During the first half of the 2010 NFL season, it looked like Lions fans wouldn't have to be subjected to draft talk until at least December. Although Detroit's record was never that great, the Lions were keeping games competitive and were a break or two away from potentially being .500. The same was true last week even after the loss to the Jets. Although things seemed bad as the Lions' record dropped to 2-6 and Matthew Stafford got hurt again, they had a winnable game coming up against the Bills, so the draft wasn't exactly a hot topic with Lions fans.
↵Well, that is no longer the case. After witnessing what can only be described as an ugly loss to the previously-winless Bills, the 2011 NFL Draft is officially on fans' minds. This season had enough promise that it didn't look like the Lions were destined for another high draft pick, but here we are, nine games into 2010, and Detroit currently is slated to pick in the top three yet again.
↵↵↵1. CAROLINA - 1-8 (.556)
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2. BUFFALO - 1-8 (.580)
3. DETROIT - 2-7 (.532)
4. DALLAS - 2-7 (.562)
5. CINCINNATI - 2-7 (.580)
6. SAN FRANCISCO - 3-6 (.512)
7. MINNESOTA - 3-6 (.543)
8. ARIZONA - 3-6 (.556)
9. DENVER - 3-6 (.580)
10. CLEVELAND - 3-6 (.641)
The rest of the Lions' schedule features home games against the Patriots, Bears, Packers and Vikings and away games against the Cowboys, Buccaneers and Dolphins. While the schedule does feature a few winnable games, who knows if the Lions will actually be able to go out and be victorious with a less-than-healthy Shaun Hill at quarterback. Perhaps by the end of the season they will get back into rhythm with him at the helm, but if not, the Lions could hold a top three pick for the fourth time in five drafts.