There are a few understood rules of drafts which I know generally apply to to the NFL, as well as the NBA (don’t know about other sports leagues). These rules are most applicable when referring to teams who are in dire straits as a franchise. Those unspoken rules are:
- Draft the best available talent.
- Don’t let a potential great talent stay on the board by trying to fill a need.
- Draft a guy who the fans and the media will deem acceptable to be the face of the franchise.
Matthew Stafford is smiling all the way to the bank. Will the Lions regret it??
I certainly understand the logic behind these rules – such rules are affectionately referred to in corporate America as C.Y.A. (anyone with a job can probably figure out what that acronym stands for). Any GM with a franchise in disarray continual faces this kind of pressure. In the NFL, that franchise in the Detroit Lions – year in and year out.
But the NFL is much different than, say, the NBA. While drafting a LeBron James can instantly turn your team around, drafting Matthew Stafford cannot. The NBA is a game ruled by individual talent, while the NFL by nature is the more consumate team game.
So, why do franchises have to be so politically correct? There’s no way that a Stafford pick would help the Lions more than 2-4 good picks - both for the present and the future. And on top of that, there’s this aura of losing that permeates every part of the Detroit organization. Why not attack that aura by brining multiple fresh talents? The probability of reversing the losing culture would certainly be greater than putting everything on the shoulders of one guy.
I think there needs to be a shift in the NFL drafting approach – particularly for teams like the Lions – who seem to find themsleves in this same situation each year. What do you all think??
T Lamont is the owner, administrator and author of all content for Ball or Nuthin\'. Feel free to contact T Lamont with a question or comment at ballornuthin@gmail.com. All created Ball or Nuthin' content is the sole property of T Lamont. Read more from this authorTags: LeBron James, Lions, Matthew Stafford, NFL Draft
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I understand your logic, but the percentages probably are not in your favor. I think it depends on the talent of the possible franchise player. Although the Steelers are known as the “Steel Curtain”, would they have been in the same predicament without drafting BIG Ben? or the Vikings without their star running back Adrian Peterson? Or the lions without Barry Sanders? I think “OJ” carried the Bills. Lastly, what happened to the Patriots when Tom Brady suddenly went down early in the season last year and what would happen if Payton Manning gets crushed. Albeit it’s difficult for one player to change an organization; however, one GREAT player in hindsight such as Franco Harris, Joe Montana, or a Jim Brown can ignite teams, players, and franchises all by themselves…
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I understand your logic, but the percentages probably are not in your favor. I think it depends on the talent of the possible franchise player. Although the Steelers are known as the “Steel Curtain”, would they have been in the same predicament without drafting BIG Ben? or the Vikings without their star running back Adrian Peterson? Or the lions without Barry Sanders? I think “OJ” carried the Bills. Lastly, what happened to the Patriots when Tom Brady suddenly went down early in the season last year and what would happen if Payton Manning gets crushed. Albeit it’s difficult for one player to change an organization; however, one GREAT player in hindsight such as Franco Harris, Joe Montana, or a Jim Brown can ignite teams, players, and franchises all by themselves…
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