Detroit Lions general manager Martin Mayhew has been a firm believer in the "BPA" philosophy when it comes to the NFL Draft.
Take the "Best Player Available," not a lesser talent just to fill a need.
Still, the Lions have three obvious positions that must be addressed soon, if not immediately, to take another step toward a Super Bowl and to become a consistent contender.
Those areas are cornerback, offensive line and running back.
In the first of a three-part series, here's the state of the cornerbacks:
WHY THE NEED?
The Lions' secondary was torched their final two games last season. Green Bay's reserve quarterback Matt Flynn passed for 480 yards and six touchdowns in the regular-season finale. New Orleans' Drew Brees went for 466 and three scores in the playoffs. The Packers and Saints both scored 45 points.
Of the 22 offensive and defensive starters, the Lions are losing only one. That's cornerback Eric Wright, who signed a five-year, $37.5-million free-agent deal with Tampa Bay.
The Lions' top returning corners are Chris Houston, a starter last year, along with Alphonso Smith, Aaron Berry and Don Carey.
The club also added Jacob Lacey, a free agent from the Indianapolis Colts. Lacey was not drafted coming out of Oklahoma State in 2009, but he played in 43 games the last three years with the Colts.
This position was arguably the biggest weakness on last year's 10-win team, and that hasn't changed a bit.
Part of the problem is that the Lions haven't made cornerback a top priority in the draft in more than a decade. The last time they did was when they used first-round picks on the position in consecutive years, taking Tennessee's Terry Fair No. 20 overall in 1998 and Texas' Bryant Westbrook No. 5 overall in 1997.
In the last two decades, they've selected no cornerbacks in the first round, one in the second round (Ryan McNeil of Miami, Fla., in 1993) and four in the third round (Iowa's Amari Spievey, now a safety, in 2010, Stanford's Stanley Wilson in 2005, McNeese State's Keith Smith in 2003 and South Carolina's Andre Goodman in 2002).
It is obviously time for that approach to change, provided the right guy is available.
FIRST-ROUND ANSWERS
With the No. 23 pick overall, there's really no guarantee that there will be any solution still on the board.
The Lions don't need another average corner. They need, ideally, a standout who can make an impact against all of these prolific passing offenses in the league, especially in a division with Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Cornerback has become a premium position in the NFL, but the exceptional ones are few and far between.
The only sure thing when it comes to a potential lockdown corner in this year's draft appears to be LSU's Morris Claiborne, who could be a top-five selection.
Mayhew has been able to swing deals in recent years to move up in the draft, but it would take a much bigger trade, probably too big, to land Claiborne.
The question then becomes whether Alabama's Dre Kirkpatrick or South Carolina's Stephon Gilmore will be available when the Lions are picking later in the first round. Neither is on Claiborne's level, but both have good height, an increasingly important factor in an era of big go-to receivers. Kirkpatrick is 6-foot-2 and 186 pounds, Gilmore 6-1 and 190.
If the Lions aren't able to land one of these three, it would make sense for them, despite this glaring need, to pass on a cornerback with their first pick.
Based on most draft evaluations, there appears to be no other cornerback truly worthy of a first-round selection, either because of talent deficiencies or character issues.
However, there could be one other option to try to improve the secondary. Alabama's Mark Barron is far and away the best safety in the draft. One problem: Trading up several spots also probably would be necessary for any shot at Barron.
SECOND-ROUND HOPEFULS
The Lions might have to settle for a second-tier corner to fill the void for now. While not the best scenario, it still could help upgrade the position to some extent.
With that second pick being 54th overall, however, they might also have to move up to get what they want in Round 2.
Or, perhaps, they could trade down from No. 23 and still find what they're targeting available.
Fortunately for the Lions, this year's class has a surplus of decent cornerbacks -- not great but capable of contributing. The depth is partly because there are a number of small-college candidates in the mix.
The difficulty will be in identifying which ones have the highest upside, whose weaknesses can be improved and flaws best hidden.
Janoris Jenkins is the biggest enigma of the group. He is said to have first-round skills but concerns about his character could mean he slides. Jenkins got kicked off the team at Florida following two marijuana-related arrests and finished his career at North Alabama.
Central Florida's Josh Robinson (5-10, 199) made a strong case for himself at the NFL Combine in February. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.33 seconds, better than any player at any position.
Robinson also had the best vertical jump (38.5 inches) and the top time in the cone drill (for agility), among cornerbacks at the combine.
Montana's Trumaine Johnson (6-2, 204) has good size and leaping ability, but there are concerns about his speed after he ran a surprising 4.61 in the 40.
Others who are second-round projections include Virginia Tech's Jayron Hosley (5-10, 178), Nebraska's Alfonzo Dennard (5-10, 204), Virginia's Chase Minnifield (5-10, 183), Georgia's Brandon Boykin (5-10, 182) and Louisiana-Lafayette's Dwight Bentley (5-10, 182).
LATER-ROUND SLEEPER
The Lions reportedly already have brought in Coastal Carolina's Josh Norman (6-0, 197) for a visit. Norman caught some attention with his performances at the East-West Shrine Game and Senior Bowl. His size and length could make him a quality under-the-radar option.
NEXT WEEK: The offensive line.
