COLUMN: Goodbye Calvin, Lions should not draft receiver in first round of NFL Draft
Today will be one of those days where you say: "I remember where I was at."
I was laying in bed scrolling through Twitter when I saw that Detroit Lions' wide receiver Calvin Johnson officially announced his retirement from the National Football League.
Today, distant memories of triple coverage catches, one handed snags and the "Calvin Rule" went through through my head, looking back at the career of one of the best receivers to ever play the game.
Now, the Lions have to move on and look forward to free agency and the NFL Draft in late April.
Many people are pondering whether Detroit will or should draft a receiver with the No. 16 pick in the first round of the draft.
Those people need to stop.
The Lions have much bigger problems than the receiver position. Is it bad now that Johnson retired? Yes, that position is now a need for the Lions. However, protecting quarterback Matthew Stafford is the biggest need this off-season, in my opinion.
In the first round of the draft since 2000, Detroit has taken 10 skill positions — just five offensive lineman and three defensive players total.
Of those 10 skill positions, the Lions have only three of those on their roster right now, those three being Stafford and tight ends Brandon Pettigrew and Eric Ebron.
Of the 10 skill players taken in this time span, four of those were wide receivers. Let me remind you of who those receivers were:
Charles Rodgers, Roy Williams, Mike Williams and Calvin Johnson.
Are any of those players relevant today besides Megatron?
Besides Johnson, the Lions have had terrible wide receiver picks in the first round in recent memory, so why fans and NFL "experts" think they will pick a receiver in the first round is beyond me.
With new General Manager Bob Quinn, who was with the New England Patriots since 2000 until he took the General Manager position in Detroit in January, I can't see them drafting a skills position in the first round.
The Patriots are known for winning. That is exactly what Quinn is trying to bring to the table, but it would be a bad start to try and put the Lions in a winning position if he goes with a receiver at pick No. 16.
The Lions absolutely need to draft talented offensive linemen and bulk up on the line to protect Stafford.
Johnson retiring is a huge blow to this team. Just because the Lions saved money towards the salary cap doesn't mean they upgraded the team. Now, they franchise needs to be wise with how they spend that money.
