After announcing that the team was moving on from general manager Bob Quinn and head coach Matt Patricia, Detroit Lions ownership made it clear that they would leave no stone unturned in their search for replacements. Up to this point, that promise has come true as it seems like the Lions are considering just about everybody for their GM opening.
Now, I give the Lions credit for trying to be thorough in their search, but to be honest, when talking about GM candidates, there are really only two that I would be completely satisfied with the team hiring.
Those two candidates are 1) Rick Smith and 1a) Thomas Dimitroff.
I want to be very clear about something. If I am the Detroit Lions I placing a huge amount of value on two things. 1) Experience and 2) Success in building a team from the ground up.
In my opinion, Smith and Dimitroff both have those qualities and that is why they are my top 2 candidates for the Lions GM opening.
Rick Smith
Rick Smith was previously the general manager of the Houston Texans from 2006-2017, where he was responsible for building the Texans from nothing into a contender. In fact, with Smith at the helm, the Texans won four division titles before he stepped down from the job to take care of his wife, who had breast cancer before passing away in January of 2019.
Though no general manager is perfect when it comes to the NFL Draft, Smith has a solid track record of hitting on early picks, something former Lions GM Bob Quinn could not seem to figure out.
If the Lions eventually announce they are hiring Smith to be their next GM, everybody should be extremely excited.
Thomas Dimitroff
Though you probably did not realize it (I only did because I worked for the team at the time), Thomas Dimitroff actually worked for the Detroit Lions in the past as he was an area scout for the team in the mid-90s.
Following his time with the Lions, Dimitroff continued to deal with scouting with the Cleveland Browns and New England Patriots before being hired by the Atlanta Falcons to be their general manager.
During his time in Atlanta (2008-2020), Dimitroff established himself as one of the best GMs in football as he built the Falcons into a Super Bowl team. But, all good things must come to an end and Dimitroff was eventually fired following an 0-5 start in 2020.
When it comes to GM candidates, Dimitroff would be my second choice, just behind Rick Smith.
Â
Â
