Hypothetical Situation

[Partial]

If you were the Lions GM picking #1 knowing its a long rebuilding process and you're a horrendous team, who would you have chosen and why.

I'm going to ponder this tonight and make a post about it tomorrow.

[mission]

I thought this situation actually happened.




Oh, *I'm* the GM ...

BJ Raji.





Championship!

[boiga]

That's simple enough. You trade out of #1 and overstock on mid round picks to start the gradual process of completely overhauling your roster. You live with slow improvement while building up the trenches.

Then, once you have an O-line worthy of protecting him and a defense that can put him back on the field, you draft an early round QB.

Stafford's screwed once they kick Daunte out around game 5.

[BallHawk]

That's simple enough. You trade out of #1 and overstock on mid round picks to start the gradual process of completely overhauling your roster. You live with slow improvement while building up the trenches.

Easier said than done. With the money teams have to give to #1 overall picks these days unless the player is once in a decade than it's not worth the money any team would have to pay. Alex Smith, anyone? Add in the picks that would have to be traded and it ends up being way too much of a hassle for any GM.

If I was the GM I'd take Crabtree just so I could screw the the minds of Lions fans already too familiar with drafting WRs.

[Maxie the Taxi]

Re: Hypothetical Situation

If you were the Lions GM picking #1 knowing its a long rebuilding process and you're a horrendous team, who would you have chosen and why.

Easy. I'd chose another GM and then resign. Reasons should be obvious.

[mraynrand]

Re: Hypothetical Situation

If you were the Lions GM picking #1 knowing its a long rebuilding process and you're a horrendous team, who would you have chosen and why.

Easy. I'd chose another GM and then resign. Reasons should be obvious.

And the winner is..Maxi the Taxi!

[sheepshead]

OMG--haven't we had enough of this?

[RashanGary]

The amount of money that guy gets, it's a no win. Maybe, just maybe you hit a HOFer and you pay him like one from day one and it all works out. I'd say most of the time the first pick, even if he's really good, never lives up to his top 10 NFL paycheck.

[Partial]

You guys suck balls for the most part. It's a hypothetical situation and you have to make a choice. No trading down and no worrying about money.

With that said, I have it narrowed down to Curry, Crabtree, Stafford, Smith and Smith. Really tough call imo as I'm not super high on Stafford.

[KYPack]

Sometimes they are worth it, other years no way.

This year, I would have traded down, but I got the idea nobody would do that for the Lions.

I'll take a stab at rating 'em since '97, when the 1 pick got big money:

Year Player Position School Team Years Played Pro Bowls
2008 Jake Long OT Michigan Miami Dolphins 1 1 (Too early to tell)
2007 JaMarcus Russell QB LSU Oakland Raiders 2 0 (Early but I say NFW)
2006 Mario Williams DE N. Carolina State Houston Texans 3 1 (qualified yes)
2005 Alex Smith QB Utah San Francisco 49ers 4 0 (NFFFFW)
2004 Eli Manning QB Mississippi San Diego Chargers 5 1 (SB says yes)
2003 Carson Palmer QB Southern Cal. Cincinnati Bengals 6 2 (Yes)
2002 David Carr QB Fresno State Houston Texans 7 0 (NFFFFW)
2001 Michael Vick QB Virginia Tech Atlanta Falcons 6 3 (Yes you may kill me now)
2000 Courtney Brown DE Penn State Cleveland Browns 7 0 (NFFFFW)
1999 Tim Couch QB Kentucky Cleveland Browns 6 0 (NFFFFW)
1998 Peyton Manning QB Tennessee Indianapolis Colts 11 9 (Hell yes)
1997 Orlando Pace OT Ohio State St. Louis Rams 12 7 (yes)

12 years 6 yeses, 5 no's and one embryo. Long probably is a yes, so 7-5. I think you have to take the shot, but some years trade down if you can. The money is out of whack, that is one constant.

[Gunakor]

Re: Hypothetical Situation

If you were the Lions GM picking #1 knowing its a long rebuilding process and you're a horrendous team, who would you have chosen and why.

I'm going to ponder this tonight and make a post about it tomorrow.

Aaron Curry, for two reasons.

One, drafting curry to play middle linebacker would make that LB corps one of the scariest in the NFL. Curry in the middle, flanked on one side by Julian Peterson, and the other by Ernie Sims. That's way, way better than average.

Two, the crop of QB's in this year's draft class is nothing - absolutely nothing - compared to next year's draft class. If you have all those picks, try to move a couple of them from this years class and pick up an additional first rounder in next draft, where the top of the draft has far better QB's. Start Culpepper this season, then get Tebow or McCoy in next years draft, both far better QB's than Stafford IMO.

[Fritz]

No one wanted that #1 pick. No one. Too much money.

I'd have drafted Curry, then started drafting down to pick up extra picks. I think Delmas was good, but outside of that I would've gone after a couple of offensive tackles, a couple of defensive linemen, and maybe taken some fliers late with skill positions - corners and such.

Build from the inside out, then next year look for your QB. Draft him, and sit his rookie butt on the pine for at least one year. No less. Then when he does play in year two, he's got some talent around him.

[Joemailman]

Darrius Heyward-Bey, just to see what Al Davis would do.

[Bretsky]

Anybody see Matt Ryan last year ?

If you think the QB is special go with the QB. Because next year one might not be there when you are picking

If you are not fone of him; I'd agree with the Curry Pick

[Tyrone Bigguns]

Anybody see Matt Ryan last year ?

If you think the QB is special go with the QB. Because next year one might not be there when you are picking

If you are not fone of him; I'd agree with the Curry Pick

Yes i did..and a poor comparison tween the Lions and the falcons.

There are always QBs available..free agent, trade, draft....the only question is the price to be paid.

As for Ty...i would call Millen on the phone during the draft...let him tell me who he would pick...then, do the exact opposite. Foolproof.