Official Draft Discussion Thread

[Prowler]

I'm going with an initial B for the draft. Nobody can argue that Reiff wasn't a good pick. DeCastro will probably be better, but an opportunity for an offensive tackle was just too good. The Broyles pick was ******** because we could have had a stronger oline, a better corner, or a DE to leverage against Avril. I am against the pick, but he does have his advantages. I'm not worried about his knee, ask the Patriots how Wes Welker's knee was been a huge concern last season. He'll be fine and probably will be an explosive weapon that opens the offense up even more. Its hard to argue against getting people who can put the ball in the end zone. Hopefully the D gels even more and a successful offseason with mini camps and practices will get them playing better. With the rest of the draft, well we do need depth and it would be nice to upgrade our special teams.

If Reiff turns out to be our left tackle for the next decade, then nobody will care that some corner that probably won't even amount to anything anyway wasn't picked in the 2nd round. They'll just see Ryan 'Welker' Broyles scoring TDs and moving the chains.

[Xiomera]

C+ ... picks have been WAY too developmental the last three players.

[Prowler]

those picks don't really matter

[Xiomera]

Originally Posted by Prowler

those picks don't really matter

Perennially good teams find starters in the late rounds all the time. They DO matter, and I don't see anyone whose ceiling is a future starter.

[Fred Savage]

Did anyone pick up George Iloka?

Edit: Wow I like Cinncys draft

[BRAVEHEART]

Okay, it's clear Mayhew lost a bet to somebody in the organization who's a OU fan.

[Prowler]

...nobody cares about late rounders. We'll find a situational pass rusher and some linebackers. The corners won't beat out anybody we have, but there's nobody else in the draft after the 3rd round who would of had a chance to do that anyway.

[BRAVEHEART]

Originally Posted by Prowler

...nobody cares about late rounders. We'll find a situational pass rusher and some linebackers. The corners won't beat out anybody we have, but there's nobody else in the draft after the 3rd round who would of had a chance to do that anyway.

Speak for yourself. Studs are found everywhere including after the draft.

[Silver & Blue]

Well, at least I got my Chris Greenwood and Travis Lewis picks right even though they were off by a round or two. Personally I will give this draft a B-. The pick that really took me by surprise was the Broyles pick. Not because he isn't talented but I thought we could have got him in the third or fourth round. Besides our two first rounds the rest of the picks we made were developmental picks and I hope Schwartz and the rest of the staff can make them into good players, but only time will tell.

[Xiomera]

Travis Lewis is a good pick. Reminds me of when we took Follett in the 7th. A LB that was highly-regarded prior to slipping during his senior year.

[Mufasa]

I really like the Ronnell Lewis pick if the defensive can find creative ways to use him.

[SINCE1978]

Originally Posted by Fred Savage

Did anyone pick up George Iloka?

Edit: Wow I like Cinncys draft

Yeah they had a weekend, for sure!

[Silver & Blue]

Looks like we just signed Kellen Moore as a UDFA.

[Brothgar]

Originally Posted by Silver & Blue

Looks like we just signed Kellen Moore as a UDFA.

[Mufasa]

alkjfsssssssnmcvjkearikkkkcedslv

[Iamcanadian]

I think we are seeing a new phenomena on the Lion's draft. We are actually drafting to improve our special teams and correct any depth problems rather than try to reach for very questionable starter prospects because we are desperate. It is how the very good teams draft and I guess we are now entering that special group.
There is also the strong possibility that these kinds of special teamers develop as starters down the road. That is how the better teams develop players.

[Iamcanadian]

Originally Posted by Fred Savage

Did anyone pick up George Iloka?

Edit: Wow I like Cinncys draft

Cincy's drafts always look good on paper because they are very thin in scouts and are forced to rely on only a few guys to find prospects for them. Every year, they stick with the name players even if everybody else passes on them, because they have no way to find the more obscure types who turnout to be far better picks.
It may look good on paper but in the end, it usually ends up being rather mediocre.

[Iamcanadian]

Originally Posted by Prowler

I'm going with an initial B for the draft. Nobody can argue that Reiff wasn't a good pick. DeCastro will probably be better, but an opportunity for an offensive tackle was just too good. The Broyles pick was ******** because we could have had a stronger oline, a better corner, or a DE to leverage against Avril. I am against the pick, but he does have his advantages. I'm not worried about his knee, ask the Patriots how Wes Welker's knee was been a huge concern last season. He'll be fine and probably will be an explosive weapon that opens the offense up even more. Its hard to argue against getting people who can put the ball in the end zone. Hopefully the D gels even more and a successful offseason with mini camps and practices will get them playing better. With the rest of the draft, well we do need depth and it would be nice to upgrade our special teams.

If Reiff turns out to be our left tackle for the next decade, then nobody will care that some corner that probably won't even amount to anything anyway wasn't picked in the 2nd round. They'll just see Ryan 'Welker' Broyles scoring TDs and moving the chains.

I think Broyles has a very solid shot to be a real star. He's coming off of an injury so he got zero hype because he couldn't workout, but you can be sure that Mathew did a thorough medical check on the guy and there was no way he was getting out of round 2.

I absolutely love the Reiff pick, he played OG, RT and LT in college. They will play him for a year at RT or OG and then he will replace Backus as a seasoned vet when Backus retires.

And I also love the Bentley pick. He's a tough little guy who won't back down from anybody which is the type of player Schwartz covets.

[Asteinebach]

Ronnell Lewis may become the most prolific player we drafted. He's a sleeper guy with great pass-rushing skills. I think they might even try him down with his hand in the dirt in nickel packages. I love that pick. Travis Lewis isn't a bad player either, and Chris Greenwood is the perfect fit for our defense. I think Bill Bentley was an average pick, same as Broyles.

[Fred Savage]

Oh wow, didnt know that about Cinncy.

I hope this is one of those drafts that when we look back it was really effective. You made some great points Canadian. This draft doesnt look sexy on paper but I am stating to come around. I am still kinda puzzled by the trade up for Whitehead though. Can anyone make sense of that?

[Iamcanadian]

Originally Posted by Fred Savage

Oh wow, didnt know that about Cinncy.

I hope this is one of those drafts that when we look back it was really effective. You made some great points Canadian. This draft doesnt look sexy on paper but I am stating to come around. I am still kinda puzzled by the trade up for Whitehead though. Can anyone make sense of that?

When teams trade up it is usually because they asbsolutely love somebody so that should be a great thing.

[Scotty D]

If we hit on 1 DB and one of the LBs I'll be happy. Giving up the future 4th was dumb. Feels like they got antsy.

[Asteinebach]

Originally Posted by Scotty D

If we hit on 1 DB and one of the LBs I'll be happy. Giving up the future 4th was dumb. Feels like they got antsy.

Time will tell on this one. If the kid comes in and makes an impact as a rookie, then it'll be worth it. 4th round value on players, you're looking for sleepers anyway. They knew they didn't have a 6th and they had some guys in the draft that they still saw as a fit.

I think Ronnell Lewis and Chris Greenwood may be the cream of our crop. Obviously Riley is going to make an impact, if he gets on the field. And Broyles may be a good pick in the long term, but he won't make a difference in 2012.

[Prowler]

Here are some articles about the Lion's thoughts on some of the later prospects.

Bill Bentley
http://blogs.detroitlions.com/2012/0...t-three-picks/

“I liked Bentley on film. I think he’s an off-coverage corner. He’s what we call a cluer and keyer. He does a very good job reading the triangle (reading from the corner through the quarterback). He has similar attributes to Asante Samuel. That’s the style of corner he is.”

Chris Greenwood
http://www.detroitlions.com/news/dra...c-567521c1c7d8

“Rob Lohman, who scouts that area, came back and raved about his physical talent and skill,” Lions general manager Martin Mayhew said of Greenwood.

“We had him in for the private workout and he was just phenomenal; great guy. He had transferred to a couple different schools (Northwood, Eastern Michigan and then Albion), but (is) just really, really physically gifted.

“We all go through this process and we have several guys in the draft who we like, everybody liked Chris Greenwood as a Lion. The guy just has some real skill set.

“Gunther (Cunningham) was in Kansas City when they drafted Brandon Carr and he thought that this guy kind of reminded him of that process.”

Jonte Green
http://www.detroitlions.com/news/dra...c-fb2842cacacc

"My visit was great,” Green said. “I knew coach (Marcus) Robertson, I saw him at my pro day. He already had high expectations of me. He knows what kind of player I can become. I came in there met the coach and felt real good about the opportunity and I actually feel real good about the team."

Green should feel good about the open vacancy the Lions have at one of the starting cornerback spots opposite Chris Houston and he should get a chance to compete for it.

“He jumped through a lot of hoops for us,” Lions head coach Jim Schwartz said of the pre-draft process with Green.

“We liked his combination of size and speed and aggressiveness. He’s an aggressive tackler.”

Travis Lewis
http://www.detroitlions.com/news/dra...8-e653166912d1

“He played this last year hurt – he broke his toe early in the season and it affected him,” Schwartz said.

“But if you look back, he has a history of production at a Big 12 school. He was Big 12 Freshman of the Year, has been on the All-Big 12 team a bunch of times. He didn’t run real well, but if you watch him on the field, he plays fast.

“As much as anything, a guy that steps right on the field in college at a major level of competition and starts for four years, I’ve got a lot of respect for that. He showed a lot of toughness this year and he’s been productive.”

Like Temple linebacker Tahir Whitehead, who the Lions selected in the fifth round, Lewis can come in right away and help on special teams and compete for the Lions' fourth linebacker spot, which doesn’t have anyone’s name etched in stone on it right now.

Also, apparently "The Hammer" is a big bullrider.

http://www.detroitlions.com/news/dra...9-2a6b8bffe3b1

"Inflict pain," Lewis said in a conference-call interview with the Detroit media Saturday afternoon.

He grew up in Dewar, Oklahoma, population 918 according to the 2010 census. The Dewar Dragons played eight-man football. Despite that, Lewis was a high school All-American and wound up getting a scholarship to Oklahoma.

One scouting service rated him the No. 2 high school linebacker in the nation after his 2008 season. Lewis was a two-way player at Dewar. As a junior, he hit the 2,000-yard rushing mark and scored 40 touchdowns. On defense, he had 11 interceptions.

He was a power-lifter in high school and also participated in another sport – rodeo. He was a bullrider. He gave that up when he got to Oklahoma.

"Right now, I just train horses," Lewis said.

He said he liked the "adrenalin" of bullriding.

"It's the rush," he said. "It's like taking a skydive. It's real intense."

He's ridden bulls for the full eight-second time limit "a few times," but he's also been thrown off.

[detroit4life]

Not a sexy draft at all but has the makings of a draft that could look great in a couple years. If broyles allows us to cut Burleson's contract next year its aplus for us (burleson is getting paid a lot).

If we get a starter quality player out of any of those CBs or LBs its a plus for us. It will take time, but with the amount of holes on this team right now and the age of our superstars thats how we need to address it. When drafting at 23 as a team with very little cash, I like hiw Mayhew treated thist draft. You can't fix such a wide array of holes in one year. However, this draft many have fixed a lot for 2 years down the line.

I'll give it a B. I still question the Broyles pick and would have preffered an impact defensive player but we can give it time. Development of some of these players are crucial. Schwartz and Cunningham have a pretty good track record of developing CBs (Carr and Finnegan come to mind). Lets hope thats the approach they are taking