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Detroit Lions head coach Jim Schwartz told the Scouting Combine media yesterday that the #2 pick in the upcoming April draft is for sale at the right price:

“We’re open to just about everything,” Schwartz said. “I think that whether you keep the second pick or you trade down, it doesn’t change what you have to do, and that’s make good decisions in the draft.”

Every team is open to all options, especially when you need a lot of help, like the Lions do. However, that doesn’t mean trading away a top 5 pick is a shrewd move. The Lions need a major influx of legit talent to extract themselves from football’s basement, where they’ve been dwelling for over a decade.

Sitting at #2 in the draft order, the Lions are in prime position to snag a defensive stud like Ndamukong Suh or Gerald McCoy. Quick, name a current Lions defender? Uh, er, hmm… It’s not easy, is it? You know all about Matt Stafford and Calvin Johnson, and to a lesser extent Kevin Smith and Brandon Pettigrew — all offensive players. But what about the D?

Until the motor city cats build a physical, attacking defense, they won’t be able to compete in the NFC. Adding a potential superstar like Suh or McCoy is what needs to be done to start down the right path. Sure, dealing the pick for extra selections later in the draft, or future drafts, might work, but it could just as easily backfire.

The odds of finding impact players and long-term starters decreases round by round. Stockpiling, in theory, can be a brilliant strategy, if properly executed. That being said, unless you’re supremely confident you can locate guys who can fill all your needs in rounds 2-5, you’re better off staying put at the top of the draft and snagging the closest to a can’t-miss sure thing prospect, like Suh or McCoy.

To me, the Lions can ill afford to roll the dice on draft day. Staying put and grabbing the defensive help that is so desperately needed makes a lot more sense than gambling on a trade that could blow up in their faces. Be smart, Detroit.