Saturday open thread: Will the Lions draft Matthew Stafford’s successor in the 2021 NFL Draft?

As the rumor mills churn and everyone throws in their two cents about the fate of Matthew Stafford in Detroit, let’s take stock of the situation—but, actually.

For over the past decade, Stafford has been the undeniable face of the franchise and the team’s quarterback. While these two things are mutually exclusive, they often overlap, and to have that kind of stability for going on 11 seasons, it’s easy to take it for granted, but even harder to imagine life after Stafford for the Lions.

But the times, they are a-changin’.

Detroit’s search for a new general manager continues at a frenetic pace with each day bringing a new candidate into Allen Park for an interview. And while the Lions cast a wide net to search for their next GM, one common question has to do with what any potential GM wants to do at the quarterback at the position. On one hand, when healthy, Stafford is more than well-equipped to be a quarterback of a contending football team. On the other, he’ll turn 33 before next season, has suffered quite a few serious injuries over the past few years, and is closer to his career’s twilight than his apex.

This leads us to today’s Question of the Day...

Will the Lions draft Matthew Stafford’s successor in the 2021 NFL Draft?

It’s definitely in the realm of possibilities should the Lions lose out the 2020 season. If that were to happen, there’s the possibility Detroit slips inside of the top 5, or at the very least, the top 10 picks of the 2021 NFL Draft. In that range, Detroit wouldn’t necessarily get to pick “their guy” but they’d be within striking distance.

And depending on the general manager the Lions decide to bring in, there’s definitely the possibility they want to move on from Stafford and take the franchise in another direction. At that point, Stafford could grease the wheels on a deal to trade up in the draft so the Lions can nab “their quarterback,” or there’s the possibility Detroit could be happy with getting the best quarterback available at their draft pick and using Stafford as a bridge.

Of course, that would require patience on behalf of everyone involved, and would likely be at least a three-year plan, but the potential GM could find themselves in a very fortuitous position regardless of their route to choosing the successor to Stafford.

Looking at the 2021 NFL Draft specifically, I’m not exactly excited about any of the quarterback prospects outside of Trevor Lawrence. That being said, there’s plenty of mock drafts that have as many as four (4) quarterbacks going in the top ten. Justin Fields, Zach Wilson, and Trey Lance are among some of the top players available at the position alongside the crown jewel of the draft, the aforementioned Lawrence.

Your turn.