I would like to dive into the Lions draft a little bit. The Mel Kipers and Todd McShay will try to drag out analysis as long as ESPN will let them because now they get a 40 week offseason. They try to put grades next to each team and predict how certain players will do. This just isn’t realistic. Yes, some teams made some interesting picks because of position, but at this point it is really difficult to know how each player will turn out. There have been multiple Lions picks over the past couple of years that I thought would be special, and now they aren’t in the league or on a different team’s bench.
In my draft preview entry I wanted the Lions to take a cornerback with their first round pick. The top 3 options had to be Claiborne, Kirkpatrick, and Gilmore. Once all three were off the board there seemed to be a little drop off before the next tier of cornerback talent. Taking Janoris Jenkins with the 23rd pick would have been a little bit of a reach. Which is why it would have been nice to drop back a few places (27-33) to pick up an extra pick in the 3rd round to take this defensive back. But the Lions did not do that. They selected Riley Reiff with their first pick. This is the same tackle who was in the top 10 of most people’s draft boards. He was hands down the 2nd best OT prospect in the 2012 class. This is not the Gosder Cherilus reach, it is a high quality player who dropped in their laps again. There have been a lot of questions about Reiff, he has short arms, he is not a great run blocker, his footwork is subpar. All I know is that this kid can play both guard and tackle positions, which means he adds a lot of depth and youth to the oldest line in the NFL. I don’t think this kid will ever be a Pro-Bowl player (which DeCastro could be at guard for the Steelers), but having a player being able to fill in at 4 positions is exactly what the Lions need for next year. Now, how would I rate this as a successful pick? I think he needs to be able to come into camp and be a starter by game 1 at either guard or RT. First round picks need to be instant contributors for most teams. The Lions should be able to upgrade 2 positions with this pick. We are still hoping Backus maintains his best LT in the NFC North, Raiola is still an average center, then Reiff comes in immediately at RT which will move Cherilus inside replacing one of the below average guards. Offensive line will likely be the major need next season in the draft, someone like Barrett Jones of Alabama who can play all 5 positions. Detroit will need a center replacement and likely a road grater of a guard at some point. At first I was very disappointed with the first round pick, but I think Reiff will be able to contribute immediately and help with much needed depth in the trenches for the 2012 Detroit Lions.
After taking an offensive lineman in the first round, everyone suspected the Lions needed to take a defensive back with their 2nd pick. On Friday, Detroit had 1 legitimate cornerback starter and 3 backups. They needed someone opposite of Chris Houston. Some media members even wanted the Lions to trade up to get Jenkins. Instead they stayed back and let a high ceiling slot receiver fall to them. Ryan Broyles would have been a lock first round pick if he didn’t bust up his knee at the end of the season, but instead he fell to the end of round 2 and became a huge steal for the Lions. Most people think this pick is one of the best in the draft, and should be an instant threat to catch 50 passes next season. I actually think he is more of a Burleson replacement, and will likely need most of this year rehabbing his knee and learning the offense. Once Burleson moves on or is traded, Titus Young can move into the number 2 receiver role and Broyles into one of the best slot guys in the league. I think Broyles is a more athletic Wes Welker type. He has huge hands that rarely drop passes, and he is extremely fast. It really will be tough to defend the Lions offense for years to come. The problem here is that the Lions drafted who they thought was the best available again, and not based on their desperate need for defensive improvements. They missed out the third tier of defensive back talent and where left to take Dwight “Bill” Bentley from Louisiana Lafayette. Now according to some, this guy was on the Lions radar to take in the 2nd round. With Broyles and so many defensive backs still on the board they were confident Bentley would be there at 85 overall. I am not sure how the Lions will be able to keep all of their offensive weapons happy next season (Calvin, Burleson, Young, Broyles, Pettigrew, Scheffler, Best, and Leshore), but the receiving corps is shaping up to have Burleson on the trading block. Possibly with a team looking to dump a defensive back (Dallas, Cincinnati). I think Broyles will be pretty ineffective this season while rehabbing his knee, but in 2 seasons might be the most dangerous receiver in the NFC (especially with teams having to double team Calvin). This Broyles pickup also might mean the Lions believe in the Madden Curse and wanted to make sure they had enough talent at receiver in case Calvin goes down to injury.
The rest of the draft is littered with cornerbacks and pass rushing linebackers, mostly from Oklahoma. I personally think Ronnell Lewis will be used at times next season and will try to be molded to break the 2 deep at defensive end after VandenBoesch and Avril are gone. I think this Lions draft is full of potential, and hopefully they can finally get some production out of one of their late round draft picks. If Bentley(or one of the other CB picks) can come in and push for the starting number 2 cornerback, then this draft should be considered a success. If the Lions just drafted 3 defensive backs to be backups and practice squad players then it could be a long year for the defense. I do think the depth issues at linebacker have been addressed this season, the defensive line got a little upgrade, the secondary has more bodies now but we are months away from determining if these are talented contributing bodies. The offensive line depth will need some improvement, maybe through some undrafted free agents or as the main focus of next year’s draft. It will likely take a season or two for the fans to notice this draft class’ contributions, but hopefully 2-3 of these guys can see the field for a good chunk of snaps this year.
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