Ok, the Lions take Willis at 2.
Two aspects to the question.
Should the Lions sit Willis this upcoming season to let him learn?
Will he start right away?
I know we talked about this in one of the many threads about Willis, but let’s get everyone’s opinion on this.
0 voters
He should sit . Let him dazzle us in preseason and then we will wait . This is the best situation for him . If we draft him he will be very successful .
This seems like as good of a place as any to put this. Carr just signed an extension north of 40m per year.
If we can rehab Goff we’re sitting on some nice value at 26m per as crazy as that sounds.
The only value to drafting a QB to replace a viable starter like Goff is if you think he’s going to be an essentially immediate improvement.
This isn’t the position on the field or the position in the draft to hedge.
If the Lions go this route, it has to be all in with both feet. Otherwise, you’re leaving value on the table. If the logic is that Willis isn’t ready, then he shouldn’t be the #2 pick.
It drives me batty when people act like Goff’s contract is an albatross. It’s middle-of-the-road starter money now, and only going down in rankings as these young guys sign second contracts.
I really don’t want us to draft Willis, but if we did he won’t be starting until at least mid season at the earliest. The Lions need to win games now to improve the culture and morale and rolling with a rookie QB is a great way to lose a bunch more games. His learning curve is going to be huge going from Liberty to the NFL. It would be best for his development to sit a full year IMO.
Willis played one game last year vs a top 25 team, he threw for 170 yards, 0 TD’s and 3 picks in that game. I remain very concerned about his adjustment to the NFL. Look at Trey Lance, another QB from a weak college conference, the 49ers traded 3 first rounders to get him and he might not even be ready in year 2 to start.
Jordan Love is another example. Packers traded up for him. Comes from a weak conference and he clearly isn’t ready to start going into year 3.
Another reason to sit him is we are paying Goff 26 mill next season. We would have traded Goff if we were planning to start a rookie day 1. Makes no sense to have Goff hold a clipboard and collect 26 mill next season, especially with how well he played the last 6 games of last year.
He should sit, he won’t. They’ll be too much excitement over the wow plays in the preseason. They’ll hide the ooof plays. The screams will be deafening the first bad game Goff has.
If we get the version of Goff that we saw the last four weeks of the season then he’s probably the second best deal for a veteran QB after Brady. I get that him playing like that is a substantial if but it’s not all that implausible.
I didn’t vote because I want him to sit and play but my playing him doesn’t mean he is a starter. Sprinkle him in with different plays designed for him at QB then maybe he starts later in the season.
YES! If we draft him, that means Brad believes in him…which boosts MY belief in him.
If we pass on him, it means Brad DOESN’T believe in him…which detracts from my belief in him.
I don’t think many of the folks from the “draft Willis” crowd agree with this at all.
Completely agree. His contract is solid value and very tradable…or keepable, if it works out that way.
I think this too. Yup. Especially since Coach Dan took over the OC duties…playcaling got a lot more creative. I’d expect this.
I realize this, but I think y’all are wrong.
You’ve got 4 years of cheap player for these draft picks. The fifth-year option is a mirage. If you sit a guy for a year, that means you’ve lost 25% of that advantage.
Plus, even though that guy is cheap, you’re adding his $7MM salary to Goff’s to really skew the percentage taken up by the QB position. That’s bad resource management for a talent-deprived team like the Lions.
I don’t like Willis as a top-tier prospect, but that’s not shading my analysis here. Quarterback is a “go big or go home” position in today’s NFL, and it’s not a place to hedge your bets. If a low-talent team like the Lions is going to invest top-half-of-the-first-round resources in a guy, that guy has to be “the guy”. We don’t have the overall talent level to have that kind of investment sitting on the bench.
I still think next year is the right time to make this decision. But if Holmbell disagrees with me, I hope they just make the commitment and go.
Pay Goff big money to sit?
Or, take a massive cap hit to cut Goff, and get absolutely nothing in return?
How much longer until the draft?
That’s okay…“Ya’ll” think you are wrong too. 
LoL. Just having fun
If culture is important, and you want to win in the process of growing your new guy.
If you believe that it’s best to build his confidence first, and then roll him out.
If you believe that throwing ppl to the wolves can ruin them
Etc, etc, etc.
It’s just different strategies. No biggie.
If you roll a rook out, he’s probably not going to take you to the SB this year anyway, so if it takes time ti get him prepped out, that gets to be okay.
What you are saying is 100% true as well, if you are thinking purely in terms of money (asset management). Humans aren’t assets, and the mental/emotional (and I if I were in charge spiritual) side of football often get ignored.
Dan’s the exact opposite of that sort of coach. if they think Willis is the type to learn most quickly by baptism by fire, they may go that route. If they think it’d be best long term, let him learn from the bench.
I don’t care about short term asset mgt…I care about winning the SB (long term game).
I know there’s gray area, and they bleed into e/o in ways. I’m just saying…
Brad might not either. I’m 80% certain this conversation is moot.
YES!!! That selection would be a massive statement about …“listen, MF’rz…we’re here for the long haul, and we think this is the path to winning titles.”
Disagree.
If we miss on that pick, we could hit so hard on the other 3 high rounders that it leaves minimal impact, and still have a lot of draft capital next season. Just my opinion.
We can decide to buy a 5 million dollar mansion next year too, but if we only have 200k in the bank, we can’t get the mansion.
Translation, we won’t have the capital to make a move like this next season.
This is totally inaccurate
He would have no choice but to sit as he likely would be the #3 QB and not even dress on game days (unless we were to install some gimmick stuff for him).
In case anyone in this modern world has forgotten, this is an example of truth.
It’s a cause for celebration!!!:
Baker Mayfield is under $19 million this year…and seemingly can’t find a job.
I think it’s very accurate, but then I’ve been on the ‘if you draft a rookie QB in the 1st, you start him’ train for a loooong time now. If you can’t start him, then you shouldn’t draft him.