April 22, 2010: it will be here before you can say Ndamukong Suh. It is the only day of hope and happiness that some of these NFL franchises will experience all year.

So which teams have their perennial Super Bowl each April? As of late, the Detroit Lions have been the Buffalo Bills of the draft. They get there each year with a top pick, high hopes, and optimism. And nearly every year they leave defeated, returning to Hockeytown with a new bust and hopes for a Red Wings Stanley Cup championship.

The Lions claimed victory in 2008’s Race to Radio City, destroying all other competition in an 0-16 debacle of a season. Detroit selected quarterback Matthew Stafford with the first overall pick.

But this year appears to be a much closer competition than 2008. Four teams reside in the lead for the top pick at 1-8: the Lions, Rams, Bucs, and Browns. But these aren’t the only candidates, nor are they necessarily the best candidates. So who currently has the lead in the Race for Radio City Music Hall? Put on your Mel Kiper hair gel, we’re ready to talk about the NFL Draft.

Oh, and when I refer to “Down, But Not Quite Out,” I mean “down but not out of the race for the No. 1 pick.” So in this case, I guess it is a good thing to be out.

Down, But Not Quite Out

11. Tennessee Titans (3-6): I’m legitimately shocked that the Titans started the season 0-6, as are most. I didn’t think Tennessee would make the playoffs this year, but I thought they would at least contend. Wow, we were all wrong. At least Jeff Fisher wised up and put Vince Young as quarterback. He may not be a traditional guy, but he is a winner (3-0 as starter since taking over for Kerry Collins this season). Still, Tennessee finds itself in the thick of things for the draft, and could end up with a high pick. There has been talk of Tennessee running the table and making the playoffs, but I say no way. Give me a break. They have an outside shot to finish .500, but don’t expect Vince Young to lead the Titans on some playoff run.

Needs: Receivers, defensive line, linebackers, defensive backs

This week: Monday at Houston Texans. Prediction: Houston

10. Carolina Panthers (4-5): The Panthers are 4-5, and almost beat the Saints two weekends ago. Then, they defeated the Falcons in an impressive win. But the way Jake Delhomme has been throwing interceptions this season, he has been begging for his job to be taken by Jake Locker or Sam Bradford. Consider Carolina a long shot, and don’t bet on them to get the No. 1 pick (Never bet on Jake Delhomme. Ever). In fact, Carolina probably doesn’t belong on here, and I have no idea why they are even mentioned. Oh yeah, I forgot. Two words: Jake Delhomme.

Needs: Quarterback, defensive line, linebackers, new coach

This week: Thursday vs. Miami Dolphins. Prediction: Miami

9. Washington Redskins (3-6): The Redskins’ presence on this list would have likely surprised anyone at the start of the season. Even after spending a boatload of money in the offseason to solidify the defense (which did not need much solidifying), the 'Skins find themselves at 3-6 with the easy part of the schedule in the history books. They face the 2-7 Raiders (I’ll get to them later) in Oakland, but every other game comes against a playoff contender. Not looking good for Mr. Dan Snyder (and why do I feel like he is going to blame Jim Zorn for everything for the foreseeable future, just like President Obama often puts blame on former President Bush? Oh, and on a related matter, can Obama take over the Redskins like he did GM and fire Snyder? Only if the taxpayers could afford Albert Haynesworth’s contract.). But the 'Skins got a big win this past weekend against the Denver Broncos, and they could definitely upset a few playoff contenders over the second part of the season. Washington might not be on this list for long. Especially since Snyder might try to silence this blog if I continue to criticize the Redskins. If I’m hiding in a remote cave in Siberia next week, you’ll know why.

Needs: Quarterback, offensive line, receiver, coach, owner

This week: at Dallas Cowboys. Prediction: Dallas

8. Seattle Seahawks (3-6): The Seahawks have become quite irrelevant for those of us outside the land of rain and Starbucks. Not only have they been very disappointing this season, but also their team has almost no fantasy implications at all. It’s kind of tough for me to get excited about Justin Forsett. If Matt Hasselbeck can stay healthy, then Seattle should be out of the race for the No. 1 pick pretty soon. Unfortunately, that’s about as likely as Joey Porter and Rex Ryan hanging out this weekend. So Seattle remains on the list for now.

Needs: Running back, offensive line, defensive line, better weather

This week: at Minnesota Vikings. Prediction: Minnesota

The Contenders

7. Buffalo Bills (3-6): The first team to fire their head coach during a season automatically qualifies as a “contender” in the Race to Radio City.

Needs: Quarterback, offensive line, coach, assurance that team won’t move to Toronto

This week: at Jacksonville Jaguars. Prediction: Jacksonville

6. Kansas City Chiefs (2-7): The Chiefs are somewhat of a surprising 2-7 team. They have played well at times this season, almost defeating the Cowboys in Week 5. However, Kansas City has a number of decently winnable games coming up, so don’t expect the Chiefs to end up with the top pick.

Needs: Offensive line, defensive line, linebackers, defensive backs

This week: vs. Pittsburgh. Prediction: Pittsburgh

5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-8): The Bucs pulled themselves out of contention for 0-16 last week with a victory over Green Bay. Rookie quarterback Josh Freeman tossed three touchdowns and looked very good in the win, which could spell bad signs for the Bucs’ bid for the No. 1 pick. And then Freeman played well at Miami and almost pulled off a comeback victory, only to have the Bucs defense give up the winning field goal at the end. The Bucs will be in competition for No. 1 until the very end, but I think they will finish just below the top spot.

Needs: Receivers, offensive line, defensive line, linebackers

This week: vs. New Orleans Saints. Prediction: New Orleans

4. Oakland Raiders (2-7): Oh, while we are on the subject of government takeovers, Oak-town could use a takeover as well. I feel bad for Raider Nation, though their passion seems to never go away, even with the team’s struggles. JaMarcus Russell will ensure that the Black and Silver stay in this race, trust me.

Needs: Quarterback (unlikely because of Russell’s contract), offensive line, defensive line, owner, coach, SWAT team to safely remove coach from office

This week: vs. Cincinnati Bengals. Prediction: Cincinnati

3. Detroit Lions (1-8): No questions here. This team has a very winnable game against Cleveland this Sunday, but the other teams on their remaining schedule are all pretty good. It could be 2-14 for the Lions, or 3-13 if they are lucky. And how could we have a “Race to Radio City” without the Lions? It would be like throwing a birthday party for someone and then not inviting that person.

Needs: Offensive line, defensive line, defensive backs, receiver (even after drafting a receiver 4 out of 5 years in the first round), a new scapegoat (now that Matt Millen is gone)

This week: vs. Cleveland Browns. Prediction: Detroit

2. St. Louis Rams (1-8): Congratulations to St. Louis on almost beating the Saints, but the Rams could very well end up with the No. 1 pick, as their only win was a close one over the Lions. They will try to start with unloading quarterback Marc Bulger. By the way, great decision by the Rams’ front office to keep Bulger over Kurt Warner. Really good choice.

Needs: Quarterback, offensive line, defensive line, defensive backs, new stadium

This week: vs. Arizona Cardinals. Prediction: Arizona

THE LEADER

1. Cleveland Browns (1-8): Ah, the Cleveland Browns. The NFL so kindly graced our televisions on Monday Night Football this week when Cleveland hosted the Ravens. Great. Why were they on MNF again? No idea. They can’t even score an offensive touchdown, and they made their second quarterback switch of the season. I love the Dawg Pound and the tradition of this team, but the Browns are just terrible. They put up no points against Baltimore this past week in a game that pretty much epitomized the plight of a once proud franchise. And right now they lead the Race to Radio City.

Needs: Quarterback, running back, receiver, defensive line, linebackers, defensive backs, coach, LeBron James

This week: at Detroit Lions. Prediction: Detroit

So the Browns currently lead the “Race to Radio City.” I’ll be at Ford Field in Detroit this week to see the Browns square off against the Lions in a clash between the two dynasties of the 50’s. But more importantly, it is a matchup between the #1 and #4 teams in the Race to Radio City. Until next week, and to all the contenders: Keep on losing.

-- STANLEY KAY
Follow him on Twitter @LionsBlogBlitz