Should the Lions Trade Down? I'm Not SO Sure.

Constantly I am hearing or reading how the Lions should trade down to accumulate more picks in the 2010 NFL Draft.

If this was any normal year, I would say it would be a mistake. I know many think the Lions have too many glaring needs to fill and need bodies to fill them. More importantly however is that the Lions need real talent to fill those holes. On any normal draft, you cannot count on more than 2 or 3 players working out. More often than not, of those three, only one might become a truly good player. Far more often than not, players who are drafted turn out to be nothing more than average players in the NFL. Considering these points, usually it would be more important for the Lions to get the sure thing rather than more possibles. However, this is not the normal year.

With the CBA and no cap year coming next season, far more underclassmen are coming out of college. The field for the 2010 draft is much deeper than in years past and the 2011 draft will be much thinner because much of the best talent left early. With this in mind, it would be much better to trade the lesser talented 2011 picks to move up or gain more picks in the 2010 draft.
Holding the #2 overall pick in the draft, the Lions are in prime position to make such a trade. If the Rams, who pick first, were to draft one of the two top quarterbacks coming out, the other quarterback's value would skyrocket and make the Lions #2 pick that much more valuable to a team who wants a quarterback. There are also plenty of rumors that the Buccaneers would want to move up even though they draft right after the Lions. It is a pretty sure thing they want a defensive tackle. So if the Rams draft one of the two top defensive tackles, the Bucs might be willing to trade to move up to get the other.

There is still a question however, if the Lions should trade down. Even in this talent filed year. So many fans seem to believe that the Lions would be just as well off drafting a top safety or cornerback as they would drafting a top defensive tackle. This is a foolish thought process and one that sets the team up for failure. The Lions NEED a good defensive tackle more than any other position on the team right now. They need someone who can create some havoc at the line of scrimmage.

In 2009, the Lions defensive line put very little to no pressure at all on opposing quarterbacks. Far, far too often those QBs had five, six or seven seconds to find an open receiver. The fact is, the best cornerback in the NFL cannot keep even a decent to good receiver covered for that long consistently. When a quarterback has that long to get rid of the ball and is that comfortable in the pocket, he will find an open receiver. The worst quarterback in the NFL would look good if he has decent receivers and six seconds to throw the ball on every play.

If the Lions had the best defensive backs in the NFL next year, their passing defense will still be below par if they cannot find a way to place pressure on the quarterbacks. That is why it is so important for the Lions to get a top defensive back this off season. When a defense pressures a quarterback, they force him to get rid of the ball early. This ruins the timing between QBs and WRs. This keeps the receivers from finishing their routes correctly. This causes the quarterback to worry about where the pressure is coming from, making it harder for him to focus on his receivers.

There are reasons such sayings as "A team is built from the inside out" or "The game is won in the trenches" are such common quotes in the NFL. Because they are true!

The only way the Detroit Lions should trade away their 2nd overall pick in the 2010 draft, is if they can be sure to get a top player as well as still fill that defensive tackle position with a player who can get into the backfield. In this case, they would be better suited to stay where they are and draft McCoy or Suh. The defensive tackle is far more important for the Lions defense than any other position right now. It would be foolish to pass up one two players who are considered the best to come out in that position in many years.