Are the Lions making a mistake taking the QB?

In today's NFL, teams are getting so caught up with finding a great Quarterback that they are willing to shell out ridiculous money year in and year out just for a shot at getting the second coming of Peyton Manning. But have they taken the need for a great Quarterback and turned it into a debilitating, franchise-crippling disease?

The simple answer, is yes.

Now I'll be the first to admit that I think history in sports relating to future events is greatly overblown, just because the Timberwolves have gone 0-3 all-time against the Clippers on January 3rds doesn't mean they won't beat them the next time they play on that date, but with the progression of players and performance, its different.

In the 15 drafts prior to 2006 (1991-2005)-I'm not going to 2008, 2007, or 2006 because those palyers aren't fully developed- 35 Quarterbacks have been taken in the 1st round. Out of those 35, only 13 went on to become quality starters in the NFL.

So while the Lions do have a small chance of drafting a productive player at QB, why wouldn't they invest their money in a player with a much higher liklihood of success like an Aaron Curry? 1st round linebackers (especially outside) are one of, if not the safest position to draft high. And, if the Lions can really improve their team over the next few years, starting with lineman and linebackers, when they do finally draft a quarterback, he won't be thrown in right away and be asked to be the savior. He'll just have to manage games, much like Atlanta's Matt Ryan and Baltimore's Joe Flacco did last year.