Winning is more important than draft position for the Detroit Lions
By Robert Jones
The Detroit Lions’ big Week 15 win has dropped them to the second pick in next April’s draft. Was it worth it?
Last Sunday the Detroit Lions beat the Arizona Cardinals, one of the top teams in the NFC. As a matter of fact, they didn’t just beat the Cardinals, they dominated them.
It was like a dream come true for the Motown fan base. The lowly Lions, whose only victory this season was a last-second win over the Minnesota Vikings in Week 13, simply overmatched the Cardinals in every facet of the game.
Yet the victory was bittersweet for some. The cost of that big win over Arizona was the No. 1 pick in the 2022 draft. The Lions can reclaim the top pick before the season is out. But after that performance, maybe they still have another surprise within them.
One way or another, the odds now seem to be in favor of the Jacksonville Jaguars keeping the No. 1 pick in the draft and the Lions finishing with the second or even the third pick.
In a situation like the Lions are in, if they had the top pick it would give them a great opportunity to have their choice of blue chips prospects. The further down the draft order they slide, the fewer options they have. This concerns many fans who understand the Lions need as many blue-chippers as they can get.
But is it possible that getting a win as they did against the Cardinals will do more for their future than the first overall pick in the draft?
Was the win over Arizona worth it for the Detroit Lions?
We need to consider one of the biggest elements these Lions have always seemed to lack and have desperately needed: a winning culture.
How often have the fans complained about the need to build a winning culture? Getting top draft picks mean nothing if the culture isn’t right.
We should also realize that two of the Lions’ best draft picks over the last few decades were Barry Sanders and Calvin Johnson. Neither was the No. 1 pick in the draft. Also, neither joined a Lions team with a winning culture.
The Lions haven’t been a good team this year, but consider how well they played against the Cardinals. It should be pointed out that Arizona didn’t look ready to play at all, but the Lions still jumped on them early and didn’t let up.
Head coach Dan Campbell bristled at the notion it was a statement game. But if the Lions are a legitimate playoff contender in a couple years, it’s the type of game that can be pointed to as the turning point for the franchise. A game that cemented in the players’ minds what they can do if they continue to buy into Campbell and the culture he is trying to establish. A game that proves everything he has been preaching.
Winning breeds winning, with talent of course a key part as well. But general manager Brad Holmes had an outstanding draft last April, and punctuated it with undrafted free agent signings like Jerry Jacobs, Tommy Kraemer, AJ Parker, and Brock Wright.
Is the No. 1 pick in the 2022 draft more important than establishing a winning culture and filling the team with belief? Let Campbell win as many as he can this year, and trust Holmes to still win the draft regardless of where that top pick sits.
