My take on drafting a QB

The War Room Detroit Lions — The Den
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I thought about putting this in one of the many threads about Goff or drafting a QB. But I wanted to wait until the season was over to introduce this thought process. So I felt it needed it’s own thread. So please bare with me.

Should the Lions draft a QB high in the draft or even draft one at all?

I feel when looking at drafting a QB the first thing you should do is look at the QB’s in your division and ask yourself where do you stack up? If you have the worst QB in your division than you absolutely should be drafting one.

Obviously Rogers is the best QB in our division but he very possibly could be playing for someone else next year. If he leaves then we’re do you rank the QB’s in our division?

I think one could make the argument that Cousins and Goff are similar players. I personally think they are. I think they’re very comparable. But Goff is young and has room to improve while Cousins at this point is what he is. Not to mention Min might have a new coach next year too.

CHI clearly has the worst QB situation in our division but if Rogers leaves then it’s possible GB could have the worst QB situation. I honestly expect Love to be slightly better than Fields however. But Love may lose his best WR (Adams) to free agency too.

I think it’s fair to assume the Lions could actually have the most stable QB situation in the division next year. Especially if Rogers leaves.

Keeping Goff as our starter gives us stability at QB and actually may give us an advantage in our division.

This thought process has made me realize that the Lions are probably better off keeping Goff for a couple more seasons. Get him some talent and let’s makes the best evaluation we can about him.

However I’m not ok with our backup QB situation. I would prefer that we be developing someone that can actually push Goff in the future. So I am for taking a QB in rounds 3 or later but not before.

So who do I like. I am of the belief that you take a QB round one who is NFL ready or you draft a developmental QB in rounds 3 or later.

Obviously I like Willis I just don’t think Willis makes it to round 3 but if he did I’d seriously consider drafting him.

Carson Strong could make it to round 3. If he did I’d consider him but I’m leaning towards later in the draft for a guy who has upside and needs time to develop.

I’m thinking maybe Brock Purdy. He has a good enough arm, decent mobility, seems to read defenses well and gets rid of the ball fast enough. The big knock on him is accuracy and consistency. These are areas he can improve on with good coaching and practice.

Would you draft a QB. If so where and who?

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I’ve been on the Desmond Ridder train in the 3rd for awhile now. He may not be sitting there, but to me he is the perfect developmental QB. Has really good physical tools, but has to work on his accuracy, mechanics, and just develop a better understanding of the game. He is the type that would benefit from sitting for a year or two before he gets an opportunity

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Ritter would be my choice if carson strong is not there with the 3rd rd pick. That pick is a good spot to take a development qb.

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I agree with the above 2 poster, 3rd rd and take Strong or Ridder depending on if they are even there. My feeling is both go before our 3rd round pick. I would be good with Purdy in the 3rd rd

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One think I believe is players will do better in Coach Dan’s system, regardless of what position they play. This is a situation that is supportive and strong AF…it brings out the best in people, not just from an effort standpoint, from a psychological, leadership, and human standpoint. We are bringing good HUMANS together that are doing better as people because of each other.

I want us to

  1. Get Hutch
  2. WR. 2 of em, one in the first 2 or 3 rounds of the draft, and another in FA.
  3. Do whatever else it takes to get Willis. I believe in him. Love his skillset (obviously), but am far more intrigued by his leadership ability, especially when placed in Dan’s system, surrounded by Dan’s team.
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Willis at 34.
Sure, I’d rather pick him at 66, but he may not even make it to 34, let alone 66.

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IMO, 34 is a no brainer for him. I’m thinking we may hve to trade up to 17 or so.
Truthfully, I don’t see us getting him.

For me, the most likely scenario willl be like what happened last year with J-Will.

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Uh oh. Are you being Lionized? LOL

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LOL. I dont think so. I believe in Brad, which causes me to have less concern.

I feel like the staff has more faith in Goff than I do.
I also feel like the staff is 10x more competent than me.

After watching Brad’s first draft, I don’t think we have quite a big enough body of evidence to know what to expect.

I’m picking based on different weight on leadership. Measurables AND leadership.

A good dude, and a good locker room presence does NOT mean a good leader.

Amon Ra
Sewell
…those cats are leaders

Watch their language patterns
Watch their body language
Watch the level of commitment in their words
Watch how they project their identity outward with MASSIVE conviction

That’s what influences a team

It’s why I think T-Law is gonna fail in Jax. It’s also why I think Willis will succeed in the NFL

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Leadership comes in many shapes and sizes. Like Lawrence, Joe Montana was a quiet guy. They lead with work ethic, resiliency, etc… I’d bet a lot of money on Lawrence having a great career.

The Manning bros were kind of dorky and the butt of a lot of jokes (Manning face anyone?), but were respected for their precision and play in the clutch.

Roethlisberger pretty much sets himself apart from his own team (he has a private room in the Steelers locker room), but rallies his team with his willingness to put himself on the line.

Rodgers is a douchebag but so talented guys play hard for him.

On the flip side, these guys were sold to us as good leaders in one form or another: Mark Sanchez, Joey Harrington, RGIII, Jameis (immature but the guys love him), Wentz, Bortles, Bridgewater, Tebow, Leinart, etc…

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Bro - Joe Montana is the epitome of what I’m talking about. Joe was fantastic at it. His energy is NOTHING like T-Law. Joe was quiet and reserved, as you say. T-Law is gentle. Those are very different things.

The manning boys were incredibly dedicated and carried themselves like a cerebral leader. Also nothing like T-Law.

Rodgers is an athletic freak, so much so that he even stands above NFL talent. He’s not a leader as a man…he does help them to know they have a chance to win, because he has SO much talent, but he is not an emotional leader. Can it look that way…once in a freak blue moon with a cow jumping over it.

Brady is the best ever at what I’m talking about (for QBs anyway).

Arrogantly “loving yourself” is NOT the same as actually loving yourself. Some people brag, because they have something to prove (their ego thinks they’re proving to others, bu it’s really trying to talk themselves into it).

Some people just truthfully dont’ have the talent. Look at your list of guys that were “sold to us as leaders” (of course they were, the ppl who are selling hype get paid to sell hype). EVERYTHING in life is levels and layers. Most who get to NFL level have at least level 1 or 2 leadership in them (on a scale of 1-10).

When you look at their energy, who is believable to you, and to what level are they a leader?
If Tom Brady is a 10…
IMO:
Harrington is a 2-3, at best. Work ethic? Yup. Smart? Yup. Did the best he could with the tools he was given? Yup. Had an energy that other men would follow? HELL NO!
Think of T-Law as Harrington with slightly better Emotional Intelligence and WAY more talent. Not a guy that I would pick to run an NFL team.
Could he have some A-Rodg factor to him and have some success? Sure. Is he the guy that will lead you to perennial SB contention because of his grit and determination? Not a chance.

Of the guys you mention here, I see only Wentz and Tebow as really solid leaders. The others all have something to prove to themselves and seek external validation too much. It’s why I don’t believe in Goff.

Goff has enough talent to make it happen if surrounded by absolutely perfect conditions, but he will not be the primary cause of the winning. This is why I like our HC and DC so much. THEY provide the leadership that everyone feeds on. If we can get a QB that has some of that…

Confession time…Some of these cats I don’t really know that much, in terms of seeing a large enough sample size to know WTH I am talking about. Bortles and Jameis

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To each his own and we’re both trying to read into this from a distance without actually talking to these guys (I assume), but I believe they have the same energy. I don’t see gentle from T-Law, I see quite, reserved, sure, but I also see competitive fire. He’s out there trying his ass off against the Pats down by 30. Guys are dropping passes and he’s getting crushed when his linemen miss blocks, but he still gets up every play without complaint and comes back for the next one. That doesn’t strike me as gentle, that’s the stuff his teammates are gonna remember.

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words mean absolutely nothing, when it comes to reading energy. I look for what is real, not what ppl say. I don’t care what they say. I care how they show up.
T-Law on the field, fully commits to his passes, his runs, even his fakes. It’s what they say vs how they show up. Dude doesn’t naturally have as much conviction, as a man.

Think of it like a singer…I’m gonna choose Bonno from U2.
When he’s on stage, he’s committed AF. He’s rocking stadiums of 40,000 ppl and when he’s on stage he is committed. He can do well on stage, when he is playing the persona of rock star.
…hten you dig a little deeper. The majority of his songs he writes himself. The majority of his songs talk about life from an Anxious Preoccupied trauma bonding style. You see hi in interviews and you can see hi fighting his ass off for worthiness. You pay attention, you can actually see that he is a very unhappy person whose happiness is co-dependent upon things going a certain way.

Brady knows exactly who the ■■■■ he is.
T-Law is seeking validation through football.

Brady is who he is, and he looks like Tom Brady playing football…but he has the same conviction when he’s in interviews, having lunch, with his wife, etc. Brady’s wife is more likely to seek validation though him than he is to seek validation through her. Brady is FULFILLED. That’s way better than happy. T-law will for sure have some A-Rodg factor to him, and that will help a lot. He commits on the field the same way Bono does at a concert. Do I want to follow him as a man? Does he have an energy I would want to lead my guys? Nope.

Brady is an extreme example, and I use that to dramatically make the point.
All of the guys you mention have some level of leadership to them, as I have said.

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Brock Purdy is accurate, he had a completion rate over 70% this year and he is mobile but his ceiling is game manager. He was aided HUGELY by having 2 of the best RB’s in the NCAA, Montgomery and Hall. Pretty easy to sell play action with those guys. Then having Kolar for all 4 of those years, well, that helped plenty too.

Cole Kelly in the 6th. 5,124 yards passing, 44 TD’s to 10 Int’s, and he ran for 491 yards and 16 TD’s as well. At 6’7" and 260, yep, he’s my boy.

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This is where I disagree with you, based upon what I’ve watched. But it’s just a difference of opinion and that’s what message boards are for. I think Lawrence is going to be a star for a long time, you don’t, so be it. We’ll see over time which one of us is right.

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I think that if we like him that much, go ahead and spend the 2nd rounder on him. The Lions normally get next to nothing out of their 2nd round pix (usually an RB). So, spending it on a QB sounds about right.

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I hope the goal is to stop wasting 2nd round picks…

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QB is a go big or go home endeavor when it comes to acquiring one.

A starter requires first round resources, usually top half of the first round. It’s still a crap shoot, but you get to a point in the draft where there just haven’t been starters drafted beyond an outlier example that proves the rule.

If you look around the league, there’s no such thing as a “developed” backup. There’s a couple of teams that have a guy they drafted late as their backup. Other than that, backups are either failed attempts at drafting a starter, a “starter in waiting”, or a journeyman who’s bounced around the league. Decent backups are always available.

Drafting a QB outside of the first 40 picks for a GM is like pooping on your desk. You can do it, but it’s much more likely to get you fired than praised.

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Wait until next year, that’s my take.

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Yes. Most of these are camp arms.

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