Should the Detroit Lions draft an offensive lineman in round one?

Why Round One

Firstly, there is no other statistic in which the Detroit Lions have been that bad, for that long. Infamously, it has been since Thanksgiving of 2013 since the Lions had a running back reach the 100 yard mark in a single game; which also correlates to the last year a runner reached the 1,000 yard mark for a single season. Reggie Bush attained both measures that year.

Secondly, the pass rush, which was also poor last year, and has been for the past few years, as well, still was ranked twentieth in sacks.

Arguably, the defensive line has been among the more neglected units on the roster. However, the production has still been middle of the league.

Thirdly, where is the team’s spending greatest? They’re spending the most on their quarterback, Matt Stafford, and the weapons around him. It makes no sense to not protect that investment, both literally and figuratively.

The franchise is only going as far as Stafford can take them, in whatever shape he’s in by playoff time. The last two years, he’s gotten to playoff time very beaten up or hurt.

Line pressure

The Lions surrendered 47 sacks to their opponents, only a fraction were quarterback error; that ranked seventh worst in the NFL, on top of the dead last rushing game.

Fourth, the Lions pick comes at a point in the draft where there are some good prospects, but no sure things. In other words, you may have to pick someone there who could go at any point between pick fifteen and pick thirty-five.

That leaves the interpretation for who the best available talent is wide open. So, why not address the Achilles’s heel of the team?