OT- Lions Draft
What are some opinions on how the Lions will draft this year. What do you guys think do the Rams take a QB with the number one pick or do they take Suh? Im really hoping we somehow end up with Suh but will it be smarter to trade down and get a 2 players in the first round? Would any team even consider that?
February 5th, 2010 at 10:41 AM ^
No. And although it will be another huge contract on our salary cap, we need either Suh or Mccoy, badly. Our run defense is annually near the bottom of the league and we need strengthen the DT position instead of signing old washed up veterans like Grady Jackson.
February 5th, 2010 at 10:43 AM ^
Given how much money the 2nd pick in the draft is paid I think it would be very hard to trade down from that spot. The only way I could see that happening is if Suh is still there (in which case I would want the lions to draft him, not trade out of the spot) or if one of the top tier players or quarterbacks has an awesome combine workout and someone thinks they need to move up to 2 to get him (like Mark Sanchez last year... but that was pick 4).
I want the Lions to a d-lineman with their first pick and O-line with their 2nd. When you have the worst defense in the history of the league you should probably start there.
If they're planning on a "bend but don't break" defense then Eric Berry wouldn't be a bad pickup at 2. Then you have Delmas and Berry as your two deep men for a long time.
February 5th, 2010 at 11:02 AM ^
We really do need Suh. And I think for the Rams, their best bet would be to draft a QB with their first pick. The Rams have a miserable offense, and it's not their running game that's the problem. Stephen Jackson is a beast. They took Jason Smith with their first pick last year, so it's not going to be an O-lineman. QB is the way to go for them, but Suh really is almost too hard to pass up. If they do end up taking Suh, I wouldn't go with McCoy. I would take an O-lineman. When you're drafting at number 2, you have to take someone that's going to be worth the money. I don't think that that's McCoy. The Lions have so many holes to fill, and I don't actually think that DT is as much of a liability as you guys are making it out to be for the Lions. Sammie Lee-Hill was actually a pretty solid pick for the Lions last year, and Coen proved to be quite the force as well. No, we're not great on the D-line, but I don't think we're so bad that we have to reach for any players on it at the beginning of the draft.
February 5th, 2010 at 12:02 PM ^
and it will most likely be McCoy (a beast as well) who is the only real option because the OL guys are not worthy of the #2 pick this year.
February 5th, 2010 at 12:09 PM ^
Okung is supposed to be a really good OT from what I've heard. I don't know a whole lot about him, but I just feel the same way about McCoy. I don't think he's worthy of the number 2 pick. And I know people keep talking about Berry, but our secondary was actually pretty good this year. I just don't see the sense in drafting another safety so high when we drafted Delmas last year. The problem with our pass defense was not our secondary, it was our pass rush. It was just nearly impossible for us to get to the QB last year. I understand that a lot of people see a team's pass defense and how bad it is, and automatically assume it's the secondary's fault. I just don't think those same people realize how important a pass rush is to a team's pass defense. If the QB is even just serviceable, if he has all day to throw he's going to find someone open nearly every time.
February 5th, 2010 at 3:35 PM ^
where have you been watching because I would like to watch the same thing that you have been watching....
February 5th, 2010 at 11:03 AM ^
Don't get me wrong, I'd certainly take Suh or McCoy and be fine with it. But if there's an opportunity to trade that pick for extra picks, I say take it. This draft is deep and the Lions have a lot of needs - Suh or McCoy can't fix the D on their own - and the Lions are probably going to need the cap space.
Of course, you'd need to trick someone into taking that pricey #2 pick off your hands. What's Oakland up to?
I'll bet the Rams take a Quarterback. They could wait until the second round, but the longer they wait the more likely they are to get a mediocre QB, which is pretty much what they already have.
February 5th, 2010 at 11:14 AM ^
There will be no cap for next year, and it's likely that if the NFLPA gets an uncapped year, they will be incredibly reluctant to bring a cap back into it.
Also, if the rams take a qb, and the lions can take Suh and trade down, it will be one of the biggest mistakes they have ever made. Suh has the potential to be a gamechanger, a Haynesworth type player, but without the issues. No realistic amount of picks in this draft or any other could be worth what Suh would be. Even McCoy would be worth more than trading down, because of the glaring need on the D-line.
February 5th, 2010 at 11:26 AM ^
Even Jerr-uh down in Big D isn't going to be able to pony up unlimited money-- the mortgage on the Jerr-uhDome is sucking up his increased revenue streams. While next year will likely be an uncapped year, anyteam that goes hog wild on spending is going to get nailed like a Malaysian hooker when the cap gets reinstituted the next year (maybe after a lockout). Contrary to the popular opinion I don't think there's going to be all this cash flowing in the uncapped year, except for 1-yr deals, and even then the general economic situation will keep salaries relatively flat overall.
That being said, the Lions need as much talent as possible at this point, and while trading down to get extra picks sounds great, I don't think you pass on a D-Line anchor like Suh or McCoy if you have the chance to take them... unless in getting extra picks, you get Brandon Graham, at which I say Go Lions Go.
February 5th, 2010 at 11:35 AM ^
Come on now, you and I know the Lions have already made MUCH bigger mistakes.
Second, I'm not saying Suh wouldn't be an excellent game changing player. I would love to have him. His name means house of spears.
My point is that Suh, with all his game changing ability, can't play DT and be a DE at the same time. And he certainly can't play DT and play corner, nor can he can't play deep next to Delmas, nor can he play wideout opposite Calvin, nor can he back up and/or replace Kevin Smith at RB. And while he could probably play LG and DT, you probably wouldn't want him to.
We have a lot of holes. While the D-line has been awful, they still have at least Sammy Lee Hill and a couple of other servicable parts; I don't know if you can even say that for the secondary, which right now is essentially a one-man show. This uniquely deep draft is an excellent opportunity to fill some of those holes. If they gave up a great DT to get just a very good DT and a very good DE or a very good CB, then I for one wouldn't mind.
February 5th, 2010 at 11:17 AM ^
Really, if the cap goes away, then Detroit will not get a within a mile of the playoffs ever again. Seriously? They will be out priced by the usual teams that play in bigger cities that have vibrant economies. Detroit will sit in last for ever.
February 5th, 2010 at 11:28 AM ^
to the Bucs, who want Suh and would take him at #1. Detroit may be able to convice TB to swap with them (if the Bucs are indeed convinced the Rams go QB). Both would get top-end DTs in Suh and McCoy, but what "bonus" would TB be willing to give up to Detroit in order to have their choice?
February 5th, 2010 at 11:44 AM ^
I think if Suh is there and they can get a good price for the pick, then trade it to another team and nab a couple of other selections. Sure, Suh could be a beast, but guys like McCoy are not that far off, and with an extra pick maybe they can swing a trade and take Brandon Graham or a similar edge rusher. This defense needs quite a few parts, and I guess I'm not sold on Suh being a dominant player in the NFL.
February 5th, 2010 at 12:06 PM ^
Great article on Mlive discussing trading down.
http://blog.mlive.com/highlightreel/2010/02/lions_martin_mayhew_must_fi…
Since this is such a deep draft, I hope we do acquire some extra picks.
February 5th, 2010 at 12:32 PM ^
And entire defenses can be improved with one. Drafting a dominant DT is one of the classic team building strategies in the NFL. I need to do the research, but my gut feeling is that the failure rate for DT's taken in Top 5 is probably less than DE's / pass rushers....
February 5th, 2010 at 12:37 PM ^
Our defense needs a new Shaun Rodgers and Suh looks like he'd fit the bill. If he falls to us, I'd be all over snapping him up.
I don't feel like McCoy is worth drafting right now for the Lions. It doesn't matter what kind of QB we draft, with the swiss cheese that is offensive line, any QB is going to spend a lot of him on his back and running for his life. Stafford, McCoy, pretty much anyone.
If the Lions have strong signals that Suh will go to St. Louis, I would like to see the Lions trade the pick either for later picks or for a young linemen and go from there.
I really want to focus on improving the O-Line. If we don't get Stafford some protection we're basically assuring he takes a lot of hits, lots of injuries and becomes the next Joey Harrington.
February 5th, 2010 at 2:13 PM ^
Gerald McCoy the massive DT from Oklahoma (Mel's #2 Big Board guy)
(not me that negged you - just thought you should know)
February 5th, 2010 at 12:42 PM ^
Golden Tate WR Notre Dame
In all seriousness I think you have to take McCoy with the second pick, Having a big run stopper in the middle of that DLine will go a long ways. I then think that they better draft a Left Tackle in the second round.
I'd be all for trading down to get extra picks, but with this draft being so deep, I think that they are going to have a hard time finding someone to make that deal with.
February 5th, 2010 at 12:47 PM ^
Suh. I like Suh but McCoy is more of a sure thing over Suh. Suh is raw, doesn't play with leverage, gets off the stance too high and relies on strength to get by. Suh has higher upside but pose a higher risk than McCoy who is more defined, motor that just won't stop and is stronger than most people would think. I like both DTs equally but McCoy's refined techniques are gives McCoy an slight edge over Suh.
February 5th, 2010 at 12:54 PM ^
Everyone always says teams should trade down, but when was the last time there was that kind of trade? I mean a team giving up multiple draft picks for a top-5 pick. I can't remember any recently. Team's don't want to give up all their valuable picks for just one player, no matter how dominant he is. The financial commitment is a huge turn-off as well.
I think the Rams will end up taking Suh and hoping Clausen, Bradford, or one of the other top QBs falls to 33. That means that the Lions will end up choosing between McCoy and Berry. I haven't really seen much of either, but I have a feeling they'll go with McCoy to help the D-Line, which is much more important than the secondary.
February 5th, 2010 at 1:02 PM ^
It's almost certainly Suh or McCoy with the first pick, because there doesn't seem to be any other players at impact positions as talented as these two. Trading down is very unlikely, because most teams don't want to pay the ridiculous salaries commanded by top 5 picks. Maybe somebody just absolutely falls in love with Sam Bradford and makes a dumb trade with us, but can't count on that as a strategy.
More important than the first pick is what happens in later rounds. If the Lions can come close to replicating last year's success, where they got three long-term defensive starters in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th rounds, then it's a good draft. If they don't, it's an unsuccessful draft, regardless of what happens with the first pick.
February 5th, 2010 at 1:32 PM ^
It doesn't matter who the Lions draft all I know is it's going too be the wrong pick!