Tag: Detroit Lions (Page 16 of 45)

      Lions likely to stay put, but still undecided about selection

      April 16, 2010 /

      GM Martin Mayhew said on Thursday that it’s likely the Lions will stay put at No. 2 instead of trading down, but also insisted that the team is undecided about which player they’ll draft.

      Detroit could go in a couple directions in round one, although the most likely scenario has them selecting either Ndamukong Suh or Russell Okung. The Lions have needs on both sides of the line, although they might be more inclined to take Okung seeing as how they want to protect their biggest investment in quarterback Matthew Stafford.

      That said, I’m of the mindset that the Lions would be crazy to pass on Suh. That’s not to take anything away from Okung, who is a terrific prospect with a high upside. But in my opinion, Suh is the best prospect in this month’s draft and could be a potential difference-maker from day 1.

      Teams selecting in the top 5 are always worried about matching the contract with the appropriate position. In other words, they’re more inclined to take a quarterback at No. 3 instead of a defensive tackle because they can justify handing a signal caller a huge contract as opposed to an interior defensive lineman.

      But that line of thinking has always been befuddling to me. Teams shouldn’t draft players based on a contract, they should draft players based on fit and need. Lions head coach Jim Schwartz built one of the better defenses in the NFL while in Tennessee, one that was centered around defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth. Assuming the Rams take Sam Bradford at No. 1, Schwartz now has a similar opportunity in Detroit if the Lions take Suh. While paying a left tackle No. 2 money may be more justifiable, the Lions need to select the best player and forget about the dynamics of a contract.

      And the best player is Suh.


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      NFL, NFL Draft

      2010 NFL Mock Draft Version 2.0

      April 12, 2010 /

      With the Redskins’ acquisition of Donovan McNabb, it’s a perfect time to update my mock draft. In my first mock, I had the Redskins taking Jimmy Clausen at No. 4, but with their need at quarterback being filled with the trade for McNabb, the dynamics in the top 10 have changed.

      Here’s my second crack at predicting the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft.

      (Side note: If I have the team selecting the same player as I did in my first mock, then my explanation of the pick will be the same in most occasions.)

      1. St. Louis Rams: Sam Bradford, QB, Oklahoma
      I have Nebraska’s Ndamukong Suh rated as the unquestioned best player in this year’s draft. (Well, I don’t have an official ranking per se, but in my head he’s No. 1.) But that doesn’t mean I think the Rams will take him. Teams usually get quirky about the No. 1 overall pick. They feel as though they have to match the contract with the position in order to justify the player they’re taking, which is completely backwards when you think about it. A team should mostly be concerned with taking the right player that matches their scheme. But I digress. Bradford is the top rated quarterback and the Rams have a major need at the position now that the ultra-brutal Marc Bulger has been released. The Rams feel as though they need to breathe some excitement into their dull franchise and taking Bradford should do the trick. Is he the right player? That’s debatable.

      2. Detroit Lions: Ndamukong Suh, DT, Nebraska
      Their trade for DT Corey Williams kind of throws me off a little, but I still think that if Suh is available the Lions won’t pass on him. Jim Schwartz built one hell of a defense in Tennessee centered around Albert Haynesworth and he could view Suh the same way. He’s a difference-maker up front and regardless of whether or not he and Williams play the same position, if Suh is as good as I think he is then Schwartz will find a way to utilize him. Offensive tackle Russell Okung has been mentioned at this pick but again, if Suh is available I can’t see the Lions leaving him on the board.

      3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Gerald McCoy, DT, Oklahoma
      If the Rams wind up taking Bradford with the top pick, you might be able to hear the sounds of screams and jubilation coming from Tampa. That’s because the Bucs would love to land one of the two stud defensive tackles in this draft and if Bradford goes No. 1, then either Suh or McCoy would slip to Tampa here. Some people are down on McCoy after he only benched 225 pounds 23 times at the combine, but that’s not a justifiable reason for his stock to slip. A lot of defensive tackles are forced to shed weight for the combine and when they do, they lose strength in the process. Besides, not taking a player because of how he performed on the bench at the combine is ridiculous notion anyway. McCoy would be a great fit for the Bucs.

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      College Football, NFL, NFL Draft

      Would the Lions be interested in Haynesworth?

      April 6, 2010 /

      According to NFL.com’s Jason La Canfora, the Redskins are willing to “unload” defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth after unsuccessfully trying to trade him to Philadelphia as part of the Donovan McNabb deal. Apparently, Haynesworth didn’t make a good impression on new head coach Mike Shanahan, so the Redskins are ready to part ways with the massive DT, even though he just signed a seven-year, $100 million deal with Washington in 2009.

      Canfora writes that several executives believe the best and most likely option for Haynesworth is Tennessee, “where he played his best football and where he remains close with defensive line coach Jim Washburn.” The problem is that Haynesworth signed for $42 million in guaranteed money and other teams will be hesitant to put a bullet in their financial situation in order to acquire him. (Apparently other owners aren’t like Daniel Snyder, who gives away money like it’s Skittles.)

      While a return to Tennessee does make sense, I wonder why Canfora didn’t mention Detroit as another possible landing spot for Haynesworth. Lions’ head coach Jim Schwartz built his defense around Haynesworth in Tennessee and Detroit needs a DT seeing as how they’ve been linked to Ndamukong Suh at No. 2 in this month’s draft. If they acquired Haynesworth, then they could use their first round pick to address their need at offensive tackle.

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      NFL, NFL Draft

      Will Ndamukong Suh drop in the top 5?

      March 19, 2010 /

      It didn’t seem that long ago that Nebraska defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh was a near lock to be taken with the No. 1 overall pick in the April’s NFL draft. But now it appears that his stock is falling, even though he is still highly regarded as the top prospect in this year’s draft.

      The Tampa Tribune is reporting that Suh is scheduled to visit the Buccaneers on April 13, which may mean something – could mean nothing. But when you look at the dynamics surrounding the first two picks in the draft, there is reason to believe that Tampa Bay could have Suh fall into their laps at No. 3.

      While the Rams have plenty of holes to fill on both sides of the ball, defensive tackle isn’t a pressing need. There are several pundits that believe they’ll select Oklahoma product Sam Bradford at No. 1 because 1) they need someone to replace Marc Bulger and 2) if they’re spending No. 1-overall money, then they want to spend it on a position such as quarterback. There is also growing sentiment that the Lions (who pick second) will take Oklahoma State offensive tackle Russell Okung, meaning Suh will slide to the Bucs (who are desperate for defensive tackle help) at No. 3.

      In my latest mock draft, I have the Rams taking Bradford at No. 1, but the Lions drafting Suh at No. 2. My opinion could change leading up to the draft, but given how Jim Schwartz built his defensive around Albert Haynesworth in Tennessee, I can’t foresee him passing on a player of Suh’s caliber. That said, the Lions recently traded for Corey Williams and he plays the same position as Suh in Schwartz’s defense, so read into that situation how you want.

      Either way, if Suh is still available at No. 3 then Roger Goodell might as well just stand up at the podium and read the Lions and Bucs’ picks back to back. Because there’s no way Raheem Morris would allow Suh to get past Tampa at No. 3.


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      College Football, NFL, NFL Draft

      2010 NFL Mock Draft Version 1.0

      March 18, 2010 /

      The full mock is finally completed!

      I waited a lot longer than I normally do to compile my first mock draft of the year. Normally I whip up my first batch of mock draft right after the scouting combine, but this year I wanted to see what happened at the start of free agency before I even remotely considered whom teams would select in April.

      I get as excited as any true draftnik about mock drafts, but how could anyone venture a guess at what player a team will select without knowing what big free agents signed where? It’s like taking a long road trip to a place you’ve never been before without your GPS. (Wow, have the times changed. A couple of years ago, I would have ended that sentence with “without your map” but that damn technology continues to track us down like a bear preying on an injured deer.)

      Below is my first crack at predicting the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft. As usual, feel free to argue my picks as much as you like but please, debate with some dignity. Don’t be the doucher that ruins the fun of mock drafts by spewing venom in the comments section of a sports blog. There may not be anything more pathetic.

      1. St. Louis Rams: Sam Bradford, QB, Oklahoma
      I have Nebraska’s Ndamukong Suh rated as the unquestioned best player in this year’s draft. (Well, I don’t have an official ranking per se, but in my head he’s No. 1.) But that doesn’t mean I think the Rams will take him. Teams usually get funny about the No. 1 overall pick. They feel as though they have to match the contract with the position in order to justify the player they’re taking, which is completely backwards when you think about it. A team should be most concerned with taking the right player that matches their scheme. But I digress. Bradford is the top rated quarterback and the Rams have a major need at the position with Marc Bulger proving over the past two years that he’s better suited to run the scout team offense in practice and then the first unit on Sundays. The Rams feel as though they need to breathe some excitement into their dull franchise and taking Bradford should do the trick. Is he the right player? That’s debatable.

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      College Football, NFL, NFL Draft

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