Sunday open thread: Would you be mad if the Lions drafted offense in the 1st round?

As we inch nearer and nearer to the 2019 NFL Draft, certain opinions among Detroit Lions fans grow louder and louder. One of those opinions became very clear earlier in the week when our own Alex Reno suggested that Iowa tight end T.J. Hockenson could be a real option for the Lions in the first round—though he did not support the Lions picking him with the eighth overall pick.

The near-unanimous reaction from Lions fans was a swift, “HELL NO. NOT AGAIN.” Of course, the failure of Eric Ebron in Detroit looms large, and many fans believe that experience taught them the value of a tight end does not belong in the top-10 conversation.

I want to see if that reaction could have a broader scope. Tight end is arguably the Lions’ biggest need on offense, so if fans aren’t happy with a tight end in the first round, would they be happy with any offensive player in the first round?

Today’s Question of the Day is:

Would you be mad if the Lions drafted an offensive player in the first round?

My answer: I wouldn’t be, provided that it was a tight end or a receiver (and maybe a guard). It’s easy to forget that by the end of the year the offense was actually worse than the defense. Sure, injuries to Marvin Jones Jr. and Kerryon Johnson had a lot to do with that, but the offense was not—by any measure—”good” in 2018, even before the purge of talent.

The Lions need to add to their arsenal of skill players for the 2019 season, even if it’s just depth. Detroit had a great set of starting weapons last year, but as soon as one went down with an injury, they didn’t seem to have the proper depth to survive.

That being said, if the Lions—for whatever reason—pick outside of their three most obvious needs on offense (tight end, receiver and guard), then, yeah, I wouldn’t be too happy.

Your turn.