The issue that kills me about Herbert is that we couldn’t finagle a trade down. We had two QBs go in the next three picks. How inept is Bob Quinn? We had this debate before, and it was mentioned that maybe it wasn’t Quinn’s fault and it takes two to tango etc. But I never bought that. QBs are so highly sought after, you want to make sure you get your guy. IMO, Quinn was so transparent that neither team felt threatened enough by his willingness to trade down, or by the Giants’ willingness to trade down, to move up. We’ll never know of course, but what an unfortunate turn of events that was.
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Quinn was so committed to Stafford and basically showed his hand before the draft. I would have drafted Herbert especially at the spot we were at. It would have be a situation like KC where Mahomes sat the bench his first year.
I love the fact Spielman is like a overseer. Had he been in his current position now when Quinn/Patricia was here just maybe Herbert is the pick
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I think drafting Herbert in hindsight was definitely the right move. I liked him then, more than Tua, but at 32 I saw Stafford finishing his career with the Lions and it was too early to take a QB.
Where I am baffled is the Lions avoiding Justin Fields. It may play out that they were right, but holy cow what a gutsy decision to pass on him. I thought right when it happened the decision would monumentally define the Holmes era and it was basically the first franchise altering decision he had to make along with trading Stafford. Tough spot for him, and hopefully it was the right decision.
I also like Spielman, and I thought it was curious how standoffish he was when those other guys were celebrating the Sewell pick. It could just be his personality. It could be he thought they were ridiculous and over the top. But what if it was because he thought they made the wrong pick?
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Quinn really doesn’t have much presence, as a man or a professional. I’m not a great evaluator of talent, be it players or front office execs, but I can read energy. I was really hoping that he could use his intelligence to cover for his lack of self-ownership/presence. Quinn and Patricia are both meek, insecure, people. Nobody respects you, when you don’t respect yourself. They are both hiding behind their “big jobs,” and seeking security and significance from thier positions.
When you get down like that in the world, you will get the exact opposite of it.
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I believe an overseer (someone who is close to the owner and knows football) should always think long term because ultimately, the GM and coach could be shipped out of town.
All I know is we need a franchise QB. Yes we’re missing other pieces but with Sewell and the next QB, you have the 2 most critical pieces a franchise can have
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Remember when, I think it may have been 2 season ago during Quinn’s season finale interview, he emphatically told the media, “I know what this team needs!” The guy was a complete joke
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Not sold on needing a franchise QB yet. So many holes and weaknesses elsewhere to fill. The offense is showing some flashes. It would be nice to see it in conjunction with a competent defense, legit receivers, before deciding to toss the QB.
I see what you’re saying. I just don’t see Golf as the answer especially at the $$$ he’s making. Remember this isn’t a quick fix rebuild. The Lions I believe are on a 3-4 year rebuild. Take Goff’s money and get some quality defensive help
The first time I saw him, I remember thinking…“This dude looks like a middle schooler that borrowed his uncle’s suit that’s too big for him.”
REALLY wanted to believe in his intelligence, and the fact that he came from such a winning program.
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The proof was in the pudding. There were only a few trades in the round, most of them late. I think teams were spooked because of how weird the draft was that year. The very first trade of the 1st round came down at 13. And all that ended up being was a swap with pick 14. Then you have to go to pick 23, where the Pats traded out of the 1st round to the early 2nd round for a 3rd round pick. The 49ers moved from 31 to 25 to get a WR. Then the Packers moved from 30 to 26 to get Jordan Love. That was all the trades from the 2020 1st round. Not a single one in the top 10 and only 1 trade in the top 22 picks.
The 3rd round pick the Pats got was the highest compensation a team received in that round. The rest got 4th rounders or less.
There is also no need to trade up if you are certain the teams before you won’t take the guy you want, and won’t trade down with another team.
It really is “Lions Luck” that it went down like it did. Whether that is Quinn’s ineptness, or a weird year. 9 times out of 10 the team sitting in the Lions position wanting to trade down is going to get a deal of some kind so another team can get their guy at QB.
Herbert completed 64% in his career and 67% as a senior… and had plenty of downfield throws to evaluate.
I would have taken Herbert.
NFL teams need to start looking at QBs like the way NBA drafts go. It is asset management.
A QB with a high grade should be drafted even if the team doesn’t “need” one. The number of talented QBs is a fixed quantity… and there are always teams that need a better QB. The Dolphins and Chargers called Quinn’s bluff, and Quinn folded. If he would have been smart and taken Herbert, I am certain he could have traded him later, and probably got a nice haul.
Carolina and Jacksonville were sitting at #7 and #9 as well, so there may have been options there as well.
I didn’t see any chance that those teams would all pass up a trade for Herbert when they had Fitzpatrick, Tyrod, Teddy, and Minshew as their QBs. They may not have met Quinn’s ridiculous price before the draft… but Okudah and Brown were both likely to still be on the board at #6 if the Lions picked Herbert… so the Lions could have the best offer from LA or Carolina and still got 1 of them.
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If we had Herbert on this team, we’d still be losing.
Drafting a QB & WR’s before you build a team is a recipe for disaster IMO. I believe if you build a great defense, you can just add a QB/WR’s and win immediately. There isn’t as much pressure on the offense to have to go out and win every game.
I just don’t get the concept of watching the worst defense in team history and thinking the solution is to add a QB & WR’s. Our defense is SO bad that it will be at least 2023 before we are up to mediocre and that is assuming we use all our high picks on defense and bring in a starter or 2.
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59% as a Junior. Also as mentioned in the tweet that @thats2 referenced that was in an offense that featured a ton of screens. And even in that Junior year he was very hot and cold. For instance in the ASU game with everything on the line he was especially scattershotZ. I saw him live about eight times in college and in particular he was prone to missing high on downfield throws. That seems quite logical for a tall big armed guy.
He seems to have corrected it. I preferred Tua over Herbert coming out so what do I know 
Carolina wasn’t even considering taking a QB in 2020. Teddy was the plan.
Please, dear Jesus, tell me it was bread pudding (with lots of raisins).
It felt like a weird draft to me too, man. I was so far off. Just felt like a massive drop-off in talent to me, after Young. Literally nobody left felt worthy of 3, based on what I saw (not as much as most of you).
I also have to admit, I am QB averse in drafts, because I can’t tell the difference between a Ryan Leaf and a Payton Manning until 2 years later.
Did they never stop for long enough to listen to how ridiculous that sounds?
Once the Broncos figure out who Teddy is they will move on from him, and another sucker will step up to the plate and get him paid again.
hypothetical here…
buy I have to wonder if the Panthers assumed they had no chance to get Tua or Herbert at #7 OA… so they went with Teddy.
But… if the Lions had picked Herbert, the Giants still picked the OT, Miami picked Tua, and the Chargers are on the clock at #6… with Okudah and Brown on the board…
do the Panthers trade a 2nd round pick (either 2020 or 2021)… and the #7 pick to the Lions for Herbert?
I might be wrong… but I am guessing Quinn was asking for more than an extra 1st rd pick from LA and Carolina to move down… and he overplayed his cards.
I think part of the issue was that GMs, like most high profile decision makers, crave certainty – or at least the illusion of it. The Covid uncertainty left GMs gun-shy.
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