What Will Detroit Do in the First Round of the Draft? 

The two burning questions on Detroit’s mind come April 28th will be, do we draft someone to protect Matthew Stafford or draft someone to improve the secondary? I have to go with the former on this one simply because the Lions cannot afford for their franchise quarterback to get hurt anymore.

There’s a reason the Lions drafted Stafford No. 1 overall. They felt he could turn their franchise around and win games. However, he can’t do that if he doesn’t play. Drafting a big strong offensive lineman to help protect the franchise quarterback should be priority No. 1 for Detroit.  

Todd McShay is living in a fantasy world if he thinks Prince Amukamara will fall all the way to the 13th overall pick. That would be a dream come true for Detroit, but it isn’t going to happen. Too many teams ahead of the Lions need help in the secondary.

Rob Rang of CBSSports got it right when he said the Lions would draft Tyron Smith from USC. The Trojan lineman wowed everyone when he showed up at the combine weighing over 300 pounds. Smith’s college playing weight was 285 and everyone was concerned how he would handle the toughness of the NFL. He proved he could gain the weight and his draft status skyrocketed. So much so that some people, like McShay, believe he is now a top 10 pick. 

I still believe the Lions best option is Nate Solder of Colorado. He’s near 6’9″ 319 pounds and has good mobility for his size. Solder had one of the best 10-yard splits of all the lineman at the combine. That measures how quickly you get going in the 40-yard-dash, which is very important for lineman since they’re not sprinting down field. Offensive lineman have to get quickly moving to stop opposing defenders from getting their quarterback. Solder has the quickness for the NFL.

Whatever the Lions do I’m sure it will be the right decision and the best available player. Detroit is on the rise and with a few more additions to the team they could turn a lot of heads in the NFC North. They just need to make sure their franchise quarterback stays off the ground.