For the casual fan, the NFL is in the offseason season. For the hardcore NFL betting fan, there is no such thing. The NFL Draft is April 25^th and NFL betting sharps know that this is one of the most important days of the year. Make the right pick, like the Atlanta Falcons and Baltimore Ravens did last season, and you have a chance to make the playoffs. Make the wrong pick, like the Detroit Lions do perennially and you have a chance to be…ahem…the Detroit Lions.

Those very same kitty cats will be selecting at the top of the 2009 NFL Draft and after the league’s first ever 0-16 season, there are obviously plenty of holes to fill. The main question has always been: do you start with a quarterback?

If that’s the case, sportsbook bettors might expect the Lions to take Matthew Stafford or Mark Sanchez. Currently, according to odds makers, Stafford is the favorite at -150. Endzone betting recently noted that Sanchez would fall into the ‘field’ category at +250.

If it’s not a quarterback, many NFL betting handicappers believe that the next most important position is left tackle, and conveniently there is a rich class of those in this draft. Among the best prospects are Baylor’s Jason Smith and Virginia’s Eugene Monroe. Smith is considered the better talent, although he’s raw, while Monroe is more of the safe pick. What’s hampering Smith a little bit is his school’s pedigree. There aren’t that many successful players that have come from Baylor.

Outside of quarterback and tackle, there a couple of other options for the Lions if they choose to venture down that route. On defense, they could give their linebacking corps a boost by adding Wake Forest’s Aaron Curry, who is considered the best overall talent in the draft by many people. The problem is that the linebacker position doesn’t impact the game as much as the quarterback or tackle position, so some people wonder whether that selection deserves merit. The Lions also traded for linebacker Julian Peterson in the offseason, so that might alleviate the need to draft Curry. The Lions also have the option to draft standout wide receiver Michael Crabtree, but given their history of drafting wide receivers, they might want to pass.

The Lions have spent Top 10 picks on Charles Rogers, who is currently in jail, Mike Williams, who is no longer in the NFL, and Roy Williams, who the team traded away last season. They also have Calvin Johnson, who was a can’t-miss prospect they drafted two years ago, and who should be among the best wideouts in the game very shortly.

Crabtree is a unique talent and clearly the best receiver in this draft. But he also has a stress fracture in his foot and teams haven’t had the chance to fully work him out and test his speed.  NFL betting fans know that it can be dangerous to solely rely on a player’s college performance, especially a player like Crabtree who played in a pass-happy system at Texas Tech.

When the Lions come to the podium on April 25^th, expect them to do the logical thing and that would be to draft a quarterback. At that point, it will be their preference of Stafford or Sanchez, but look for Stafford to be the top pick in the 2009 NFL Draft.