Ten years from now, I’m guessing that we’ll look back at the QB class of 2004 and be able to confidently say it’s the been the best since 1983, when John Elway, Dan Marino and Jim Kelly were drafted. The ’04 class, of course, included Eli Manning, Philip Rivers and Ben Roethlisberger.

I’d rank all three among the top 10 quarterbacks in the league today, with Roethlisberger coming in as the fifth best. (Colleague Michael Blunda and I were debating this earlier, and I determined that Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Carson Palmer and Drew Brees are the only guys I’d rather have leading my team right now).

Regardless, the major issue here is that the Giants, Chargers and Steelers all had their long-term futures secured by their first pick in the ’04 draft, and I’d go so far as to say that they all would have experienced roughly the same level of success had they drafted one of the other three quarterbacks instead.

I write this because in the immediate aftermath of the Super Bowl this Sunday, the NFL’s collective attention will turn to the 2009 draft, and specifically what the Lions should do with their top pick. With no defender, receiver or running back worthy of the No. 1 pick (neither Brian Orakpo, Rey Maualuga nor Chris Wells are that good, and no way do they take Michael Crabtree), the debate will be whether they should invest in one of the top offensive tackles or quarterbacks. Pending workouts, OTs Andre Smith, Eugene Monroe, Jason Smith and Michael Oher all could potentially be top-pick material, while Matt Stafford and Mark Sanchez have No. 1 potential among the quarterbacks.

If the Lions deem any one of those players as the clear-cut best prospect, that individual should be the pick. If, however, they grade out the top tackle and quarterback similarly, their decision should be clear: go with the thrower.

Sure, first-round quarterbacks don’t always pan out, but the reality is that there’s no position that’s foolproof in the first round. People always want to talk about Ryan Leaf, Tim Couch and Heath Shuler, but you think the Packers don’t regret picking Tony Mandarich, the Jets for nabbing D’Brickashaw Ferguson, or even the Super Bowl participant Cardinals for getting Levi Brown? Of course they do.

Historically speaking, quarterback is the one position that can have the singular impact of reversing the fortunes of a franchise for the better. And should the Lions see just as much potential in Stafford as they see in Smith, their decision couldn’t be any simpler — go with Stafford.

After all, I tend to doubt we'd be seeing Pittsburgh make its second trip to the Super Bowl since 2006 if they took Shawn Andrews over Big Ben.