Now I think all of us realize that the most likely scenario here is that Bob Quinn is just using the idea of considering a quarterback as a ruse. It’s all part of the general manager game. Don’t tip your hand and leave open possibilities that could cause another team to make an offer you can’t refuse.
It’s the standard general manager poker face shuffle.
But what if wasn’t just some ruse? What if the Detroit Lions decided to double down on quarterbacks, despite telling everyone who would listen that they believe in Matthew Stafford. What if the Lions selected Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray?
Now let me premise this by saying that Murray’s decision to forgo baseball and completely dedicate himself to football makes it a much higher possibility that he could actually be off the board by the time the Lions are on the clock.
Yet with that being said, Murray is the name on the lips of most Lions fans when they think about Detroit selecting a quarterback.
So even though it is most likely an improbability that Murray will be available or that the Lions will even select a quarterback, let’s indulge ourselves a little bit to see how such a scenario would play out.
We need to first and foremost realize that this either means the Lions would trade Stafford, which is a possibility, but not as easy a task as it would be after next season or groom Murray behind Stafford.
Murray was an electric duel threat at Oklahoma that could feature in the Lions offense much like Russell Wilson starred in new offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell’s offense in Seattle.
Murray’s mobility would be an asset to the Lions offense and create problems for opposing defenses. He would be able to contribute to the ground game and the array of play-action rollouts and run/pass options Bevell would be able to draw up for him would diversify the offense even more.
In other words, Murray’s athleticism would be intriguing and certainly help open up offensive possibilities for the Lions. But along with the pros, there are also cons.