| With the NFL Scouting Combine under way in Indianapolis and mock drafts beginning to trickle in, it's time to talk about the draft. The Lions are on the clock. NFL.com editors Adam Rank, Andy Nesbitt, Jim Reineking and Justin Hathaway are back this week to discuss Detroit's dilemma with the top overall pick in NFL.com's "Instant Debate," presented by Reebok. |
 Adam Rank (12:38:02 PM): The Lions, boy, they have needs, gentlemen. They haven't had a decent quarterback since Eric Hipple. What would you do with the first overall selection? |
 Justin Hathaway (12:42:05 PM): I would trade it. The Lions have so many holes, and if they end up believing Matthew Stafford isn't a franchise QB, why not deal and get more picks? They already have No. 20 overall and probably would only have to move down from No. 1 to No. 3 (Chiefs) or No. 10 (49ers) to acquire an additional first-round pick. |
 Andy Nesbitt (12:43:29 PM): This franchise needs a jump start, and after seeing the success Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco had this year, and how much they helped in turning around their respective franchises, it's clear the Lions need to go with a QB. Matthew Stafford, welcome to Detroit. |
| Adam Rank (12:44:23 PM): The NFL is a copycat league, but you can't expect a rookie coach/QB to reach the playoffs again. |
 Jim Reineking (12:46:54 PM): Unless something extremely profound transpires in the next few days at the combine, I don't see a bonafide No. 1 pick ... therefore, I don't think the Lions will be able to trade it away. |
| Justin Hathaway (12:47:08 PM): It doesn't hurt to trade for a deal, though. Draft picks fill holes, and the Lions have too many. They can't reach for a player at No. 1. |
| Jim Reineking (12:47:30 PM): It seems to me that the Lions can wait a year and get a true No. 1 QB when Sam Bradford, Colt McCoy and Tim Tebow are all in the draft. Maybe an anchor along the offensive line would be a better selection, somebody such as that big 6-4, 340-pound house from Alabama, Andre Smith. |
| Andy Nesbitt (12:47:36 PM): Somewhere Matt Millen is yelling "Take a WR! Take a WR!" Poor Michael Crabtree. |
| Adam Rank (12:48:27 PM): Crabtree could be the best player in the draft and agree to donate his salary to the big three automakers and the Lions still wouldn't take him. |
| Jim Reineking (12:48:29 PM): Could you imagine being in a fantasy league with Millen? Poor guy could never take a receiver without hearing it from his friends. |
| Justin Hathaway (12:49:07 PM): I think the Lions are OK on offense, except at QB. And as Adam points out, they aren't picking a wide receiver because of past history. Why not look at someone like Aaron Curry or B.J. Raji? Defensive difference-makers are needed badly in Detroit. |
| Jim Reineking (12:50:52 PM): They finished 0-16! First time ever ... you can look it up ... it's on NFL.com. They need help everywhere and at nearly every position group. This should be a best-player-available scenario. Stafford isn't that guy. |
| Adam Rank (12:51:04 PM): Where do you start, Jim? To me, you start on the lines. Smith, as you said, would be a great pick. Raji is a great option here, too. |
| Jim Reineking (12:52:55 PM): I agree ... rebuild from the inside out. Andre Smith is the smart pick here. |
| Justin Hathaway (12:53:36 PM): I like Smith, too, but the Lions already have invested big contracts in the O-line. That defense is so awful, it needs a playmaker. I like Aaron Curry here. |
| Jim Reineking (12:54:43 PM): As Justin pointed out, the Lions also own the No. 20 (earned from trading Roy Williams to the Cowboys). If we're talking about getting a new talent on defense, too, they could simply take the best defender on the board, regardless of position, with the No. 20 pick. |
| Justin Hathaway (12:55:06 PM): Why not take two defenders? Seriously, that defense needs that much help. |
| Jim Reineking (12:55:44 PM): True, true ... the Lions did rank last in the league in total defense. They were darn close to ranking last in total offense, too, checking in at No. 30. Maybe we split those two picks. |
| Adam Rank (12:56:56 AM): Lot of good ideas here, but you're on the clock right now. Make your pick. |
| Justin Hathaway (12:57:15 AM): I'm sticking to my guns. Try to trade the pick, and if you can't, take either Curry or Stafford No. 1. Personally, I'd take Curry. |
| Andy Nesbitt (12:57:34 AM): Stafford, because QBs win championships, not defenses. The last four Super Bowls have been won by quarterbacks taken in the first round, with Eli and Peyton being the first overall selections. |
| Jim Reineking (12:57:49 AM): The top tackles in the past two drafts -- Joe Thomas and Jake Long -- have combined for three Pro Bowl appearances. Unless Curry, or some other top-rated defender, blows everyone away in the next two months, the Lions have to go with Andre Smith. |
| Adam Rank (11:58:21 AM): I love the Smith idea. But Justin makes a good point about the Lions having invested in that area. So I'm going with B.J. Raji and hope he becomes the anchor of the defensive line for years to come. Now, our NFL.com readers have their own ideas, lets here them. |
