The stories are not related. Instead, I have two things I want to throw out here and see what you think.
What should the Lions do with their 1st selection?
NFLDraftBible.com came out with a story about how the Lions will sign Stafford to a deal today. I don't trust that source since the "positive" test results bit, so I'm not linking to it, and Windy City Gridiron does not endorse the story.
My question to you is who should the Lions pick with the #1 overall? Should they get Stafford, the potential savior? Do they go with Jason Smith to help their OL woes? Or, do they need a tough, physical linebacker such as Aaron Curry? Who would you pick if you're the Lions GM?
What if Pettigrew falls?
Yesterday, WCG and I were on GoogleTalk and doing our best to avoid real work (in other words, talking about the draft). We were discussing this draft done by SB Nation bloggers and some of the surprises. One name we discussed was Brandon Pettigrew, the Oklahoma State TE.
My question to WCG was this: If Pettigrew falls to use at #49, do we grab him? My answer was an emphatic "yes". I realize that there's a slim chance of this happening, but for the sake of this argument, let's say he's there at #49.
On the roster right now, we have Desmond Clark (6'3, 249 lbs., entering 12th year), Greg Olsen (6'5, 255 lbs., entering 3rd year), and Kellen Davis (6'7, 262 lbs., entering 2nd year). Pettigrew is 6'6 and 260 lbs. He is known for his stellar blocking and catching skills and is the most complete TE in the 2009 class.
Why do I think this could work? We've shored up our OL to an extent, but we don't know how they'll play together. Olsen's forte (pun intended) is not blocking, and Des Clark is getting up there in age. If we put Pettigrew and Olsen out on the field together, we've significantly boosted our passing game. Des Clark could be trade bait for a position player we need (WR, for example).
What do you think? Would you be happy if the Bears picked up Pettigrew?