The 2018 NFL Draft is finally upon us and for Detroit Lions fans, it is a time of hope for the future. Though the Lions have had more draft busts than draft bursts over the years, there is always the belief that THIS will finally be the year the team finally adds multiple players who end up leading the team to a Super Bowl.
That being said, Lions GM Bob Quinn has made it clear time and time again that he is a fan of taking the “best player available meshing with kind of what your needs are on your team.”
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Personally, I do not mind Quinn's draft philosophy at all IF the team already has a rock-solid foundation without a plethora of needs. As far as this Lions team goes, that is not the case at all. There are needs on both sides of the ball which absolutely must be addressed if the team expects to truly contend for a Super Bowl.
Here are five positions the Quinn should ignore drafting in the first two rounds, even if the “best player” on the board happens to play one of those positions.
*Note: If you have read my work, I have made it very clear that I do not believe running back is as big a need as most seem to believe. BUT… If a running back the team loves drops to Round 2 and Quinn snags him, I would not be completely heartbroken. That is why I decided to hold the RB position off of the list.
Quarterback
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This one is pretty obvious when it comes to avoiding positions in the first two rounds of the 2018 NFL Draft but I will take it one step further. It would be a mistake for Quinn and the Lions to select a quarterback AT ALL in the 2018 NFL Draft. Matthew Stafford will clearly be around for a while but that is besides the point. In terms of Stafford's backup, Jake Rudock and the newly acquired Matt Cassell will go toe-to-toe during training camp to see who will earn the job. Quinn has said in the past that he likes to select a quarterback in just about every draft but in a year where the team only has six picks (currently) it would be wise to wait until 2019.
Wide Receiver
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With Golden Tate, Marvin Jones, and Kenny Golladay already on the roster along with TJ Jones as a No. 4, the Lions are currently set at the wide receiver position. As far as the 2018 campaign goes, this position, along with quarterback, may be the least of the Lions worries moving forward (other than kicker and punter). That being said, Tate is heading into the final year of his contract and he will likely demand a hefty deal to stick around in the Motor City beyond this season. If the Lions are going to draft a wide receiver, it will likely be a year from now.
Tight End
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With former first round pick Eric Ebron being released (dumb move by Quinn), there is a solid chance the Lions use one of their six draft picks to bring in a tight end, but selecting one in the first two rounds would not be the right move. There is no question in my mind that tight end should now be considered a position the Lions need to upgrade but there are certainly bigger needs to address in the early rounds. If you happened to read my “Detroit Lions Perfect 2018 NFL Draft: This one counts,” you noticed I have the team staying local and drafting TE Tyler Conklin out of Central Michigan University in the 5th round. That, in my eyes, would be a solid spot to draft a tight end.
Cornerback
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I have made it clear that other than Darius Slay, I am not a HUGE believer in the Lions cornerback situation and selecting one in the 2018 NFL Draft is crucial. But, with the needs the Lions have, I believe they should wait until Round 3 to get their guy rather than getting one of the top dogs who will be available in the first two rounds. The NFL Draft is a crazy thing and players drop each and every year. One of those players who could drop a round, because of his size, is CB Donte Jackson out of LSU. If Quinn is patient and can snag Jackson in Round 3, Lions fans should be all smiles.
Linebacker
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Similar to the cornerback position, I am not exactly thrilled with the linebacker situation in Detroit. Other than second-year MLB Jarrad Davis, who really has to take a big step forward this season, the Lions really have nothing to call home about when it comes to linebackers. The hope is that newly signed LBs Christian Jones and Devon Kennard can play well enough on the outside to take some pressure off of Davis but only time will tell. The ideal situation for the Lions, as far as the NFL Draft goes, would be to address some bigger needs like defensive line and offensive line in the opening two rounds and then take a flyer on a guy like LB Mike McCray out of Michigan in Round 7.
