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The mystery is over, the Lions will take Matthew Stafford with the number one overall pick.  Stafford agreed Friday night to a six-year $78 million contract with $41.7 million guaranteed money.  To put it into perspective, Matt Ryan signed a six-year, $72 million deal with $34.75 million guaranteed.  Experts debated who they though the Lions, the first 0-16 team in NFL history, would take with the first overal pick to help their team.

The Lions desperately needed a quarterback and taking Stafford was a very smart move.  The Lions will continue to rebuild with another first round pick, 20th overall, as well as a second round pick and two third round picks.  Stafford will formally be taken on Saturday when the Lions are on the clock. 

Stafford is ready to start in the NFL but the Lions will most likely sit him behind veteran quarterback Dante Culpepper as he has done well in team workouts this offseason.  Sitting behind a veteran in this league only helps rookie quarterbacks and will allow Stafford to come in and take over the team and become the face of the franchise in Detroit.

The focus of the Draft now turns to the St. Louis Rams, who have the second overall pick.  Sources have said the Rams have purchased a plane ticket for Mark Sanchez to arrive on Sunday, the day that the Rams will introduce their first round pick.  If this move isn’t a ploy, this could be a sign the Rams will be looking for quarterback help as well.  Many think the Rams desperately need a left tackle, but they have addressed that need with moving right tackle Alex Barron over to the left.  They will probably take an offensive tackle later in the draft but takeing Sanchez get’s them set up for years to come.

The Detroit Lions are finalizing contract negotions with their number one overall pick in this years NFL Draft.  The Lions are dealing with Tom Condon and Ben Dogra,  who represent Matthew Stafford and Jason Smith, and have not said who that person would be.  Many sources are saying it would be Stafford.  Smith would be their choice is contract negotiations fell through with the Staffor camp.  Sources say negotiations could be finalized as soon as Wednesday night.

If the Lions take Matthew Stafford, he will most likely be second to veteran QB Dante Culpepper as he has shined quite a bit this offseason.  Stafford would probably be giving a chance to compete for the starting gig, a job that most experts agree he is ready for.

Once the pick is all wrapped up with their giagantic contract, the focus will turn to the holders of the second pick, the St. Louis Rams.  The Rams are expected to take an offensive tackle, Jason Smith or Eugene Monroe, with the pick.  The Rams have moved Alex Barron from right to left tackle and have liked what they’ve seen.  This move allows the Rams to look at possibly taking Aaron Curry, linebacker, or taking the second best available quarterback Mark Sanchez.  Unlike the Lions, the Rams will most likely not sign their pick pre-draft and will not make it available until the Commissioner walks across that stage to the podium.

The Jacksonville Jaguars took a major step in filling holes Monday with the signing of veteran wideout Torry Holt.  Holt and the team agreed to a three-year deal worth $20 million, $4 million guaranteed.  The Jaguars were in dire need of receivers after the releasing of Matt Jones and Jerry Porter.

Holt was released from the St. Louis Rams, where he’s played his whole career, in March to clear cap space for younger talent.  Releasing Holt cleared up $8 million in cap space for the Rams.  The question wasn’t would Holt find another home, it was with who and what was his price tag.  After a short stint of shopping it came down to Jacksonville and Tennessee.  There were rumors that Orlando Pace, also recently released by the Rams and picked up by the Bears, wanted Holt to join him in Chicago.  In the end, both the Jaguars and Holt felt it was the right fit.

Jacksonville holds the 8th overall pick in this weekend’s NFL Draft.  It’s been speculated that they would surely go wide receiver with that selection but with the aquisition of Holt it seems they have more options.  Drafting a young receiver would allow him to study under a veteran of high calibur to train for the number one spot.  Or they could go with quarterback to give them to option to release or not renew current signal caller David Garrard’s contract in the next year or two.  Anything can happen in the NFL Draft, tune in this weekend to see it live!

Torry Holt has begun looking for a new home.  After recently being cut from the Rams to clear $8 million in cap space, former St. Louis wide receiver is looking for the next stop in his career.  Jacksonville could be that stop.  The Jaguars had Holt for come in for a visit Thursday, deciding if his addition would help the team who is currently lacking experience in the wideout position.

After letting Reggie Williams’ contract elapse and the releasing of Matt Jones and Jerry Porter, the Jags were sorely needing a receiver.  On their roster they currently have Dennis Northcutt, Troy Williamson and Mike Walker but none that compare to the career that Holt has had so far.  Holt has totaled 869 catches for 12,660 yards and 74 touchdowns, it would be hard to pass that up.