Did Detroit Lions general manager Bob Quinn tip his hand?
By Robert Jones
With the NFL draft less than a week away, did Bob Quinn’s press conference give away what he might do with the Detroit Lions’ first pick?
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell technically won’t officially open the draft until Thursday evening, but the truth of the matter is that the Arizona Cardinals are on the clock right now and every team behind them, including the Detroit Lions at pick number eight, are preparing for their own opportunity to make a selection.
That’s right the mock drafts have been fast and furious and everyone has an opinion about what general manager Bob Quinn and the Lions will do with their pick.
And almost all the speculation is just that; speculation. Bob Quinn and his long-time friend and now head coach Matt Patricia both believe in the ‘cone 0f silence’ treatment for everything from what flavor of Gatorade they’ll supply to their players to injury reports.
But this especially holds true to the draft.
Silence is golden because it could allow them to get the player they covet. If you believe what they had to say last April after selecting Frank Ragnow with their top pick, they credited Ragnow falling into their lap because of the tight lip policy they employed.
Rumors had it afterward that the Cincinnati Bengals along with one or two other teams were plotting to see if they could get Ragnow, but didn’t see the Lions as a threat to pick the former Arkansas Razorback.
Then, Voila, the Lions sent the Bengals back to their draft boards unhappy as they secured Ragnow’s much-needed services for their offensive line.
Now here we are again one year later and the Lions are hoping to parlay their poker face into another player they covet and believe will be a big contributor for years to come.
This time the stakes are higher since they have the eighth overall pick and a chance to get a possible impact player. Yet after Bob Quinn’s press conference on Thursday, one has to wonder if he may have tipped his hand a little?