Think you can play in the NFL? No, really. Do you think you can play in the NFL? Probably not, right? There are times I think I could haul in screen passes, or hit the hole, but I’m not delusional. Football is for man-mountains with 15-inch forearms and 4.33 speed. But how good do you really have to be?

Think you could catch 33 passes in 3 years? That’s only 11/season, or .75/game. Just think about it. You’re out there in the flat and Favre flings you a pass. That’s one catch. Your quota’s fulfilled.

So what’s my point? Well, Steve Mariucci is on the way out the door in Detroit. And as pitiful as the Lions have been the past 3 seasons I can’t help but think he might take a couple numbers with him for future gridiron showdowns. Assuming Charles Rogers is still in the NFL next year, don’t think he’s going to be looking forward to Week Whatever vs. Mooch’s next squad.

Yes, this is all about Charlie. That former second overall pick with 11 games under his belt in 3 seasons, and 33 career receptions.

So I’ve got to ask you again. For a $14.4 million signing bonus do you think you could muster three career TDs?

And how about our pal Joey? That 1st round (3rd overall) QB out of Oregon with a 56:61 TD:INT ratio. The QB with a career rating of 67.1! How’d you like to be the coach who trotted him out there every week?

People want to say Matt Millen’s drafted well over his tenure as GM of the Lions. But while he’s taken the right names, none of the really big ones have panned out. Sure Roy Williams and Kevin Jones are going strong, but you can’t waste a #2 and #3 overall 1st round pick and live to lose another game. And that’s what Harrington and Rogers are: wasted picks.

True, Harrington was the only QB worth taking at #3 in 2002. And the Lions were in desperate need of a pivot. So you can’t really fault Millen for that pick. I think the only other QBs taken in that draft who’re still playing in the NFL are Josh McCown and David Garrard. Kurt Kittner’s out of football, right? And Rogers looked like he was going to be the real deal. But bad luck’s doomed enough management material to resurrect the USFL. And the Lions can’t keep going on like this.

This year they draft defense; heavy hitters at LB and S who can actually play a physical style of D. It’s tough to make a mistake on a 6′6″, 275, OLB who chews through live pvc cabling to get ready for Sunday. They really have no choice but to keep going with Joey. Millen likes him and really doesn’t want to hand the reins to Garcia. But Charles Rogers looks like he’s finished. This guy doesn’t care enough about his team to run the right routes. He’s not a professional, and he doesn’t have the skills.

Look, I’m really not trying to dig into Rogers any more than I need to in order to prove my point. And since my point’s just that Matt Millen’s got the luck of a Frank Castillo fastball I think I’ve gone far enough.

2002 NFL Draft Re-Cap