Fresh off of the John Thornton close-but-not-quite, and in the same offseason where the Lions very nearly signed OG Darnell Dockett, and almost pulled off a trade for QB Jay Cutler, the Lions again fell just shy of acquiring a player who could make an impact. Thanks to getting suspended for the season due to testing positive for a banned substance, Kentucky DE Jeremy Jarmon was available in today’s supplemental draft.
The Lions’ 0-16 record in 2008 made their supplemental draft picks very powerful. If the Lions were to bid a certain round’s pick, then every other team loses out--unless they bid a higher round pick. Since bidding a given pick in the supplemental draft means you lose that pick in the next regular draft, that's a huge advantage for the Lions over all the other teams in the NFL. Since the rumor was that Jarmon could be had for a fourth-rounder, the Lions would need only to bid their fourth to ensure they'd get him. Surprisingly, however, the Washington Redskins chose to bid their third-round pick, thus acquiring the rights to Jarmon. John Niyo, of the Detroit Free Press News, then reported via Twitter that Mayhew'd text messaged Redskins' VP Vinny Cerrato that he'd indeed bid the Lions’ fourth-rounder for Jarmon, and was surprised not to get him.
Should Mayhew have bid a third-rounder, thus practically guaranteeing Jarmon’s acquisition? Well, the Lions’ probably-high 2010 third-round draft pick could become a potential starter at any position, or be invaluable ammo in a trade to move up or down. Spending it now, when it could only become Jarmon--a player who’s only available due to his character problems--simply wouldn’t maximize that picks’ value. While it’s certainly disappointing to lose out (again) on a potential impact rookie at a position of need, the Lions made the right move.
Discuss it here, in The Den!
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