Fairly ranking Matthew Stafford and a decade of No. 1 picks

Other writers have had their say, but where does Matthew Stafford rank among the last ten #1 overall draft picks? We’ll take the question to the Den.

Being from Detroit is a funny thing. People from outside love to hate the Motor City. Residents of other cities use Detroit as a punchline. Detroit Lions players have this haze over them as well.

I read an article that ranked the last ten number one overall draft picks; it was woefully biased against Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford. The One Pride nation was there to take up his cause, though. So, I am here to set the record straight. The better, fairer ranking of the last ten #1’s.

The Controversial Draftwire article

Luke Easterling, Editor and Writer for USA Today’s Draftwire, decided to share his opinion on the topic on June18th.  Let me state that it is fine for a writer to have an opinion that I don’t agree with.

I think what set Lions fans off was his rationale and the perception that his Detroit-ness played a big role in his low grade.

Here is Easterling’s explanation of his number six ranking:

"” … while the individual numbers have been impressive, Stafford’s gaudy box scores have led to much more fantasy success than winning reality for Lions fans,” wrote Easterling for USA Today. ” … He and Calvin Johnson won plenty of titles for armchair team-builders, but the Lions are still looking for true success under Stafford’s watch.”"

Before I evaluate his analysis, though, it is worth noting who was ranked behind him: Sam Bradford, Eric Fisher, Jake Long, and 2017 rookie Myles Garrett. In other words, Stafford got the lowest rank of any player who hasn’t been perennially-injured, a poor choice, or not produced anything, yet. High praise, indeed.

Fallout from Stafford fans

So many Lions fans called Mr. Easterling out that he tweeted the following: