- SB Nation and Yahoo! have partnered together in many different ways, and one of them is that you will find SB Nation content on various Yahoo! Sports pages. Check out the Lions' page on Yahoo! for an example of what I'm talking about.
- With the #1 overall pick of the Football Burrito mock draft, I selected linebacker Aaron Curry for the Lions. I was leaning toward drafting him in the first place, but it was you guys that cemented my decision. Curry received 59% of the 499 votes in a poll that basically determined the top pick. The next most votes went to Jason Smith, but that was only 18% of the 499 total. Matthew Stafford was next with 9% of the vote, followed by Eugene Monroe with 8%.
- Although I didn't expect to need more opinions on this mock draft until the 20th pick came around, there is a trade offer on the table that needs to be discussed. The blogger representing the Patriots has offered me quarterback Matt Cassel for the 20th pick of the first round and a swap of third-round picks. Personally, I'm against bringing in someone like Cassel since he seems very Scott Mitchell-esque to me. Even so, I want to see what you guys think, so make sure to vote in the poll below and leave your thoughts in the comments section.
- In this week's Sports Illustrated there is a story written by Peter King that talks about Matthew Stafford and the whole connection the Georgia QB has with Bobby Layne. The story also talks about Stafford's experiences at the combine, including this interesting moment with Tom Lewand:
The next day, King wrote that Stafford “snuck behind Detroit's buttoned-up chief operating officer, Tom Lewand, bear-hugged him and lifted him off the ground. 'Come on!" Stafford said, laughing. 'Let's go! I'm ready!' In other words, Pick me!”
Stafford mentioned how he wants to play in Detroit and throw to Calvin Johnson on more than a few occasions. Obviously this isn't a surprise since a player that has a shot at being the top overall pick will do and say quite a bit to become the top overall pick. Even so, it seems like Stafford is being genuine about his interest in playing in Detroit for the most part. - NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock shared something interesting about Baylor offensive tackle Jason Smith that may be an important factor if he ends up being in contention for the #1 pick of the draft.
"(Smith) is a very athletic kid that I think can be a very good pass blocker Day One," Mayock said. "At Baylor, he played in a spread offense, so he's in a two-point stance 98 percent of the time. So he needs some work on his run blocking. But the key is their ability to pass protect immediately. And I think what Jason Smith and (Virginia's) Eugene Monroe both offer is tremendous feet and athleticism with long arms. So both of those guys can step in Day One and protect your quarterback."
Although it is very important for the top pick (if he is a tackle) to protect his quarterback, blocking for Kevin Smith would be just as important on the Lions. Jim Schwartz has said repeatedly that he wants to run the ball, and I imagine any OT will have to be improve the running game fairly quickly to be drafted #1 overall. - Although Todd McShay said the Lions are in a "no-win situation" when it comes to the #1 pick, he thinks Detroit should draft OT Jason Smith. Mel Kiper, on the other hand, said "[t]here's nobody else to take" other than a quarterback. I never thought I would say this, but for once I agree with McShay. If it looks like the Lions are "forced" to take a quarterback, chances are they are going to be convincing themselves it is a good idea. When that happens, the results usually aren't good.
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Defensive tackle Shaun Rogers reportedly wants out of Cleveland already.
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The Vikings are going to trade for Texans quarterback Sage Rosenfels.
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