Mike O'Hara had some interesting stats on his blog site that should help ease the minds of those who are overly concerned that the Lions will take a quarterback with the first overall pick. He had this to share:
5. SUPER QB HISTORY: The 1983 draft was the best in history for quarterbacks. Six were first—round picks, and three are in the Hall of Fame – John Elway, Jim Kelly and Dan Marino.
Buffalo had the 12th and 14th picks that year. The Lions were in the middle at No. 13.
With No. 12, the Bills took tight end Tony Hunter of Notre Dame. That left Kelly for the Lions – but they drafted James Jones, a skilled fullback from Florida.
Doesn’t every NFL team build around a fullback? No?
With Kelly still on the board, the Bills took him with the next pick.
The Bills went to four straight Super Bowls, and Kelly’s in the Hall of Fame.
Near the bottom of the first round, the Dolphins drafted Marino.
To me, passing on a quarterback—Kelly or Marino—was the single worst draft mistake the Lions have made in the last 30 years. And that’s saying something.6. MORE QB STATS: Drafting a quarterback high is a risk because the potential for failures sets a franchise back further than at any other position.
But the rewards of success are higher. In the last 17 years, 11 winners have had a quarterback drafted on the first round. Seven times, it was the first pick overall – Dallas and Troy Aikman (three times), Denver and John Elway (twice), Indianapolis (Peyton Manning) and the Giants (Eli Manning).
Not all 11 were drafted originally by the team that won the Super Bowl. And the 1994 49ers had Steve Young, who began his pro career in the USFL and was the first pick in the supplemental draft.
In this year’s playoffs, all six AFC teams had a quarterback drafted on the first round.
Of course, this doesn't mean Stafford or Sanchez with be successful. What I get out of this is that you obviously have a better shot at hitting a home run by using a higher pick. Then again, there's more risk as well.