I’ve come to peace with the Lions’ selection of Matthew Stafford as the top pick in the NFL Draft last weekend. For one thing, I can’t really argue against him, because as much as I might like to pretend otherwise, I am not a skilled evaluator of elite QB prospects. My reservations had to do with the Lions’ track record in the draft generally and particularly with quarterbacks, and with the potentially devastating effects missing with the top pick.

Those reservations are still, you know, reserved. But I also acknowledge that maybe Stafford will be the playmaker that the Lions need. And the pick makes a lot of sense for Jim Schwartz, who by picking his franchise QB now, can let Stafford sit for a year and then get some game experience before Schwartz’s third season, when he will be expected to deliver a winner.

Plus there’s a side benefit: by spending the top pick on a guy who (I hope) won’t play much this season, the Lions likely won’t improve as much in the short term as they would have with an immediate-impact draft pick. And that means better draft position next year.

But the Lions do need playmakers from this draft class. I think the magic number is four, not counting Stafford. That means Delmas, Pettigrew, a kick returner and somebody else. Hopefully Williams and Levy are stars, but the idea is that, should one of those top guys go bust, that’s mitigated by a pleasant surprise like the big DT Hill.

And for all the talk about how it takes years to evaluate a draft class, we should have a decent first impression soon. I’m interested to see who stands out at the minicamp this weekend.