Detroit Lions: Best case, worst case for three key positions

Position 3: Wide Receiver

We already know about Golden Tate and Marvin Jones, so this could really be summed up for one player. The key here is third round pick Kenny Golladay.

Best Case: Golladay is the real deal

Golladay is everything he’s been advertised to be in training camp.  He’s been regularly destroying the Lions’ secondary in practice. This preseason excellence carries over to the regular season, giving Stafford a reliable deep threat.

Golladay takes the top off of defenses and opens things up for the smaller guys underneath. Short passes to guys who can make plays takes pressure off of the O-line, and the offense plows ahead along. The Lions win several games comfortably, and move into the Wildcard round of the playoffs.

Worst Case: Lions fans witness another receiver implosion

Having suffered through Mike Williams and Charles Rogers, Lion fans know about big receivers who end up failing. If Golladay isn’t good enough to play, teams will load up against the short stuff, and the offense sputters.

Trailing late in games, the Lions will be forced to throw the ball downfield and defenses will blitz.  Eventually, Stafford goes down and we are left with… gulp… Jake Rudock. We don’t have to speculate what happens then—a Top 3 pick.

Next: Detroit Lions fans, let’s play “Would you rather?”

This Detroit Lions team may not be ready to compete for a Super Bowl, but if some of their transactions play out, they could be one step closer. If all of these factors go towards the positive end, then the Motor City could actually contend. Here’s hoping that things go the Lions’ way for once!