The NFL Draft is quickly approaching, and a lot of us are wondering… who will end up in Detroit?

Most of the “experts” are predicting Detroit will take either Matthew Stafford from Georgia or Mark Sanchez from Southern Cal. You will hear the saying, “you can’t pass on a franchise quarterback” but at the same time you can’t miss on a quarterback or your franchise will be set back for years. Both of these quarterbacks have questions, so would it be that hard to pass?

Matthew Stafford is a gunslinger. No question that Stafford has a rocket arm, but often times he will trust it too much. Stafford doesn’t have great ability to escape the pass rush either. This could be a dangerous problem if he were to end up in Detroit with one of the worst lines in all of professional football.

Mark Sanchez is a guy who has very little starting experience. Sanchez has all of the necessary tools to succeed as an NFL passer, but he still has a lot to learn. When you are as bad as Detroit is, it may be best not to take a quarterback who needs time to learn. Drew Stanton was drafted a couple years ago, and I think Detroit should pass on these two quarterbacks and go a different direction, give Stanton a chance.

Andre Smith is the popular choice as the #1 tackle. I don’t see Smith being a good fit in Detroit. There are questions as to whether or not Andre Smith is even capable of playing left tackle at the next level. In my personal opinion, Smith is best suited at RT and Detroit just drafted Gosder Cherilus to fill that position last year. Jason Smith, Michael Oher, and Eugene Monroe are the other top tackles. Oher struggles severely against a speed rusher, Jason Smith has tremendous potential, but is extremely raw, and Monroe, while he has the fewest holes in his game, is not worthy of the top pick. This continues the search.

To me it comes down to the top defensive player in the draft, Aaron Curry. Curry is a special player. He is capable of playing all of the linebacker positions and he possesses a rare set of skills. With a perfect blend of coverage skills, pass rush ability, and physicality Curry is a can’t miss prospect. He has incredible range and the ability to read and react very quickly. Coaches have spoken very highly of Curry’s character and leadership abilities, which is essential to a team like Detroit. Aaron Curry never missed a game to injury and is one of those players who will immediately improve a team. If Detroit wants to start off on the right foot, they need to take Curry and give their D a boost. It has been proven in recent years that teams with top defenses compete, and putting Aaron Curry alongside Ernie Sims is a fantastic start. If they could add a pass rusher and corner with their next two picks, they would be well on their way to being relevant once again.