Bob Quinn shouldn’t be making major decisions if he’s out in 2021
By Jon Poole
Questionable Mandate-Esque Moves Thus Far
The questionable mandate-esque moves Quinn’s already made start at this year’s draft. The Lions were in a rare position after only winning three games in 2019 and was granted a franchise-altering third-overall draft pick.
Instead of using the pick on a franchise-altering position, they drafted an effing cornerback. The first cornerback drafted that high in 23 years, for good reason.
Cornerbacks don’t single-handily affect the game as much as other positions of higher value. And offenses can easily scheme around them and pretty much take them out of the game.
Without getting too much into positional value and the draft value chart, after pick No. 3 the drop-off in value halts from 400 within the first three picks to only 100 per pick after that. Proving there is a perceived tier of value within the first three picks.
- Pick 1 = 3000
- Pick 2 = 2600
- Pick 3 = 2200
- Pick 4 = 1800
- Pick 5 = 1700
The more valuable top-three picks are generally reserved for the three most valuable positions in football as they have the greatest impact on the game.
- QB’s
- those who rush the QB
- those who protect the QB
But Quinn really needed a cornerback after trading CB1 Darius Slay and losing CB2 Rashaan Melvin to free agency. Passing up the rare opportunity to draft an early first-round graded QB like Tua Tagovailoa or Justin Herbert.
The picks after Detroit’s selection went:
- (4th) OT, Andrew Thomas
- (5th) QB, Tua Tagovailoa
- (6th) QB, Justin Herbert
- (7th) DT, Derrick Brown
Tagovailoa was one of the most coveted QB prospects in the last 20 years and the early returns in Herbert are terrific (102.2 QB Rating). Whether you’re a Stafford fan or not, there is no way you can pass up that value.
You can also point to win-now moves like signing Chase Daniel to be one of the highest-paid back-ups in the league, coming in with the 35th biggest contract for QBs. Just to maybe win a game or two if Stafford goes down when we all know if Stafford goes down the real goals for the 2020 season is over.
Daniel’s $2 million cap this season could have been spent better literally anywhere on the defensive side of the ball. Oh, and of course, it was a back-loaded cap contract as next season (when Quinn is likely gone) the cap jumps to $5.3 million.