Senior Bowl practice comment

Senior Bowl practice comment

Player who will have a better NFL career than many drafted higher than him.

Senior Bowl practice comment

Senior Bowl Game

Player who will have a better NFL career than many drafted higher than him.

Senior Bowl practice comment

Player who will have a better NFL career than many drafted higher than him.

B

2009 COLLEGE DRAFT REPORT CARD

by Jay Goldberg

The Lions had a solid albeit a bit schizo draft.  They had some picks I loved, some where I would have gone another way but completely understood what they did, and threw in a head scratcher.  They also added a couple of quality college street free agents. 

DRAFT PICKS

While I had Sanchez rated above Stafford I cannot argue with the Lions selecting Stafford.  When you draft a high first round quarterback you have to believe in him since if he fails it can set the franchise back for years.  Detroit believes in Stafford.  Stafford is the type of quarterback who can take a below-playoff-level team to the playoffs.  He is also the type who could force a throw creating a turnover to lose a game his team is expecting to win in the playoffs.  For a franchise like Detroit, who would like to make the playoffs a couple of times in the next 4 or 5 years, Stafford was the right choice.  The way I would look at Sanchez and Stafford is: on a team that will not be in the Super Bowl hunt consistently, Stafford was the better choice.  For a team that will be in the battle for a Super Bowl almost every year, Sanchez was the better choice.

Most NFL draft analysts had Pettigrew rated more highly than I did.  He is a good receiver and a very good blocker.  However, he lacks the speed to stretch the middle of the field and will not cause teams to alter their pass defense versus Calvin Johnson.  For me, if a tight end is not a potential playmaker on offense, he is not a first round pick.  This is not to say Pettigrew won't be a good NFL player.  He will be.  But don't believe some of the pre-draft hype comparing him to Jason Witten (a third round pick who ran a 4.62 forty versus Pettigrew's 4.80 forty).  I give the Lions a pass at this spot because they were not alone in their love for Pettigrew and he may not have lasted much longer in the draft.  However, I would have gone with defensive tackle Peria Jerry here and grabbed tight end Shawn Nelson later.  He was available as late as round four for Detroit.  In this scenario they would have had DT Perry and TE Nelson instead of DT Hill and TE Pettigrew.  Only time will tell which scenario is better.

Selecting Delmas at the top of round two was a great move.  The kid is a hitter.  The kid has great football instincts.  The kid can stop, change directions and get to the ball in a flash.  The Lion fans will love him.  In his own way he could be as big for the Lions' defense as Bob Sanders is for the Colts' defense.

If Levy went undrafted it would have been less of a head-scratcher for me than him going in round three.  In fact, a player I liked a lot, middle linebacker Darry Beckwith surprisingly (at least to me) went undrafted and I wouldn't have batted an eye, and would have congratulated the Lions on a great pick if he went at this spot.  To make matters even more confusing is that they drafted him as a middle linebacker which represents a position change for the kid.  Since I gave the Lions a pass on Pettigrew (so no DT Jerry), I would have jumped at drafting defensive tackle Roy Miller here and gone after a middle linebacker later in the draft.

Derrick Williams was one of the more underrated receivers in this draft.  He had the flu at the Combine, ran a poor forty, and everyone forgot how dominate the kid looked during Senior Bowl practices.  Receivers often need a couple of years before they explode on the scene so Lion fans may not see the best he has to offer this year on offense.  However, they will love him as a return man.

Hill is a small school defensive tackle who has good bulk and athleticism and will develop into a good run-stuffing defensive tackle.  However, in both of my scenarios, I would have passed on him at this spot.  In scenario #1 he is bypassed for TE Nelson (DT Jerry in round one).  In the more likely scenario, DT Roy Miller was selected in round three, and I would have drafted big, strong, fast, middle linebacker Jasper Brinkley here. 

Aaron Brown is okay, but not good enough to develop into a lead back, and not the quick, third-down back who is a good change-of-pace back for Smith.  At this spot I would have rolled the dice and taken a shot with the troubled but highly talented running back Bernard Scott, who worst case is a great change-of-pace back, and best case a star in the league.  Of course that assumes he keeps his house in order off the field, something he has not been able to do very well so far in his young life.  Another interesting scenario would have been to grab the highly underrated Javon Ringer in round four and middle linebacker Beckwith here.

If Detroit was looking for a developmental tackle prospect they couldn't have done better than Murtha.  Murtha is a big, athletic kid with quick feet and surprising speed for a kid his size.  He has chance to develop into a top reserve or quality starter in time.

Follett was a seventh round steal.  He is a SAM who will immediately be a special teams stud and down-the-line will be Peterson's heir apparent.  Follett plays the run well, is a plus in pass coverage, and has some pass rush skills.

Athletically, Gronkowski is similar to Pettigrew.  I had a fifth round grade on the kid.  He slid to round seven because he hasn't put it all together on the field yet.  But he has the raw ability and could be an ideal development squad candidate.

 COLLEGE STREET FREE AGENTS

Look for John Gill to make a strong push to make the Lions' roster.  Worst case he will be a priority signing to their development squad.  The kid has good strength and speed and flows quickly to ballcarriers.

I actually had Antone Smith rated higher than Aaron Brown.  He is a short back (not small).  He is very strong and very fast and could be an interesting option as a change-of-pace back.  Worst case, Lions fans will enjoy watching him in early preseason games.

Player who will have a better NFL career than many drafted higher than him.

The Lions' draft was erratic.  There were a couple of good moves, but some questionable ones as well.  For example, I believe Dizon is not strong enough or big enough to be effective in the middle.  He will make tackles from that spot, but it will be too far from the line of scrimmage.  He is a good football player, but needs to be an outside linebacker in a defense like Tampa Bay or Indianapolis.  He is miscast in the middle for Detroit.  For that reason, Detroit should have gone running back in round two (Ray Rice) and looked for a middle linebacker later in the draft.  I'm sure Detroit wanted Forte in round two, but he was grabbed by Chicago just before they got on the clock.  Smith is okay, but a step down from either Forte or Rice.  To top off some missed opportunities and bad position decisions, Detroit did not have a very productive college street free agent signing period.

DRAFT PICKS

The Lions started the draft off very well.  Cherilus is a tough kid, a mauler, and maybe the top pure right tackle in the draft.  He will start from day one, provide a mean streak for their line, and make Pro Bowls before he is done.

Dizon in round two was a bit of a reach.  However, as a middle linebacker he was a major reach.  Dizon is a hustler who pursues plays sideline to sideline with his above-average speed, and excellent change-of-direction skills.  The only thing that stops Dizon from getting in on plays are big bodies.  He is not a player who is very effective taking on blocks, or taking on action run right at him.  He needs to operate in space to chase down ballcarriers.  His game is more like Derrick Brooks than Brain Urlachler, not that I expect him to reach those lofty heights.  By the end of the year Buster Davis could be the Lions starting middle linebacker.  And if Dizon doesn't start in the middle, there is no way he can challenge Sims to start on the weak side.  As I said in the intro, my pick here would have been running back Ray Rice.

By the time the Lions were on the clock in round three, most of the top running backs were gone.  However, while Smith will be okay, I think the Lions choose the wrong back.  I liked Tashard Choice for Detroit more than Smith.  However, if Detroit went Rice in round two, they could have drafted Connor or Wheeler at this spot, both of whom project as better 43 middle linebackers than Dizon.

Fluellen is a bit undersized, but has good speed and quickness for a man his size.  He should make the roster and be a rotation player this year.  He will never be a star, but should be a contributor.

Avril is the second player drafted by Detroit that I like a lot.  He has excellent speed, quickness, and athleticism, and will play immediately in the nickel as a pass rusher.  I can also see him adding a few pounds and developing into a starter, becoming the player the Lions hoped Kalimba Edwards would become.

Kenneth Moore is a slot receiver with good hands, decent speed and adequate quickness.  In my opinion there were better receivers available at this spot than Moore.  As a receiver with upside, I liked Paul Hubbard much more.  As a slot receiver who could also serve as a solid return man, I liked Kevin Robinson more.  For better roster depth I liked corners Bowman or Scandrick, defensive tackle Okam or Shirley, or tight end Kellen Davis or Barnidge more than a receiver at this spot (the grab a receiver in Cohen's spot in round seven).

Felton has weight-room strength and could develop into an excellent lead blocker.

Cohen has possibilities.  He slid under the radar despite a good strength/speed/quickness ratio because he weighed only 278 at his Pro Day. However, he was supposedly up to the 290's when he visited the Lions so he was worth a shot late in the draft.  He is an ideal practice squad candidate.

Campbell was a great story on day two of the draft and has a very good shot of making the Lions' roster.  He will be a top special teams player and can backup at both outside linebacker and strong safety.

COLLEGE STREET FREE AGENTS

The Lions did not sign any college street free agents on my priority list.  Martin has a shot to play in the NFL because of his versatility.  He started for three years at Syracuse and played multiple positions on their line.