But is the problem in the best player available philosophy or is it something else?

Nick Fairley was a best player available pick in the 2011 draft. Photo Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports

It is easy to rag on BPA when it doesn’t work. Those examples are obvious and easy to second-guess. But what about the picks that weren’t made that should have been based on best player available? Since draft boards aren’t public information it is often impossible to evaluate the approach on that basis. Unless of course someone on the inside reveals that kind of information, and that is exactly what happened in regards to the Dallas Cowboys and LeSean McCoy. Consider this from a former Cowboys scout via NFL.com:

“If you go back to the 2009 draft, they sat there and they had LeSean McCoy with a first-round grade,” Broaddus said during a radio interview on KRLD-FM 105.3, via The Dallas Morning News. “The problem was, they weren’t willing to take LeSean McCoy. That’s the issue. Don’t window-dress your board. They’re sitting there in the second round and they’ve got LeSean McCoy with a first-round grade on their board. That’s value. They did it (got it right) with Sean Lee, they did it with Bruce Carter. They sat there, they took the guy that was on the board that they were supposed to take.

“Mistakes are made when you jump around on the board. Jerry (Jones has) done it a couple of different times. The Quincy Carter draft, we had Kendrell Bell there, first-round grade, ends up going the second round; goes right behind us to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Ends up being AFC Defensive Rookie of the Year. And then we take Quincy Carter. That was a forced pick right there. You had a guy there you had a better grade on, you probably could have got Quincy Carter later in the draft. That’s where you get in trouble leapfrogging around.”

Running back wasn’t a need for the Cowboys in 2009. Marion Barber III had just signed a long-term deal and the Cowboys had used their 2008 first round pick on Felix Jones then added Tashard Choice in the fourth round. However, needs are just an immediate snapshot in time and highly subject to change as they did with the Cowboys’ running back situation.

Instead of selecting McCoy, which should have been a no-brainer based on their draft board, the Cowboys traded the pick to the Buffalo Bills (who drafted Andy Levitre, more salt in wound) for picks in the third (Robert Brewster) and fourth round (Victor Butler). There is no question the Dallas Cowboys would be a better team today had they stuck with their board and drafted LeSean McCoy.

Don’t get me wrong, this doesn’t mean the Lions have done everything right in the drafts since Martin Mayhew took over. It does mean that the underlying philosophy is more sound than fans give it credit for and that the Lions need to do a better job of evaluating prospects to set up their big board.

The good news is that the Lions are taking steps to correct their deficiencies in the evaluation process with the hiring of Brian Xanders, who has been charged with implementing an in-house scouting system. The better the draft board, the better best player available works.

April 20 2011; Englewood, CO, USA; Denver Broncos general manager Brian Xanders speaks to the media during a pre draft press conference at Broncos headquarters. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

The front office was throughly embarrassed by the performance on the field last year. In the beginning, the team lacked talent; in the end, it’s lack of character reared it’s ugly head for the whole league to see. They knew they had to pretty much start from scratch, and the first thing they did was hire the X-man, Brian Xanders, as Senior Personnel Executive. I applaud the Fords for hiring him for two reasons: first, I like the fact that they weren’t afraid to rattle Mayhew’s cage a little in hiring his possible replacement. The second is that Xanders will bring the Lions into the new age of scouting.

The first thing Xanders will do is develop an internal system to organize the Lions pro and college scouting data. The latest trend sweeping the NFL is in-house scouting. According to Mayhew, the Lions have outsourced these scouting systems, through various companies, the entire 12 years he’s been with the Lions. Xanders did a good job in Denver and was only ousted when his boss, Denver icon John Elway, decided that he had learned enough from Xanders and was ready to call the shots himself. Xanders has excellent qualifications, and another set of eyes to do the evaluations can only be a good thing.

Maybe Xanders is already having an effect on the way the Lions do business. With unusual swiftness, they got rid of nut-job Titus Young Sr. Publicly stating that you’re better than Megatron is the surest way to prove that you’re mentally unfit to play in this league. They cut dead weight Stephen Peterman and Kyle Vanden Bosch the second day they were able to move on. Judging from the comments last week, it’s just a matter of time before Dominic Raiola gets his walking papers. This is music to my ears, because I’ve felt that Peterman and Raiola were the main reasons the Lions couldn’t run the ball recently.

I also like the fact that instead of running to Cliff Avril with a contract matching last year’s three-year, 30 million dollar offer (that he turned down), they’re going to let him find out for himself that he may only get $7-8 million a year at best. That’s a figure that the Lions can live with, because they will need to sign him in the worst way. Mayhew will have to play his hand shrewdly because they can’t let him go and then get stuck needing two defensive ends. They would have to draft one with the fifth overall pick in April if that happens. If they keep Avril, then they have the flexibility to look at other positions in this year’s first round and get a DE in the later rounds or free agency.

It’s complicated like a chess game, but that’s what makes the NFL’s offseason so interesting.

July 27, 2012; Allen Park, MI, USA; Detroit Lions head coach Jim Schwartz speaks with the media after training camp at the Detroit Lions training facility. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports

In the spirit of Inauguration Day and the fact that the Fords are loathe to fire anyone who is still under contract, lets presume that Martin Mayhew and Jim Schwartz are being inaugurated for another four years at the helm of the Detroit Lions.

That really isn’t much of a stretch of the imagination. For one, the Fords keep everybody around too long and are the last ones to know that somebody needs a change of address. Of the ten teams that had the worst records last year, the Lions are the only franchise of the ten to NOT replace a General Manager, a Head Coach or a Coordinator. It stands to reason that the Fords are not going to make any changes anytime soon.

The vision comes into one’s mind with ease…

Outside of the Lions complex stands a podium with Martin Mayhew standing on one side, and Bill Ford Jr. standing on the other side. With the Lion faithful of 13 strong, braving the cold weather as witnesses, Mayhew places his hands on the Lions playbook and takes his oath:

“I, Martin Mayhew, take this oath to run the Lions to the best of my ability. I swear to not take huge risks on high draft choices, be it a physical or mental problem. I swear to do my due diligence on low round draft picks, so they can contribute in their rookie seasons. I will take a hard look at my roster, and cut some guys that I play poker with. I will personally visit every draft choice at home to see if he has any skeletons in his closet. I will hire a chauffeur service to see that my guys get home safely. I will not draft players with fake girlfriends, no matter how much sense it makes in the second or third round. Finally, I will not draft an offensive player, (even if he is greased lightning from Ann Arbor) in the first three rounds. That is my solemn promise as General Manager of the Detroit Lions. Thank you.”

The crowd claps as Mayhew leaves and Schwartz replaces him to take his oath.

“I, Jim Schwartz, take this oath to run the Lions to the best of my ability. I swear not to chase down any more coaches after the game, no matter how rude they are to me. I will make sure that my center will know the plays in overtime from now on. I will not tolerate any more false starts from my offensive lineman, or they will be banished to the end of the food line. No more quiet time when a player breaks the rules. That player will soon understand the meaning of discipline when he has to write something on the chalk board a hundred times. I will say something of substance at least once a press conference, from now on. I will try to let some of my natural personality come through from now on, instead of acting like it’s not even close that it’s so obvious I’m the smartest guy in the room. That is my solemn promise as Head Coach of the Detroit Lions. Thank you.”

The crowd disperses, but not before someone in the crowd yells “Please, for the love of God, just win a playoff game!”