By: Eric Thomas

Put me down for wanting Asante Samuel in a Lions jersey. Look, you will have to give up some things to get him. There are plenty of people who say that he is too old to be worth a 3rd round draft pick. I say send the pick to the Eagles. There are some risks but so are most things in football. There is no sure bet. No one thought the Eagles would miss the playoffs last year but that's why we love the NFL.

Look, obviously this is a team that got better using the draft. Martin Mayhew had done an admirable job so far mining the diamonds of the rough. Most of the reason the Lions were a playoff team is because they have drafted well. But this is different. You are acquiring a Pro Bowl corner and those guys are worth their weight in gold.

Let's keep in mind that corners last seemingly forever. Darrel Green played for 19 years! Charles Woodson is still playing at a high level and I was in high school when he won the Heisman Trophy. The man who started across from Darrell Green in his final seasons was Champ Bailey and he is still in the league.

I also just like the player. Many people complain that he gambles too much but I am fine with that in this man's NFL. Corners have been more or less rendered helpless by rule changes. They more or less just get a more up close view of the touchdowns. Having a corner that steps up and gambles will obviously cost you points but so what. Our current crew costs us all kinds' points already. If he steps in front of one occasionally, so be it.

The other reason I just like the player is he will have a giant chip on his shoulder. The guy is a talent but he is being run out of town because the Eagles went out last year and nabbed Asomugha. He needs to prove that the Eagles made a huge mistake and I would love to give him that chance. Please, if we had a Pro Bowl corner and the defensive line starts actually playing like they did last year. The possibilities...

Granted, it would be really nice to have a running game. I have been harping on this since the end of the season. I have basically come to grips with the fact that the Lions are going to go D-Line in the draft. I despise this idea, with so much money already committed on the defensive line. There is some talent in the defensive secondary but that talent is thin. Some depth would be really nice in the defensive secondary. Currently our depth barely qualifies as Dixie cup.

So yes, give them the third round pick. It seems fair. I am not sure I would commit a second round pick because I want Miami's Lamar Miller as a steal in the second round. Then I want to dust off a place for Asante Samuel and hope he likes it here.

If the Lions go into the 2012 season without addressing their most glaring area of need, I will be very surprised if they go to the playoffs a second straight year.