Is Linebacker or Quarterback Best Option for Lions with No. 7 Pick?
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell says, “The Detroit Lions are now on the clock.”
The clock is ticking ... Who is it going to be at No. 7 overall?
Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields are off the board, and unbelievably, Penn State LB Micah Parsons still has not been selected.
BYU QB Zack Wilson is still there, too, and so are North Dakota State QB Trey Lance and Alabama QB Mac Jones.
Missouri LB Nick Bolton and Notre Dame LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah also remain out there.
What are the Lions going to do?
The camera flashes to GM Brad Holmes, and the television announcer says, “It looks like the pick is in.”
Who will it be? Will it be a linebacker or a quarterback?
My NFL scouting mentor taught me, “Danny, if you have a quarterback, you’ve got a chance." But, he also taught me to stick with the dynamic ones.
I am just not feeling it with what I have seen of Parsons, Wilson and Lance.
Jones is clearly the most pro ready, compared to Wilson and Lance.
While both Wilson and Lance look well-schooled in the fundamentals department, both lack the arm strength it will take to succeed in the NFL. Both strike me as polished athletes who are trying to play quarterback.
Meanwhile, Jones looks like an actual NFL QB.
Jones has a big arm, and I love how he leads his receivers with the ball, both intermediate and deep, which are levels he has worked very comfortably in.
He places the ball where only his receivers can get it.
Gary Cosby Jr, Imagn Content Services, LLC
I felt like Wilson really had to push the ball, and it felt like his deeper passes looked like "dying ducks" that his receivers had to wait on.
I think that, coupled with the fact that the NFL football is larger, is going to be a real problem for Wilson.
Lance, meanwhile, strikes me as a poor man’s Donovan McNabb.
However, I am not sold on Lance’s playing speed.
I feel that this year's quarterback class after the first two is a drop-off, and after Jones, is a significant drop-off.
Lance absolutely looks the part, but he, without the arm strength and playing speed, is just a nice trading card.
As for Wilson, he's far too mechanical and robotic for my tastes.
Wilson does not at all look like an NFL QB, by any stretch of the imagination.
Jones strikes me as having everything, except a dynamic edge. But, he was good enough to win big with for Nick Saban.
Jones sets up nicely, steps up, slides around, shows pocket awareness and eludes the rush while staying focused downfield.
Jones is a pure pocket passer with touch.
The card is in. If it is a quarterback -- and it probably will be with a new regime and with Stafford getting longer in the tooth -- it'll be Jones.
Not to mention, new Lions head man Dan Campbell comes from the Bill Parcells school of thought, and Parcells is connected to Bill Belichick and Belichick is connected to Saban.
Bolton is what I call “lightning in a bottle.” He is dynamic, instinctual, athletic, explosive and downright nasty.
Bolton has All-Pro written all over him.
Guys like this do not come along every day, and they are tough to pass up.
Bolton delivers some wicked shots. He changes the complexion of a defense.
He is the best I have seen so far out of this year’s linebacking corps.
Bolton gets ready to defend against the Georgia Bulldogs.
Jay Biggerstaff, USA TODAY Sports
Parsons did not excite me as a top-three projection.
Do not get me wrong, he looked good, but not great.
Parsons looked athletic and instinctive -- a run-and-hit linebacker who had a real knack for avoiding blockers.
And he is a solid tackler. But, he just didn't excite me.
Owusu-Koramoah is another freelance run-and-hit backer with good range. And he rocks in pass coverage.
I prefer Owusu-Koramoah over Parsons, even though they are comparable. However, Bolton hands down steals the show.
The card is in ... If it is a linebacker, it's Bolton.
While it makes sense to go quarterback for the new regime to build around and to buy three-four years of time, I have learned that drafting a QB is like getting married.
Get the one you want, and do not settle.
And, while Jones is good, he is not dynamic. He reminds me of another Jones, Daniel Jones.
For that reason, it is Bolton at No. 7.
Playmakers make plays.
If you want a QB, make a blockbuster deal for Deshaun Watson, who makes this list of QBs look like they came out of a gumball machine.
Trade the next three years of first-rounders to get Watson, and still get Bolton with this year's pick.
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