INDIANAPOLIS – Forget Georgia's Matt Stafford or Baylor's Jason Smith, the Detroit Lions should select Wake Forest senior linebacker Aaron Curry with the No. 1 pick of the 2009 NFL draft.

Draft experts are clamoring for the Lions to fix their franchise with a big left tackle or a strong-armed quarterback, but neither would even come close to addressing all of Detroit’s weaknesses. Curry can’t either — one player can’t plug all of the Lions’ holes — but drafting Curry would be a great start.

Quarterbacks are a risky investment. No matter how talented they are, there is always the likelihood of being a bust. And the Lions can find a left tackle with the 20th selection in the first round. This year’s class of tackles is deep, so there will be some good talent left.

Curry, at almost 6-foot-2 inch, 254-pounds, is the safest bet in the draft. Not only is he a great player on the field, but he is also has the kind of character the Lions need. It doesn't hurt that he likes Detroit, either.

“As far as Detroit No. 1, it would be a dream come true,” Curry said at the NFL Combine on Feb. 21 in Indianapolis. “If I could pick, sure, I would want to go No. 1 overall. It would just be a great feeling to go out to Detroit and play alongside (Detroit linebacker) Ernie Sims. (It) would be amazing, being that I watched him play in the ACC as a freshman, and I always admired his style of play.”

Last year, Curry tallied 101 total tackles, two sacks and an interception for Wake Forest en route to winning the Butkus award, given to the nation’s top linebacker. His senior year statistics mirrored his junior season and were slightly better than in his sophomore season.

Inserting him into a defense without many solid, consistent or name-brand players will improve a unit that ranked dead last in scoring defense and yards allowed. He’s versatile and has the ability to play any of the three linebacker positions. If Detroit plugged him in next to Sims, the ninth overall pick in the 2006 Draft, it would have a solid tandem in the middle of the defense.

And when it comes to turning around bad teams, Curry’s been there before.

“In my career playing football high school and in college, I’ve entered programs where things weren’t going so well at the time, and things have always managed to switch around when I got there,” Curry said. “And (my teams have) always been able to handle adversity of people saying we weren’t going to be good because of a previous season.”

Curry’s impact on Detroit would go beyond the field. His personality alone shows the capability of turning around a dark decade for the Lions. Throughout his press conference at the NFL Combine, Curry had a smile stamped on his face. But that upbeat attitude almost turned to tears when he was questioned about the adversity he had faced in his life.

After his sophomore season at Wake Forest, Curry came home from school to find that his mother had been evicted from their home. He ended up staying with a friend for the summer while his family was homeless, and he said his work ethic has been shaped by the event.

“I realized I had to do something,” Curry said. “And football was it. … Those are the moments that you think about in the fourth quarter when there’s a play that needs to be made, and you know you have the opportunity to provide for your family for the rest of their lives.”

Curry had the opportunity after his junior year to leave college early, go to the NFL and support his family. But he made what he said was a tough decision to stay in college and improve his game.

His collegiate success was backed up by a strong performance at the Combine. He ran a 4.56 second forty-yard dash, fastest among linebackers, and tied for the highest vertical jump for linebackers at 37.0 inches. He also had 25 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press, which put him in the top 10 for linebackers.

His athleticism and character jump off the page when you evaluate him, but his overall intangibles are what make him the best pick for the Detroit Lions.

If the Lions select him, they'll know exactly what they are getting, and that’s something Detroit needs desperately.

And Curry has got a message for the Lions management, too.

“I want (NFL teams) to know that my personality and my character is contagious,” Curry said.