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The Detroit Lions are near the top of the 2020 NFL Draft, which theoretically could get them a chance to pick Tua Tagovailoa, one of the top quarterbacks available.
Even though it doesn’t seem likely to happen at all, what would the fit of Tagovailoa in Detroit be? Not great according to Fox Sports analyst Colin Cowherd. Recently, Cowherd looked at grading all the fits for Tagovailoa, and the Lions didn’t get high marks from the host. They ended up with a D.
“Matt Patricia, this is his last year there. I don’t think it’s going to work,” Cowherd said. “He’s 9-22. I think Minnesota and Green Bay are better teams that are going to have a combined 22 draft picks. I think Chicago, Nick Foles is going to win the starting job. They’re going to be better. He’s going to a bad team. He’s going to have a new coach if he went to Detroit by his second year. They lost Darius Slay on a defense that wasn’t very good. Their best corner.”
Obviously, the Lions don’t have a huge need for a quarterback with Matthew Stafford in the mix and Chase Daniel just signed to back him up. As a result, Cowherd might be right that the fit isn’t great, but it’s not great for the Lions as much as he thinks it’s not good for Tagovailoa.
All this combined makes it likely the team goes in a different direction than Tagovailoa when all is said and done this draft season.
Colin Cowherd Once Advocated Lions Drafting Tua Tagovailoa
Interestingly, Cowherd took time out to address the Lions situation on his show months ago, and laid out a game plan for what he would do if he were the Lions and their ownership team during the draft and the offseason. Strangely, he made the case that Tagovailoa should be the pick.
As Cowherd implied, it’s time for the Lions to shake things up and get a bit more interesting, because they’ve been far too passive and boring for years. The only way to do that as he sees it is to draft Tua Tagovailoa and put Matthew Stafford on the trading block.
“Look at the top 10 teams drafting. Who’s the team we’re not talking about? Detroit. Detroit’s a bad franchise. Detroit’s bad and boring. If I ran that franchise or owned it, go draft a quarterback. Nothing against Matt Stafford, but see what you can get. Matt Stafford, 11 years, 0 playoff wins. No division titles. Put him on the market and see what you can get,” he said.
Cowherd said the buzz factor has been lacking with the Lions, and drafting a player like Jeffrey Okudah isn’t going to help that. Instead, he thinks it’s time for the Lions to move on from an average Stafford.
“What’s the loyalty? ‘Well (Stafford’s) the best we’ve ever had.’ That is a you problem. Draft better. If I got Tua, and I got a cornerback from the Big Ten, and I own that team and run that team, who’s changing history? A corner? Yeah that will be exciting. You hear they got a corner in Detroit,” Cowherd said through laughter.
As Cowherd finished, it’s nothing against Stafford personally or professionally, but rather, everything against the way the Lions do business, which is to be both irrelevant and boring as he sees it.
“(Stafford’s) record in the NFL, 69-79-1 as a starter. It’s Andy Dalton with a better arm. I’m not disputing talent but I’m over talent. Win games,” he said. “No. 3 you’re gonna settle for a corner? Roll the dice. And now Stafford is hurt. He’s past his prime, he’s banged up. Great kid. There’s value for Matt Stafford, but the franchise, are you just going to draft a corner? You think that’s going to sell a ticket? That’s going to sell a jersey? Give me a break. Detroit doesn’t have a brand and bad teams do. Roll the dice. Take a risk.”
As boring as a pick like Okudah might be, it could be just what the doctor ordered for a Lions team which was miserable on defense in 2019 and struggled on the back end. Theoretically, the Lions could view it as already having their quarterback in the fold and not needing to take a chance on someone like Tagovailoa, no matter his talent.
It’s interesting to see Cowherd saying that the Lions don’t necessarily represent the best fit for Tagovailoa after he previously said they should select him.
Matthew Stafford Won’t Get Traded
No matter the rumors or the negativity, it’s clear Stafford isn’t moving and Tagovailoa is not likely to be the picl anyway. Speaking at the NFL Combine, Lions general manager Bob Quinn spoke about the trade rumors regarding Stafford and once again admitted the rumors of the Lions dangling their quarterback is false. Additionally, Quinn explained that he has connected with Stafford, and the quarterback wants to stay with the Lions in Detroit.
Stafford’s commitment to the Lions makes sense given how much time and effort he has put into quarterbacking the team since he was selected by the team in 2009. Stafford would likely be the last to ask for a trade and would likely want to stick and try to win in Detroit. That much has been confirmed by his wife and family before.
Now, the Lions will set out to build around their leader at quarterback.
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