When grading how every team did in this year’s draft, Mel Kiper Jr. decided to give the Detroit Lions an A-, which tied the Cincinnati Bengals for the highest grade in the draft. When I found out about this I was ecstatic, knowing that I wasn’t the only crazy guy out there that fought the Lions did something right by drafting Nick Fairley, the Defensive Tackle out of Auburn, Titus Young, the Wide Receiver out of Boise State, and Mikel Leshoure, the Running Back out of Illinois in the first two rounds.
Sure, the Lions didn’t draft for need, (they needed a quality linebacker and a shut-down cornerback) but now they really don’t need one. By adding Nick Fairley to a defensive line that already includes Ndamukong Suh, (Defensive Rookie of the year, Rookie of the year, Pro-bowler, led the league with ten and a half sacks) Kyle Vanden Bosch, Corey Williams, and Cliff Avril, you don’t really need a linebacker all that much any more. Sure it’s nice to have one, that’s why the Lions drafted Doug Hogue in the fifth round as a developmental guy. But still, by drafting Fairley, that pretty much takes care of the defensive dilemma. My guess is that Fairley comes in and has a Suh-esque season, becoming the second Detroit Lion in a row to win the Defensive Rookie of the year award. Quarterbacks in the NFC North beware, (Aaron Rodgers, Jay Cutler, and Christian Ponder) Suh and Fairley are here.
With the Lions next pick, Detroit took Titus Young, the explosive wide receiver out of Boise State. This kid is absolutely electric, and will be a highly productive guy in the NFL. Now, the Lions have pro-bowler Calvin Johnson as the number one receiver, Titus Young playing the role of the explosive quick receiver on the other side, and Nate Burleson playing in the slot, where he was highly productive in Minnesota. Now, the Lions have one of the scariest defensive lines, and receiving corpse in the NFL. I predict Titus Young will have a huge season with all the attention going over to Calvin Johnson, and could possibly win offensive Rookie of the Year. He definitely has the talent, and the Lions know he will work hard because it turns out that Titus Young is actually from Detroit!
For the Lions next pick, they traded up and got Mikel Leshoure, the big, powerful, bruising running back that has drawn comparisons to Rashard Mendenhall of the Pittsburg Steelers. Boy, do the Lions love this pick. Last year, Detroit traded up to get Jahvid Best, the explosive running back out of the University of California. Best was injured during the year after a highly productive first two weeks. After the injury (Turf Toe) the Lions started questioning is durability, so this year, they drafted Mikel Leshoure in the second round, so they could let Jahvid Best step into the role of a change of pace back. This tandem will be Thunder and Lightning out there for the Lions, nobody will be able to stop these two. With Leshoure’s pound it down the middle ability, and Best’s make you miss quickness, the Lions will finally have themselves a backfield. (Well, at least for the first time since Barry Sanders.)
Yes, I agree with you Mel, the Lions had another spectacular draft this year. And yes, I agree with you Mel, the Lions are officially a playoff-caliber team. They tremendously improved themselves with the additions of Fairley, Young, and Leshoure. And with Matthew Stafford coming back, the Lions have got themselves a football team.
No comments:
Post a Comment