| Detroit Free Press
Matthew Stafford through the years: Time as Detroit Lions and Georgia quarterback
A look at Matthew Stafford through the years as the Detroit Lions quarterback.
Tyler J. Davis, Wochit
The Detroit Lions are adding one of the best talent evaluators in the NFL, someone who had a hand in building the rosters for two of this year’s playoff teams, to their front office.
Former Kansas City Chiefs and Cleveland Browns general manager John Dorsey has agreed to join the Lions as a senior personnel executive, a person with knowledge of the deal but not yet authorized to speak about it publicly told the Free Press.
Dorsey’s deal is not yet finalized, but no hang-ups are expected to keep it from happening and the move likely will be announced this week.
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NFL Network reported Sunday that the Lions also are expected to add Los Angeles Rams director of pro scouting Ray Agnew to their personnel department as assistant GM.
Agnew worked with new Lions GM Brad Holmes the past four seasons in L.A.
Dorsey currently works as a consultant for the Philadelphia Eagles. During the season, he spent his days studying NFL film on Mondays and Tuesdays, and film of college draft prospects Wednesday-Friday from his suburban Cleveland home.
He was GM of the Chiefs in 2013-16, and GM of the Browns in 2017-19.
In Kansas City, Dorsey built much of the roster that won Super Bowl LIV and played the Buffalo Bills in the AFC championship game Sunday,
He traded up from No. 27 to No. 10 to take MVP quarterback Patrick Mahomes in the 2017 NFL draft, and selected players such as wide receiver Tyreek Hill, defensive lineman Chris Jones and running back Kareem Hunt.
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In Cleveland, Dorsey took quarterback Baker Mayfield and cornerback Denzel Ward with top-five picks in 2018.
Last week, the Chiefs beat the Browns, 22-17, in an AFC divisional playoff game.
Dorsey will serve as a sounding board for first-year Lions GM Brad Holmes, and his expertise scouting quarterbacks, in particular, could come in handy this spring.
The Lions are exploring trade options for Matthew Stafford, likely to deal their longtime starter when the 2021 league year opens in March.
They could take his replacement with the seventh pick in a draft that is heavy on top quarterback talent. Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence is the presumptive No. 1 pick, and Ohio State’s Justin Fields, BYU’s Zach Wilson, North Dakota State’s Trey Lance and perhaps Alabama’s Mac Jones could go in the top 10.
More: John Dorsey’s record evaluating QBs
Along with the Lions, the New York Jets at No. 2, Atlanta Falcons at No. 4 and possibly the Philadelphia Eagles at No. 6 could be in the quarterback market.
Before drafting Mahomes and Mayfield as GM, Dorsey was the director of college scouting when the Green Bay Packers took Aaron Rodgers with their first pick in the 2005 draft, and he signed Kurt Warner as an undrafted free agent.
The Lions have five picks in the draft: No. 7 in the first round, plus picks in Rounds 2-5. They traded their sixth-round pick to the Dallas Cowboys for Everson Griffen in October, and their seventh-rounder to the Seattle Seahawks as part of the Quandre Diggs trade in 2019.
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.