Will Millen be able to resist?

It probably is too early for NFL Draft talk, but one of the worst fears of Detroit Lions fans was fed earlier today by John Clayton at ESPN.com. No, Matt Millen's not getting another contract extension from the Ford family. But it's very possible that a wide receiver will be the best player on the board at the Lions #2 selection.

According to Clayton, Georgia Tech's Calvin Johnson was extremely impressive at the NFL Combine. Initially, he invoked fears of being the next Big Mike Williams by weighing in at 239 lbs., which was approximately 10 more than expected. No wonder the guy said he wouldn't run for the scouts until his own scheduled workout. But maybe Johnson heard enough murmuring to decide that he needed to make a good impression. So he borrowed someone else's shoes and ran a 40-yard dash. And those 239 lbs. flashed down the track in 4.35 seconds.

Throw that in with his height, leaping ability, and diva-free attitude, and you have someone who will likely make one NFL team very, very happy.

So where does that leave Matt Millen? Well, as usual, Big Al nailed it with his post on Friday. Millen's previous incompetence with the draft - especially in regards to drafting wide receivers - has left the Lions in a position where they actually can't afford to draft a flashy skills player.

Thanks to Millen's boneheaded buffoonery in past drafts, the Lions are only going to take a offensive or defensive lineman (There will be one exception, more on that later). Millen will get pilloried for taking a skill position player, even if that player (JaMarcus Russell, Calvin Johnson, Brady Quinn) is the highest ranked left on the draft board. Considering the past track record, deservedly so.

And this is the hell that Detroit Lions fans have to live through. Millen will more than likely be shamed into taking the kind of player they should've taken early in his tenure - when he should've focused on building a team from the interior line outward - thus placating a fan base more than ready to burn him in effigy and passing on what could be one of the most talented, athletic draft prospects in recent memory. Fortunately, an offensive lineman - Joe Thomas of Wisconsin has shown he might be good enough to pick at #2.

What's most comical of all is that the Lions actually need a wide receiver, since Charles Rogers and Big Mike Williams were exposed as lazy frauds and free agents, such as Corey Bradford, were brought in without the Lions knowing whether or not they could grasp Mike Martz's offense. But the Lions are hoping to fill that need with a veteran who knows the system, like Kevin Curtis. Plus, as Clayton's article also mentions, there should be plenty of depth at wide receiver in this draft, so the Lions can afford to address that need in later rounds.

My head is beginning to hurt with this mess. When does baseball season start?