Should Lions Draft Focus on Defense?

For most of the offseason, people who pontificate about such things had the Lions taking an offensive player with the first-overall pick. Quarterback Matthew Stafford was the popular choice, with offensive tackles Jason Smith and Eugene Monroe also in the mix. But maybe the organization should focus on fixing the defense, which, surprisingly, was the weakest unit on an 0-16 outfit last season.

Linebacker Aaron Curry has been described as the "safest pick of the draft," and has even been mentioned as a potential pre-draft Lions target. And today, after watching the team's final mincamp practice, MLive.com's Tom Kowalski has a suggestion: Detroit should use its first three draft picks to shore up the defense.

First pick (first overall) -- Aaron Curry, LB.
Second pick (20th overall) -- Peria Jerry or Ziggy Hood, both DTs.
Third pick (33rd overall) -- Louis Delmas, S.

Could the Lions use an upgrade at quarterback or left tackle? Perhaps. But after watching that team on the field, I think it's absolutely imperative to help the defense as much as possible. Not just in filling holes, but strengthening them through the middle, through the core of the defense.

I wouldn't even criticize the Lions taking B.J. Raji at No. 1 and then Rey Maualuga at No. 20. Regardless of how they get it done, improving that defense is an absolute must.

Anybody who sat through last season might think Kowalski's due a drug test, but he could be onto something. For as dreadful as Detroit's offense was in 2008, their defense was somehow worse. According to Football Outsiders, the offense ranked 28th overall (28th in passing, 30th in rushing). The defense was dead last in the league, against the pass and the run. It was also more mediocre than the Lions' offense in both 2007 (20th, 31st) and 2006 (25th, 30th).

Of course, no matter what the Lions do, there are sure to be skeptics. That's one of the many drawbacks to going winless over the course of a season: having every personnel move second-guessed. (Matt Millen's dartboard approach to first-round draft strategy didn't help, either.)

Plus, there's this, from the NFL Handbook of Handy Truisms: "defense wins championships," and "this is a copycat league." Which lends more support to Kowalski's argument. The Pittsburgh Steelers won the Super Bowl with no offensive line to speak of, but did have the league's most dominating defense. Now, there's a huge difference between Ben Roethlisberger and Daunte Culpepper -- even the slimmed-down version -- but the theory's sound.

New Lions head coach Jim Schwartz spent eight seasons as the Titans defensive coordinator and understands the importance of getting off the field. (I suppose Rod Marinelli, a former Bucs defensive line coach, understood as much, too. But he had the great misfortune of working for the organization when Millen was still running the draft.)

So while the Lions emulating the Steelers might seem farcical considering where both teams finished in '08, there's no reason to think Detroit can't be like Tennessee: a veteran game-manager quarterback under center who benefits from an explosive running game and a stout defense.

In year's past, the Lions have tried and failed to magically fix the franchise by drafting skill position players. Maybe focusing on the defense isn't a half-bad idea.