1. Detroit Lions

04/15/09- Matthew Stafford QB. This is not an easy pick. A big part of me wants to give an LT, either Smith or Monroe, to the Lions. As critical as the QB spot is, the LT position is right behind QB in terms of importance to success. Moreover, I believe that both Smith and Monroe represent better value and potential for their position than Stafford does. What this decision comes down to, in my opinion, is the incumbent Lions’ player at these spots. The Lions’ current LT, Jeff Backus, is not a slouch; in fact, he appears to be the consensus best player on the O-line. True, if the Lions picked up a shiny new LT in the draft, it is possible that they could move Backus to guard, but this would seem to dilute Backus’ value to the team. Contrast this with having Culpepper at QB. Yeah, Culpepper was great at one time, but he sure didn’t look like Detroit’s future QB last season. Truthfully, he hasn’t looked very promising for the last several seasons. I’m betting that the Lions decide their best move is to let Culpepper keep the seat warm for a year or two until Stafford is ready. Plus, there’s the probability that the new regime would like to put as much distance between itself and the 0-16 old one, and this would seem to favor the QB spot. It might seem crazy to (essentially) draft for need with the first overall pick, but we’re talking about convergence of need with the most important position on the team. In the end I think these considerations will carry the day for Stafford.