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The Detroit Lions decided to address their secondary in the first round of the NFL Draft on Thursday, taking Ohio State cornerback Jeff Okudah with the third overall pick.
The selection did not come as much of a surprise, as everyone knew the Lions needed help in their defensive backfield (especially after trading Darius Slay last month).
But there were some who felt that Detroit should actually take one of the top quarterbacks—so either Tua Tagovailoa or Justin Herbert—to succeed Matthew Stafford.
Did the Lions make the right move by going in a different direction?
The answer is yes. For now.
Stafford is actually a pretty underrated quarterback.
No, he isn't an All-Pro, but he has been a very reliable signal-caller for Detroit since being drafted in 2009. As a matter of fact, this past season, Stafford was on track to have an MVP-caliber campaign before a back injury prematurely ended his season.
In eight games, Stafford had thrown for 2,499 yards, 19 touchdowns and five interceptions. Pace is generally a silly thing to bring up, but just for the sake of argument, if Stafford didn't get hurt, he would have been on pace to lead the NFL with 38 touchdown passes.
He is also just 32 years old and had not previously missed a game since 2010, so it's not like Stafford is clearly on the downside of his career.
Let's say the Lions would have taken Tagovailoa or Herbert. Then what? Does the incoming quarterback just ride the bench for a few years? Or does Detroit trade a perfectly capable quarterback in Stafford?
I understand the former has worked in the past (e.g. Aaron Rodgers), but mostly, it's a waste of time. As for the latter? Why trade Stafford now? He has a few years left in the tank, at least, and he has some nice weapons at his disposal. Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones comprise a terrific one-two punch at wide receiver, and T.J. Hockenson is an up and coming tight end.
And remember: the Lions were largely competitive over the first half of last season until Stafford went down. This isn't a terrible football team, and certainly not one in dire need of a change under center.
Detroit was right to focus on one of its problem areas, taking the best cornerback in the draft in Okudah. The Lions' secondary got burnt in 2019 even with Slay, so going with a corner early seemed like a must.
Now, the Lions will have a cornerback tandem of Okudah and the recently-signed Desmond Trufant, which is hardly shabby.
Not only that, but Detroit plays in an NFC North division in which it can realistically finish in second place. While the Green Bay Packers are still obviously the cream of the crop, the Minnesota Vikings may take a step backward after trading Stefon Diggs, and the Chicago Bears will still have a lot of issues offensively.
The time for the Lions to switch quarterbacks has not yet come. Stafford can still get the job done and then some, and Detroit has the potential to be a decent team in 2020.
The Lions made the right move here.
