OT - Lions Draft Ideas
December 9th, 2008 at 3:53 PM ^
Carson Butler
December 9th, 2008 at 5:15 PM ^
Rey Maualuga would be good, I think.
Also: I'm impressed by Matt Stafford. His release, arm strength, etc. reminds me of Henne. Let's see him and Massaquoi light up the weak Spartans secondary
December 9th, 2008 at 3:57 PM ^
a new owner
December 9th, 2008 at 4:00 PM ^
O-Line, D-Line, Linebacker. Don't even think about drafting a QB with this swiss cheese offensive line. I remember reading some early stuff on Maualuga, evidently some people think he's overrated.
December 9th, 2008 at 4:02 PM ^
Scott Pioli for team president, GM and CEO of the organization. Hire Rex Ryan or Steve Spagnoula as head coach. Draft best player available EXCEPT QB, which will probably be OT Andre Smith. Bam. I just fixed the entire organization.
December 9th, 2008 at 4:08 PM ^
I like the idea of Spagnuolo as head coach. With the job he's done this year having all those injuries, retirements, free agent defections, etc., he's legit.
December 9th, 2008 at 4:16 PM ^
Josh McDaniels = better hire.
December 9th, 2008 at 4:19 PM ^
With the personnel we have now, shit. We would suck hardcore for another year or two, at least. I think Spagnuolo would be a more immediate fix.
December 9th, 2008 at 4:30 PM ^
I just personally like McDaniels. I think he would make an insanely good college coach.
December 9th, 2008 at 4:03 PM ^
Michael Crabtree and Jeremy Maclin and Percy Harvin and Darius Heyward-Bey and Derrick Williams
December 9th, 2008 at 5:04 PM ^
Harvin will be a bust IMO. Florida does a great job of getting him the ball but I never really see him run routes; I think he will be behind the curve going up against NFL corners, you need more than speed.
December 9th, 2008 at 5:13 PM ^
I think Devin Hester and Percy Harvin are the same person.
December 9th, 2008 at 5:17 PM ^
Harvin has not held up well physically in college. That has to be a concern
December 9th, 2008 at 4:07 PM ^
I am a firm believer that good teams are built through the offensive and defensive lines. I think Kevin Smith is a keeper at RB, so I'd like to see them solidify the offensive line with a guard (which they SHOULD have done this year with Branden Albert) or a left tackle (I'm not a fan of Backus as an NFL left tackle).
I'm not a fan of Maualuga as a first round pick, although I'm guessing he'll get picked toward the bottom of the first round.
It would also be nice to get a playmaker at corner, preferably one who doesn't gamble every play. Thanks goodness Dre Bly is gone - he made a lot of INT's, but damn, he was frustrating.
December 9th, 2008 at 4:11 PM ^
I was pissed at last year's draft when the Lions traded dwon a couple spots and took Gosder Cherilus. They should've stayed where they were and drafted Antoine Rodgers-Cromartie. The Jordan Dizon pick in the second round was a debacle as well.
December 9th, 2008 at 4:14 PM ^
I wasn't too big on picking a great corner for this defense, since great man-to-man corners aren't necessary to play Tampa 2. But seeing as how our cornerback play/pass defense has sucked and sucked and sucked forever, it would be nice to get a decent corner.
The Jordan Dizon pick was stupid. It is stupid. I wouldn't have picked Jordan Dizon for an Arena League team.
December 9th, 2008 at 4:39 PM ^
Didn't they draft Dizon as a mike? Has he even played at all?
December 9th, 2008 at 5:07 PM ^
I would start up front. Get that big hog from Alabama, trade Backus or have him flip sides.
December 9th, 2008 at 5:12 PM ^
I wanted them to move Backus to RT this year and draft a guy who could play LT. Now that they drafted Cherilus, this is probably not an option, unfortunately.
December 10th, 2008 at 5:23 PM ^
how hard it is to move from right tackle to right guard
if it's easy as damien woody made it seem (when he switched from G to T two years ago) then move cherilus to guard, backus to RT and draft that guy from Bama
December 10th, 2008 at 5:33 PM ^
I think it depends on what kind of offense you run. Some teams use a lot of pulling guards, and in that case, it might be more difficult for a guy to move from tackle to guard.
Another issue is height. Usually guards are shorter and squatter than tackles. This helps them keep leverage against stronger DT's, whereas tackles use their height (i.e. reach) to keep DE's at bay.
So it depends on the guy and the offense. I'm not sure if Cherilus could move to guard or not.
December 9th, 2008 at 4:10 PM ^
We have 5 picks in the first 85 or so (depending on how the Cowboys finish) and I would like to see 2 O linemen (one tackle one guard) and 3 defensive players, probably one from each major position group.
Then next year we draft Brandon Graham.
December 9th, 2008 at 4:14 PM ^
I wrote this in the other thread, but there is no quarterback of the future on this team. Lions fans swear they'll find one in the later rounds, but it won't work. Tom Brady is an extreme exception. With what you have to pay a first round pick, you're better off paying the QB and getting a tackle later. This is not to say that I don't think that the Lions need to upgrade the line, it's just that most good teams don't draft linemen in the top of the first round and pay them like quarterbacks.
Having said that, if they don't go outside the organization for a GM/scouting director, it means nothing, and I have a feeling that they are keeping Mayhew/Lewand. The Lions biggest problem is too many picks wasted on Alama-Francis/Drew Stanton type reaches in early rounds because Marinelli feels he can coach 'em up.
December 9th, 2008 at 4:22 PM ^
I'm sick of wasting early picks on QB's, way too high of a bust rate. If we used our first pick for nasty OT or traded down a handful of picks and got a great pass-rusher, I think we have a much better shot at getting contributors. There are plenty of teams who are contenders without a great QB, in fact most of them are that way, and if we can build a team around running the ball well and playing solid D, we won't need a Tom Brady, we can settle for a Jake Delhomme or Jeff Garcia.
December 10th, 2008 at 5:24 PM ^
is wat she said
December 9th, 2008 at 4:32 PM ^
I'd be all for drafting Stafford (I like the Henne analogy), EXCEPT that our o-line is too big a problem for him to succeed. We need a QB of future, but unless someone surprising is available in round 3 (like Henne was last year), we probably need to wait a year while we solidify the trenches. We can live with Daunte for a year, or even see if Stanton develops (I doubt it, but under McDaniels?). Either way, Stafford would just be a waste with this line.
December 9th, 2008 at 4:37 PM ^
ANDRE SMITH ANDRE SMITH ANDRE SMITH ANDRE SMITH PLEASE GOD ANDRE SMITH
It is important to have a good QB. It is more important to have a good line, on both sides of the ball. Stafford is worthless to the Lions if Jeff Backus is watching his back.
I don't think planning on finding a "Tom Brady" late in the draft is any type of plan - but you don't need to spend the #1 pick on Stafford if you don't have anyone to protect him.
Further, this team is fucking atrocious defensively and that is a way bigger problem than who plays QB.
December 9th, 2008 at 9:53 PM ^
I mention the Brady example because it's almost always cited by Lions fans on why they don't need a good QB. Drew Stanton is shit. Face it. Orlovsky isn't smart enough to not run out of bounds. Lions fans clammor for some next great crappy young hope drafted later, like Mike McMahon. It never works. The way that the NFL is scouted today, guys like Brady get moved up, i.e. Trent Edwards (not to say he's as good as Brady, but he was a QB that was decent at best in college). You can't wait for these guys to drop to the fifth round, unless you're simply hoping to find a decent backup.
December 9th, 2008 at 4:42 PM ^
although i grew up in ann arbor i could personally give a shit less about the lions. i suggest a complete overhaul of the front office and everyone who saw the field this year. i guarantee the new team won't be worse.
December 9th, 2008 at 4:44 PM ^
Let's just be honest with ourselves here. Jesus H Christ himself could be the Lions GM and they would still suck donkey balls. End.
December 9th, 2008 at 5:19 PM ^
JC was not a good GM-- look at the apostles. 12 picks and most of them were busts
December 9th, 2008 at 5:22 PM ^
Peter was a stud, though.
December 9th, 2008 at 5:27 PM ^
Yeah, he was, but his impact washed out with the bust of all busts, Judas Iscariot. Justin Boren-like betrayal
December 9th, 2008 at 5:29 PM ^
I think Andrew was an underrated contributor on special teams.
December 9th, 2008 at 9:14 PM ^
If JHC was the GM, he would draft John the Baptist at QB only for JB to drown during a baptism.
December 9th, 2008 at 5:28 PM ^
....will be better than Andre Smith. Smith is too big and bulky. Against Florida the ends ran right around him. When he got his hands on them, they were toast, but he seems to me at 350 to be a perennial fatty. Oher needs to focus more on a down by down basis, but come on the guy had a book written about him. If possible, trade the entire team (except for CJ) and get both.
December 9th, 2008 at 9:27 PM ^
Isn't Crabtree only a sophomore which means he isn't eligible? Maybe we can bring in Matt Cassell since it looks like he has a future although I am not sure if he just profits from his system and surrounding talent.
December 9th, 2008 at 9:34 PM ^
He's a redshirt sophomore.
December 9th, 2008 at 9:37 PM ^
Matt Cassell = Scott Mitchell
December 9th, 2008 at 9:43 PM ^
Scott Mitchell = Best season in Lions history.
December 9th, 2008 at 10:59 PM ^
One good season, I grant you, but I make the comparison because I find the upcoming Cassell free agency eerily similar. Star QB gets hurt, backup steps in capably (with a good surrounding cast, good coaches, etc) and is then overpaid as a free agent by some team desperate for a proven QB. I think Cassell has been fine filling in, but far from great, and he's going to command a bigger payday than what he's worth.
Mitchell had some talent, but man, that guy was a cancer in the locker room.
December 10th, 2008 at 12:34 AM ^
Good season? 4,000+ yards, 32/12 TD/INT, 10-6 and in the playoffs? I'll take as many bad guys in the locker room as it takes for those results.
December 10th, 2008 at 2:35 AM ^
By the way, Terrence Taylor in what, the 4th round?, may not be a bad pick
December 10th, 2008 at 8:17 AM ^
I couldn't argue with a team that picked him in the 4th round...and yet if behemoths like Watson and Branch can't contribute, why would a team take a chance on a smaller version from a program that hasn't produced any productive NFL defensive tackles in...a really long time?
It just seems like most NFL teams trend toward big, athletic DT's, not pure NT types.
I don't really know the answer. If I were running an NFL team, though, I probably wouldn't draft him very high.
December 10th, 2008 at 4:21 PM ^
Pick the best player regardless of position at each spot (outside of WR). Trading down from number 1 would be nice, but I do no think that it is likely given recent anecdotal evidence. It would be nice to draft high character players from successful programs, and I would love to see a young GM and coach combination brought in to change the culture. Marc Ross from the Giants or Eric DeCosta from the Ravens have paid their dues in really successful organizations, and I would love see someone like Jim Schwartz (DC, Titans) take over as head coach. This is a three-to-five year rebuild minimum.