-- When I first rolled into town, I had the same feeling as most everyone else -- that Georgia quarterback Matt Stafford would be in the mix as the top overall choice. Stafford's still a possibility, but I think three guys might have passed him -- left tackles Jason Smith (Baylor) and Eugene Monroe (Virginia) and linebacker Aaron Curry (Wake Forest).

I think some draft analysts believe Stafford is the best quarterback available, and since the Lions obviously need to stabilize their quarterback position, they leaped to a conclusion. That's missing the key question: Do the Lions believe Stafford is the guy who can lead their team for the next seven to 10 years? Just because you're the best quarterback available now doesn't mean you're the best quarterback to fulfill the Lions' needs.

And, while quarterback clearly is the most important spot on the team, Smith, Monroe or Curry could make immediate upgrades.

Another thing I have changed my mind on is the potential switch of veteran left tackle Jeff Backus to left guard. I didn't think it was a move the Lions were serious about making, but after talking to general manager Martin Mayhew, I think it's a definite consideration.

-- Since these four days have caused me to reconsider some opinions, here's another one. When I heard Curry talk about the fact that he played strong side linebacker in college but he has the ability to play the other two spots, my first reaction was: It would be a huge mistake to draft a kid at No. 1 then change his position.

The more I thought about it, though, it makes sense for the Lions to consider moving Curry to the middle. They could keep him on the strong side and that would be fine, but if you're going to draft a guy No. 1 and pay him a guaranteed $32 million, it's worth a shot of looking at him as being the quarterback of your defense.

-- While this draft doesn't appear overly impressive in the top 10 to 15 picks, this could be a very deep pool of players in the top three rounds. There are some question marks about some top-rated guys: left tackle Andre Smith (maturity), receiver Michael Crabtree (injury) and cornerback Malcolm Jenkins (speed).

Overall, though, there is a lot of talent in this draft and the Lions, who have five picks in the top 82, can take some huge strides in resurrecting their team.

-- There are some people who keep saying it's just the Lions luck that they would have the No. 1 pick in a year when there isn't a clear-cut No. 1 player. I'm not buying that because people have selective memories. When Peyton Manning was taken first overall in 1998, there was a huge debate at the time about who was better, Manning or Ryan Leaf. It has been settled now, but it wasn't then.

The Houston Texans were laughed at in 2006 for taking Mario Williams instead of Reggie Bush or Vince Young. How did that work out?

The ultimate determination of whether there really is a clear-cut No. 1 player won't be determined until a few years after the draft, not before it.