No, the Lions shouldn’t take a quarterback early in the 2021 NFL Draft

Jared Goff isn’t the worst quarterback ever, but is there a quarterback in the class worth taking over him?

The Matthew Stafford era is over. Enter the Jared Goff regime.

For the time being.

The Detroit Lions agreed to part ways with Stafford after 12 years by sending him to the Los Angeles Rams. Brad Holmes is steering into the skidding rebuild by fleecing out two future first-round picks and a third-round selection in April’s draft.

They also landed Goff, who may be a bridge quarterback or could be the long-term answer. The trade won’t go through until March, and it’s too soon to say right now.

Dan Campbell likely understands this could be his lone chance at being an NFL head coach. He’s going to do things his way and hopefully the right way. Maybe bitting a few kneecaps along the way will leave a sour taste by opponents, but hey, Lions fans signed off on him for six years to fix the franchise.

Fixing it means winning with these picks. Over three years, Detroit will have five first-round selections to make the rebuild seem quicker. Wasting an early pick on a quarterback you don’t believe in might be worse than wasting the career of the one you do.

When the Lions are on the clock with the No. 7 pick, they need to calculate the odds against the means. For now, the riskier bet is to go in a different direction than under center.

It’s also the right call.

Quarterback isn’t the top priority of the Lions

Goff might be the bridge guy for two seasons or so, should he flourish in Allen Park. He also could need a chance a change of scenery altogether to fix his woes. Does anyone else remember Ryan Tannehill’s pre-Tennessee days?

Anthony Lynn was hired as the team’s offensive coordinator. The game plan will be to run the ball more efficiently with D’Andre Swift and Kerryon Johnson, thus taking pressure off the quarterback’s passing.

More to that, who is Goff passing to? Kenny Golladay is an impending free agent looking for top dollar on the market. Marvin Jones is set to leave as well. T.J. Hockenson might be an upgrade over Tyler Higbee, but one-position passing isn’t going far.

When looking at the quarterbacks in 2021, each offers exemplary potential. They also offer a number of concerns outside of Trevor Lawerence. Against strong defenses, Justin Fields struggled.

Zach Wilson broke out against the weaker competition. Will the BYU star be limited? Trey Lance has barely played in over a year and needs a season to thrive. Is Mac Jones a product of the Alabama success story?

Teams who truly need quarterback help such as the Washington Football Team and San Francisco 49ers would offer a bargain for the top spot. A name like Florida’s Kadarius Toney or Alabama’s Jaylen Waddle would be a perfect gadget player for Lynn’s system.

Add on another pick or two and this could be the start of a fine-tuned rebuild. Both sides of the ball need to be in the shop. The more picks added, the more parts could be used to fix the Motor City franchise.

Campbell made the message clear Sunday with reporters. If there isn’t a quarterback worth taking in the 2021 NFL Draft, he won’t.

Right now, there isn’t.