League Says Lions Can Pass On The First Pick

With the more-needs-than-one-player-could-ever-fill Lions holding the first overall pick in a year with no obvious candidate worthy of being the initial name called, the question is coming up again. What if the team with the No. 1 overall pick in the draft chooses not to use it? Last year, rumors swirled that the Dolphins might do just that. Yours truly devoted an entire SportingNews.com column to the topic of whether V.P. of football operations Bill Parcells should allow the allotment of time to expire, if for no reason other than to prove a point. In the end, Parcells opted to take Michigan tackle Jake Long, signing him to a contract before the draft began. This year, some are suggesting that the pro football team based in Michigan should decide not to exercise their prerogative to pick first. Last week, Ross Tucker of SI.com made the case for the post-Millen regime to shake things up by not submitting a name. Tom Kowalski of Mlive.com reports that, indeed, it would be a legitimate move, if the Lions were to choose to do it. “It has never been an issue,’' league spokesman Greg Aiello told Kowalski. “There is no penalty for passing, other than losing a higher pick.’' In our view, however, it would create a mess when it comes to sorting out player contracts. If the Lions were to pass and the Rams were to pick first and then the Lions were to pick before the Chiefs could submit a card at No. 3, the agent for the player selected by the Rams would crow that his client was the first overall pick. In turn, the agent for the player picked by the Lions would claim that his client is the true No. 1 pick, since the Lions have used this unprecedented tactic (but for the Vikings’ blunder in 2003) merely to avoid paying a fair and just sum to the player they picked. Then there’s the potential P.R. fallout. Even if the media explains that the Lions passed as part of a purposeful plan, some fans and media types would criticize them harshly for letting the Rams cut the line (a la Banya at the soup stand) -- and it would only get worse if the player the Rams pick ends up being a stud, and if the one the Lions land becomes a bust. So while it’s an intriguing issue to ponder, the tactic of not exercising the first pick in the draft could ultimately cause more problems than it ever solves. For a franchise that already has more than its fair share of problems, then, it might make sense to stick with convention.