What truly defines “drafting for need”?

With the 13th selection in the 2011 NFL Draft our Detroit Lions have selected Auburn defensive tackle Nick Fairley (27½ tackles for loss, 13 sacks last year).

While many fans and national pundits are amazed that the Lions were able to snag the explosive DT, some others are crying and whining about not “drafting for need”, especially when a highly-touted corner was still on the board in Prince Amukamara. Obviously the Detroit Lions need more help in the secondary, on the O-line and more LB’s to fit around Levy, but this pick was absolutely the correct pick.

First, keep in mind that the NFL draft is not a 1-round affair, teams win or lose with their picks throughout the meat of the draft. You must win with your 2nd and 3rd round selections and that means drafting starters. After that, you need to find players that will contribute in other ways like special teams and becoming solid backups and potential starters within a couple years. Guess what? That’s the part of the Draft that begins tonight.

OK, to the pick and the process that I am such a fan of… Mayhew and Schwartz have shown me that they understand what a true “need” is.

When two teams line up against each other on Sunday who usually wins that game? The team with the BEST PLAYERS. Period. Not one single team is great across the board, everyone has holes, but the team with the superior talent usually is rolling with a momentum that is hard to stop. Talent wins out in the NFL. So there is your need, the BEST PLAYERS.

When the Detroit Lions selected Nick Fairley, a player that at one point in the pre-draft process was considered the top prospect available they chose the greatest need for any team. Supreme talent.  I mean did you see this guy play? Did you see the BCS Championship game? He is an absolute TERROR on the field! SUH part deux!!!

Do me a favor, hop into your waaaay back machine and check out the ancient history and what he did all the way back on January 10th 2011.

The Auburn defensive tackle put on one of the most dominant performances in recent memory, menacing the Oregon Ducks and propelling Auburn to a 22-19 victory in the national championship.

The beast of a DT blasted through double-teams and racked up five tackles (including three for a loss), a sack and a forced fumble, and he was applying CRAZY pressure all-dang-day-long! After the College Football Season he was seen as the surefire, absolute No. 1 pick in the NFL draft. If the draft were held on Feb 1st, the Lions wouldn’t have had as much as a sniff at this guy picking at 13! It’s amazing what a couple months and a bunch of talk does, it even erases game-tape apparently.

The Detroit Lions did exactly what a good team should do, they took the beastliest and best player on the board. Fairley weighs in at a hair under 300 lbs and runs the 40-yard dash in 4.8 seconds, and he has a nasty disposition to go with it. This guy matched up with Suh, Corey Williams and Sammie Hill will be a monster and we should be jumping up and down to have this guy in the D!

Welcome Home Nick, we want you here because don’t want you against us! The Detroit Lions got the best player available and it we might have been able to say that from whichever position we picked from, whether it was from #13 or #1.

- T.Lee