Detroit Lions’ GM Martin Mayhew speaks about hiring third quarterback – NFL News
Detroit Lions’ general manager, Martin Mayhew, has said that the team is going to acquire a third quarterback for the squad, but the hiring might not necessarily be made during the 2012 National Football League (NFL) draft.
Detroit News quoted the general manager as saying that the team indeed needs another quarterback to add depth to the position, but Mayhew might not utilise his draft pick to sign a quarterback.
If Mayhew finds the right guy, he will draft him, but if the general manager does not find what he is looking for, he is going to explore different options in the free agency.
Lions have a 23rd pick in the first round of the draft. By the time Lions would get to select any college player, different teams would have already signed many top prospects, leaving Lions to the option of relatively low prospects.
This is the main reason Mayhew is keeping his options open and is not relying only on the draft to add another quarterback.
The general manager said:
"We're going to look at all of our avenues as we always do. Obviously the draft is next week and obviously there are going to be a bunch of quarterbacks available next week.
"If we're on the clock in a particular round and we've got a quarterback that's a value for us there, we would consider taking that player.”
Mayhew further said:
"By the same token, we're not going to try to make that happen. If it doesn't happen that way, we'll go out in free agency and we'll get a third quarterback that way."
It is not the quarterback position that Lions are worried about. In fact, Lions are also looking to sign a fourth receiver for a backup position.
At the moment, Lions are expected to start the next season with quarterback, Matthew Stafford. His backup will be, Shaun Hill.
Despite the presence of two quarterbacks, Lions are eager to sign another backup because the memories of the disastrous 2008 NFL season are not yet faded away.
Lions’ regular quarterback was injured and his backup was not able to fill in the shoes well. Eventually, Lions ended the season without winning any game.
The general manager is cautious as he does not want the same result again.
Tags: