to select Harrington when even Millen didn't want to. If Millen doesn't want to pick you, that's bad.

Lions need to upgrade 'D'

BY MIKE ECKERT

Variety may be the spice of life, but if the Detroit Lions are smart, their future will involve a whole lot of curry.

Aaron Curry, that is.

After an 0-16 campaign and the first off-season of the post-Matt Millen era, the Lions need a sure thing with the No. 1 overall pick in Saturday's draft. That would be Curry, a 6-foot-2, 254 pound linebacker from Wake Forest.

Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford -- Detroit's rumored pick Saturday -- is a huge risk. He could be John Elway. He could be Joey Harrington. He could be something in between. The Lions can't afford to gamble on what he will eventually be.

Whoever drafts Curry will instantly improve their defense and get a playmaker for the next 10 years.

Tell me Detroit doesn't need help on defense. Last year, the Lions gave up 404.4 yards and 32.3 points each week. Both were league worsts.

Curry won't instantly turn Detroit into a top 10 defense, but he certainly would be a big step in the right direction.

Stafford is a development project years in the making. And he may never pan out.

It may be bland, but I'd take the sure thing.