Evaluating the Lions' Positional Groups: 4/29/20 Edition

Will Matthew Stafford make the Detroit Lions roster in 2020????? [DetroitLions.com]

Now that the Lions have their rookie class all lined up, I thought I'd look at their roster at each positional group as it stands. The players I end up bolding are players that I think are absolute locks to make the roster right now. The ones in italics have shots to make the roster but might have to battle with each other or prove something in the preseason, so even guys I think might have a 75% chance at making the team may be italicized. The ones in regular print are probably on the outside looking in at the moment.

This could all change. I don't think the Lions are necessarily done with signings. They have the second-most cap room in the NFL right now. Some of that will go to signing the rookie class, and some of it will be used for potentially extending players like Kenny Golladay and Taylor Decker.

Even after those things are done, the Lions will probably still have some cushion to make some signings. We probably won't see those kinds of signings until later in the offseason when it's more possible for free agents to do workouts with teams or get physicals.

Here's where we stand:

Quarterback

1. Matthew Stafford

2. Chase Daniel

3. David Blough

This is the easiest positional group to predict. Stafford is QB1. The Lions used a decent chunk of change to sign Chase Daniel at QB2 a year after Stafford got hurt. The question is going to be if the Lions want to use a third roster spot on Blough. History says yes, especially after a season where the top two quarterbacks on the roster dealt with injury. Still, I wouldn't say he's quite a lock.

Running Back/Fullback

1. D'Andre Swift

2. Kerryon Johnson

3. Jason Huntley

4. Bo Scarbrough

5. Ty Johnson

6. Nick Bawden

7. Luke Sellers

8. Wes Hills

The draft drastically changed how the running back room looks. There are people thinking Johnson might be on the chopping block as well, but I don't see that right now unless the Lions want a more veteran running back on the roster (a move that hasn't worked well the past two seasons). I think the Lions only keep four running backs on the roster, which means the main competition is Scarbrough vs. Ty Johnson. Johnson might be redundant considering the team just drafted Huntley, a lightning-fast receiver with special teams value that the team can run gimmick plays with. But Johnson was the team's iron man at running back last year (not a difficult feat), and Scarbrough has a long history of injuries.

The Lions might also carry a fullback. I'd say Bawden still has the advantage over UDFA Luke Sellers, but it might not be by much. Bawden has gone on IR both seasons, so Detroit might be looking for somebody new in the position. If the Lions like one of their depth tight ends as a fullback/h-back instead, neither guy may make the team.

The Bachelor Presents: Listen To Your Heart Is Here For The Right Reasons

this is the dude that women are fighting over on this show

The Bachelor Presents: Listen To Your Heart has been advertised as a hybrid between the traditional Bachelor franchise dating show and an American Idol-style singing competition. For the first two weeks of its existence, it's mostly been the Bachelor-style drama. This week, we finally get to see what Bachelor Nation's idea of a singing competition looks like. Turns out it's basically just American Idol!

The show's runtime is basically divided between an hour of drama and an hour of competition. The hour of drama was obviously much more entertaining.

Jumping off of last week's cliffhanger, Brandon still wants to "figure things out" with Julia after giving Savannah his rose last week (favoring her over like four other girls). Meanwhile, Sheridan is still focused on only Julia while Julia is an emotional wreck about the whole situation. Julia says that she just wants to move on but she is very clearly focused on Brandon and Savannah over everything else going on, seemingly even rehearsals with Sheridan.

Throwing a wrench into the ordeal is the lovable bastard Chris Harrison, who announces that only serious couples should continue participating on the show. This freaks Gabe out, because he chose Ruby last week to further explore something, but didn't feel serious about her. He feels more serious about Savannah. So he basically tells Savannah that he's going home unless she picks him over Brandon. This causes Savannah to become an emotional wreck for a good while, but she of course chooses Brandon.

After the choice, Savannah and Brandon seem a lot more lovey-dovey with each other through the house, much to the dismay of Julia. Julia thinks this sudden upturn in PDA means that they're just pretending that they're serious about each other, and they're just pretending to be into each other to continue being on the show. They're not here for the Right Reasons. They're here for fame. In the Bachelor universe, being there for the Wrong Reasons is the worst thing you can possibly be. Julia won't shut up about it throughout the next hour. She talks to the camera about it. She talks to the other housemates about it. Eventually Savannah tells her that it's not her place and to chill out, which she does not do.

Julia does have a point. Brandon seems like he really sucks. Choosing Savannah but continuing to tell Julia that they can figure things out is a scumbag move. But the entire process makes it seem that Julia is still way more into Brandon than Sheridan, who is her actual duet/potential love partner. It's all very messy. I'm sure it's going to get much worse, and I look forward to it.

There are two dates this week, and they do seem a little bit more inspired than last week's Guitar Center debacle. Bekah and Danny, the boring couple that cause no drama and are therefore never onscreen, go on a shopping spree with a Hollywood stylist! Neat, I guess!

Natascha and Ryan go meet country star Chris Lane, who is married to former Bachelor winner Lauren Busnell (Chris Lane was not the Bachelor in that particular season of The Bachelor). The couple pretend to know that they actually know who Chris Lane is and enjoy the concert.

Then it's time for the singing competition portion of the show, which is far less interesting even if it involves Kesha. She's one of the judges for this segment along with Jason Mraz and Bachelorette couple JoJo Fletcher and Jordan Rodgers. They say they're judging them musically, but it's mostly about the "connection." So eye contact, body language, all that good stuff are being judged. Some do better than others.

Natascha absolutely slays Rihanna's portion of "Stay," but overshadows Ryan even though there seems to be a connection there. Chris and Bri continue to be cute, and they work well together as musicians. Jamie is extremely nervous before the performance but is downright giddy after she and Trevor do a fine job. Everybody's mostly fine.

The edits of the first few episodes that previewed this portion of the competition have teased couples that don't seem that into each other, or are extremely one-sided. Those clips have usually been accompanied by images of Julia and Sheridan. That was a classic Bachelor bait-and-switch, though. There are two couples that had issues.

The first is, shockingly, Bekah and Danny. Bekah and Danny do an abysmal rendition of The Lumineers' "Ho Hey." Danny goes in for a kiss, awwww. He goes in for another one, and Bekah curves him. Not great! The judges say they seem more like very good friends than an actual couple.

Meanwhile, Savannah and Brandon do a chemistry-less, very very bad performance of Cheap Trick's "I Want You To Want Me." Brandon shows that his voices is utter garbage, and he makes very ridiculous faces while he sings. The judges say it feels like they're just getting to know each other, much to Julia's delight.

The rose ceremony happens with the judges picking who goes home. Naturally, the two couples who had the most problems are the ones that are on the chopping block. I'd say Savannah/Brandon had the worst performance of anybody, but because this is The Bachelor and they provide the most drama, they stay. Bekah and Danny were consistently referred to as one of the stronger couples on the show in the first two episodes, despite hardly being shown at all. They were not long for this world.

Previews of future episodes make it certainly seem like this whole Sheridan/Julia/Brandon/Savannah thing isn't going away soon. I originally pegged Matt as the villain of this season of reality television, but so far Brandon's running away with it. Not to say Julia is innocent in this either.

Postmortem:

- Ruby, who got the short end of the stick in all the episode-starting drama. I think she had two lines on the show, which is still better than Leather Jacket Guy and Hot Mr. Clean from episode one.

- Gabe, who doesn't watch enough reality television to know that "if you're not serious about this, go home" is a bluff by Chris Harrison and he is a fool for buying into it.

- Bekah and Danny, who are now going from two minutes of screen time per episode to zero. Big change.

Lions Day 3/Final Draft Thoughts

If Logan Stenberg keeps penalties to a minimum, he's a great addition to the offense [Sean Rayford/AP]

I was in a really strange state of mind yesterday so I never got to writing this up. On days one and two of the draft, the Lions picked up their star cornerback of the future in Jeff Okudah, a shiny new weapon for the run game in D'Andre Swift, an extremely talented edge rusher and one of the biggest steals of the draft in Julian Okwara, and a competitor for one of the interior offensive line spots in Jonah Jackson.

The team ended up having a pretty productive third day of the draft as well. Let's get into it.

I said that I wouldn't be upset with the Lions doubling up at one of their positions of need on the third day of the draft, and the Lions did that right away in the fourth round. Well, not quite right away because they traded down to pick up another fifth round pick before taking Kentucky OG Logan Stenberg. Stenberg is a nasty lineman that opposing defenses hated playing across from. Like Jackson, he gave up very few pressures in college. His meanness does have some negatives as he racked up penalties in college. If the Lions can develop him to keep his aggressive approach while nipping the penalty issue in the bud, he could be in the running for one of those starting guard spots. Even if he just ends up as depth/rotational for the time being, I really like the pick and trade down. B+.

I've banged the drum about the Lions needing a depth receiver because the Lions don't have any receivers on the roster for next year. Assuming Kenny Golladay gets a nice contract extension this summer, the position group still needs bodies for next year. They didn't need somebody who needs to develop into a top tier receiver, but I wanted somebody who can develop with the team, build rapport with Stafford and become a WR2/WR3 type in 2021. That's where Wisconsin WR Quintez Cephus comes into play. I wasn't the biggest Cephus fan going into this draft. He's pretty slow (he ran an abysmal 40 at the Combine, but improved his time to simply "bad" on his pro day) and relatively unathletic. If they Lions were to go for a more unathletic receiver, I liked Ohio State's K.J. Hill and SMU's James Proche. But Cephus did put up solid numbers at Wisconsin despite Jonathan Taylor being the focus of the offense and the quarterback play being... let's go with "uneven." He's not fast or agile, but he is explosive. He won a lot of jump balls and can beat defenders off the line. Time will tell if he will be able to keep up at NFL speed, but there's promise of him at least being a good blocking receiver. Plus, Matthew Stafford throwing to guys who are good at grabbing jump balls is a nice pairing. Not my favorite, but not dreadful. C.

The Lions surprisingly used their extra fifth-round pick on New Mexico State RB Jason Huntley. It's very clear that the Lions plan to drastically change their running approach with two new running backs and the added linemen. Huntley is small, but he's extremely fast. He has a lot of value as a receiving back and returner on special teams. He's immediately putting Ty Johnson on notice as the Lions' speed back option. Jamal Agnew might also need to watch his back, since returning is his main value to the team and the cornerback room is getting crowded. The Huntley pick took me aback for a second, but I liked it the more I thought about it. B.

A lot of people, myself included, had Utah defensive linemen Bradlee Anae and Leki Fotu as potential fits for the Lions. Detroit ended up passing on both, but they did go with a more underlooked prospect from that line in the sixth round with Utah DT John Penisini. He's a big lane-clogging tackle that's a killer against the run, but not so much as a pass-rusher. He'll have the opportunity to learn under a great nose tackle like Danny Shelton, and compete for rotational snaps with John Atkins. He's the kind of tackle Detroit's staff likes a lot, and depth/rotational snaps are exactly what you want from a sixth-rounder. A-.

The final pick of the draft went to a more developmental player in Ohio State DL Jashon Cornell. The third Buckeye picked by Detroit probably doesn't have a role in 2021, but he has the ability to play both inside and outside and plenty of athleticism. He was overshadowed on a great Ohio State defense, but he was still an All-Big Ten honorable mention and was very valuable for the Buckeyes. I still think he's probably due for a bit of a redshirt year on the practice squad for the time being. That's alright for a seventh-rounder. B-.

UDFAs: Most UDFAs won't make the team, but there are a few pickups worth looking out for. The Lions notably didn't draft a punter, so they're still looking for their guy. They picked up Auburn P Arryn Siposs as a camp leg with potential to make the team. He's an Australian punter, so he's got good control. I don't know if there's any favorite right now between him and Jack Fox, but it'll be an interesting battle. The Lions could still go for a punter that isn't currently on the roster as well.

Washington TE Hunter Bryant is the other player most likely to make the team. He was notably Pro Football Focus' top tight end prospect in this draft, but the fact that he still went undrafted probably should tell you about how good this tight end class was. Still, Bryant was a reliable receiver in college, and the team needs tight end depth. He should be in competition with Isaac Nauta for the TE3/HB role. South Dakota State FB Luke Sellers could also compete for a more traditional fullback role, but he's probably on the outside looking in right now.

The Lions grabbed a few defensive backs with Norfolk State S Bobby Price, Notre Dame S Jalen Elliott and Auburn S Jeremiah Dinson. They're probably competing for practice squad spots as well considering the Lions already have their best depth at safety and a lot of experienced special teamers at those positions. They'll have to really prove they can outshine the competition if they even want a special teams role.

Then there's Iowa State LS Steven Wirtel, who is certainly a longsnapper. Don Muhlbach is still on the roster, but he's not getting any younger. I'd say Trusty Ol' Muhlbach

Overall, the I thought the Lions had a very good, bordering on great draft. I still don't love the D'Andre Swift pick, but Detroit was still able to pick up players at positions of need later on the draft with some very high-value picks, so it largely off-sets. Plus, Swift will still be fun to watch. If my only other real complaint with the draft is that they didn't pick the guy I wanted for the WR4 spot, it's a pretty good draft. I'm very happy with this. It seems like it's easily Bob Quinn's best draft. I can't wait to find out how I'm wrong about that.

Things I Enjoyed Last Week: April 20-26

Now, more than ever, we need to get caught up with perfectly fine straight-to-streaming action movies [Netflix]

I'm gonna give some more thoughts on the Lions' drafting later today hopefully, but in the meantime, I enjoyed things!

Movie Thing I Enjoyed: 6 Underground: Last night I watched Michael Bay's straight-to-Netflix action movie from last year 6 Underground. I really enjoyed it. "Michael Bay is a secret auteur" is a film talking point that's been insufferably debated in the past few decades, so I'm not going to bang those talking points much. I'm just going to say that when he really hits on an action setpiece, it really hits. That's what matters. I didn't exactly love the movie, mostly because I'm increasingly tired of every time Ryan Reynolds appears on my screen in any role. I wish the main character was played by anybody other than him. But it's not a Michael Bay movie if there's not one aspect of it that is completely grating, and Reynolds is a perfect vehicle for "Michael Bay movie humor." I had fun and enjoyed large action setpieces despite any problems I had with the movie, and that's what I'm looking for when I watch straight-to-streaming action movies.

Internet Thing I Enjoyed: Giant Bomb Dot Com: I've been a Premium subscriber to Giant Bomb for a few years now. They're one of the few video game content sites I can really get into at this point. They've been in "lockdown" mode for over a month, so instead of recording and streaming from their San Francisco/New York studios they're streaming from home. It's incredibly hard to keep up with even with increased free time, because the home streaming has actually led to a massive uptick in content. Instead of maybe three hours of content a day, it's eight hours. I've had to be a lot more selective with what I watch, but I've enjoyed it. The weekly recordings of the Giant Bombcast and Giant Beastcast have been as good as ever. Jeff Gerstmann's home streams were a treat before things got shut down, and now there are even more of them. Alex Navarro's Rock Band and American Truck Simulator streams are perfect chill background content. Abby Russell's Friday night charity streams have been really fun. There's a lot more cross-coast streaming because everybody is working remote anyway, which leads to more of staff pairings the site only sees during E3 or during its Game of the Year deliberations. As a fan of the site, I'm excited for them to get back to doing the more traditional studio shows that I love, but they've been killing it when it comes to content, all things considered.

Beer Thing I Enjoyed: Elysian Space Dust: My corner store has had a sale on Space Dust the past month, which means I'm getting an 8.2% ABV beer for only a few dollars. It's not my favorite IPA but it's unbeatable for the price. That rules, except on the nights that I realize I've already had two of them on a relatively empty stomach.

Wrestling Thing I Enjoyed: IndependentWrestlingTV: My wrestling watching has decreased since most promotions I watch have been shut down, but IWTV  has been doing a great job of streaming/uploading older shows every day of quarantine. Not everything is my kind of stuff, but there's a huge variety. If you're into wrestling and want to get more into independent stuff or see where your favorite wrestlers were working before they went to WWE/AEW, it's a really good resource. They hand out multiple-week trials pretty regularly, too.

TV Thing I Think I Might Enjoy Maybe?: Westworld: I kinda gave up on Westworld after a few episodes the last time I tried watching it, largely in part because my HBO free trial expired. But my roommates are starting from the beginning, so I'm watching along. I'm not super into some of HBO's more "epic" shows (I gave up on Game of Thrones sometime in season 4, only watched two episodes of Watchmen), but there are enough solid performances and good production design that I think it'll be worth keeping up with, even though I'm not in love with some of the writing.

Thoughts on the First Two Days of the Lions' Draft

Ladies and gentlemen... we got him [Paul Sancya/AP]

After maybe the longest-feeling NFL offseason ever, the first two days of the 2020 NFL Draft have happened with little incident, outside of an extremely tired-looking Roger Goodell announcing picks and occasional weird views from the homes of NFL GMs, coaches and future players.

The Lions, after desperately letting everybody know for days that, "Hey, we have the third pick, in case you were wondering. And we're totally not committed to it or anything," ended up not finding a trade partner and making their pick at their original position. They also made several other picks. I have thoughts!

Drafting Ohio State CB Jeff Okudah at third overall was absolutely the right move. Adam Schefter reported that the Lions had no official offers for the pick, so I can't complain at all. I saw a common complaint that teams shouldn't draft corners in the top five, but I do think this is an exception.

While even many first-round corners need a year or two to develop, Okudah's projected as a plug-and-play starter in the pros. His game is very complete. He's a great athlete who had amazing tape playing against solid competition, and NFL scouts fell in love with his preparedness. He's a step above even other major corner prospects. He should make a difference right away.

You can talk about what positions have the most value at the top of the draft all you want, but the Lions don't have a need at several of those positions. The Lions have a star quarterback and two starting offensive tackles. They needed an edge rusher, but Chase Young was far-and-above the top edge rusher in the class. Only one other edge rusher went in the first round. For defensive tackle, Derrick Brown should be a good pro, but I don't think he's a Ndamukong Suh or Aaron Donald-level prospect. Isaiah Simmons is a freak athlete, but there's questions about fit and scheme when it comes to him.

With Okudah, there's very little questions. He should be a shutdown cornerback, and should have very few growing pains taking the next level. Sure, I would've preferred the Lions grabbing an extra pick, moving down a few spots, and then getting Okudah anyway. That wasn't in the cards. This is an A grade.

The way a lot of talent was moving down the board, I was salivating at the Lions' second round options. There were top edge rushers like A.J. Epenesa, Josh Uche, Curtis Weaver and Julian Okwara. Detroit could go for one of the top receivers that fell like Denzel Mims. They could grab a top interior lineman like Justin Madubuike or Ross Blacklock. An interior lineman would be a little more safe and boring of a pick, but I would have welcomed it.

Instead, the Lions took the second running back on the board with Georgia RB D'Andre Swift. I'm not a big fan of drafting running backs this early, because the shelf life of the average running back, even a good one, is so low in the NFL. Sometimes even great running backs make little difference in today's NFL, where passing more often is a much more efficient strategy. I especially didn't like that kind of move for this Lions team, which still has significant holes.

I do like Swift as a player, even though he wasn't my favorite running back in the class. He's got solid speed, good vision, keeps on his feet nicely. The Lions should be able to utilize his pass-catching abilities well. I'd love to see some split-back sets with him and Kerryon Johnson. Still, with so many great prospects at positions of greater need, I don't think this was quite worth the high pick. At first, this pick left a bad taste in my mouth and I gave it an F. With hindsight from the Lions' next couple picks, I'm less mad, so it's around a C for me.

I got significantly less mad at the Lions because they were able to grab Notre Dame EDGE Julian Okwara at the top of the third round. Like I said above, Okwara was a guy I would have loved for the Lions a full round earlier. The Lions desperately need help with pass rush, and Okwara should do well as either a jack linebacker or down lineman. He's coming off a broken leg and was unable to test for the combine, which is possibly why he dropped so far. The athleticism is certainly there. I love, love, loved this pick. A.

Finally, the Lions traded up with the Colts to pick up Okudah's teammate Ohio State IOL Jonah Jackson. Another one of the reasons I wasn't in love with the Swift pickup was that the Lions were looking like a mess at the guard spots, and I wasn't sure how many of the top-level interior linemen in a relatively weak class would be available for the Lions later.

Luckily, only three interior linemen went before the Lions traded up. It might have been the right move if Jackson was definitely their guy. The Falcons and Broncos ended up taking interior linemen before the Lions would have picked. If they really valued Jackson over Lloyd Cushenberry III and Matt Hennessy, I get making sure they secure that opportunity.

Jackson should hopefully become a Lions starter very quickly. He was a standout at Rutgers before transferring to Ohio State in his final year and becoming a first team All-Big Ten selection. Pro Football Focus has him credited with one sack given up in his entire career, even when he was at Rutgers Do you know how difficult it is to play football for Rutgers and do a good job? It's an impossible task. Jackson should do well in protecting Matthew Stafford, though his run blocking is more of a question. That doesn't put my hopes up for Swift any more, but I'll still take it over Kenny Wiggins starting at right guard. B.

The Lions addressed three of their biggest needs with a cornerback, an interior lineman and an edge rusher, and got a promising running back as a weapon for Matthew Stafford. If the Lions do plan on utilizing Swift as a slot receiver often, their need for another wide receiver goes down, but I'd still like them to take a chance on a late round guy. I'd also love them to draft some kind of defensive tackle. There's a good chance they'll draft a punter in the fifth or sixth round. I wouldn't mind them double-dipping and grabbing another offensive lineman, edge rusher or cornerback.

Here are 15 players available that I would not be mad if the Lions picked at some point, in no particular order:

• Boise State EDGE Curtis Weaver (probably the best player still available)
• Utah DT Leki Fotu
• Utah EDGE Bradlee Anae
• North Carolina DT Jason Strowbridge
• Michigan IOL Ben Bredeson
• St. John's OL Ben Bartch
• Ohio State WR K.J. Hill
• SMU WR James Proche
• Virginia CB Bryce Hall
• Wisconsin IOL Tyler Biadasz
• Auburn OL Jack Driscoll
• Texas A&M P Braden Mann
• Miami LB Shaquille Quarterman
• Michigan OL Jon Runyan
• Arizona State P Michael Turk

A whole mess of mock drafts

Let's do this. Multiple different simulators, no trades. Only picking from the top 20 available players on each site. Because I'm not trading back, first pick is always Okudah or Young.

First Mock Draft: Draft Network

Pick 3: Jeffrey Okduah, CB, Ohio State

Pick 35: A.J. Epenesa, EDGE, Iowa (considered: Zack Baun, Kenneth Murray, Ross Blacklock)

Pick 67: Robert Hunt, G, LSU (Chase Claypool, Jeremy Chinn, Kyle Dugger)

Pick 85: Jordan Elliott, DT, Missouri (Darrell Taylor, Eno Benjamin, Cam Akers)

Pick 109: Zack Moss, RB, Utah (Darrynton Evans, Bradlee Anae, Eno Benjamin)

Pick 149: James Proche, WR, SMU (Collin Johnson, Devin Duvernay, Jason Strowbridge)

Pick 166: Collin Johnson WR, Texas (Devin Duvernay, Julian Blackmon, Shaquille Quarterman)

Pick 182: Shaquille Quarterman, LB, Miami (Antoine Brooks Jr., Solomon Kindley, Tyre Phillips)

Pick 235: Cole McDonald, QB, Hawaii (AJ Green, Austin Mack, Lavert Hill)

The Lions get key starters at positions of need with Okudah and Epenesa in the first few rounds. Hunt should compete for a starting interior spot and hopefully start. Elliott should crack the DT rotation quickly if he doesn't start. Moss provides some much-needed running back depth. Proche and Johnson give the Lions options for a slot receiver and big outside receiver and help the team long-term at receiver. Quarterman for linebacker depth and potentially special teams. Cole McDonald gives them a developmental QB that needs a lot of polish.

Second Mock Draft: Pro Football Focus

Pick 3: Chase Young, EDGE, Ohio State

Pick 35: Noah Igbinoghene, CB, Auburn (Jeff Gladney, Trevon Diggs, Jaylon Johnson)

Pick 67: Lloyd Cushenberry III, G, LSU (Darrell Taylor, Chase Claypool, Clyde Edwards-Helaire)

Pick 85: Raekwon Davis, DT, Alabama (Jeremy Chinn, Darrell Taylor, Zack Moss)

Pick 109: Prince Tega Wanogho, OT, Auburn (Leki Fotu, Ben Bredeson, Anfernee Jennings)

Pick 149: Larrell Murchison, DT, NC State (Shane Lemieux, Julian Blackmon, Quintez Cephus)

Pick 166: Darrynton Evans, RB, Appalachian State (Quintez Cephus, Antoine Brooks Jr., Rashard Lawrence)

Pick 182: Antoine Brooks Jr., S, Maryland (Jordan Fuller, AJ Dillon, AJ Green)

Pick 235: Quez Watkins, WR, Southern Miss (AJ Dillon, Shaquille Quarterman, Nate Stanley)

PFF tends to value receivers even higher than other places, so I should've known that there wouldn't be a ton of receivers available top 20 at a given time. Still, the Lions have a ton of picks to improve the trenches. They get the best defensive player in the draft and somebody that should be able to take the CB2 spot. Cushenberry takes an interior line spott, and Wanogho helps tackle depth. You get a more bodies at defensive tackle as well, and they definitely need more bodies. Wish tings worked better in terms of receiver and there aren't many flashy picks after the second round, but solid draft.

Third Mock Draft: Fanspeak

Pick 3: Jeffrey Okudah, CB, Ohio State

Pick 35: Cesar Ruiz, G, Michigan (Ross Blacklock, Kenneth Murray, Marlon Davidson)

Pick 67: Justin Madubuike, DT, Texas A&M (Jordan Elliott, Bradlee Anae, Malik Harrison)

Pick 85: Darrell Taylor, EDGE, Tennessee (Kyle Dugger, Malik Harrison, Zack Moss)

Pick 109: AJ Dillon, RB, Boston College (Zack Moss, Jonah Jackson, Jason Strowbridge)

Pick 149: James Proche, WR, SMU (Jon Runyan, Isaiah Coulter, Michael Ojemudia)

Pick 166: Jon Runyan, OT/G, Michigan (Julian Blackmon, Joe Reed, Larrell Murchison)

Pick 182: McTelvin Agim, DT, Arkansas (Larrell Murchison, Lavert Hill, Alohi Gilman)

Pick 235: Quez Watkins, WR, Southern Miss (D.J. Wonnum, Bravvion Roy, Khaleke Hudson)

This was a weird draft. I noticed some players were listed twice, which probably threw some things off. Lions get the top corner and interior lineman in the draft. Madubuike and Taylor should crack the lineup quickly, and Dillon is an ideal fit for Detroit. I repeated some receiver picks from earlier drafts but they were the skill position players I liked best there. They can figure out where Runyan fits best as a developmental lineman, and try to hone Agim's raw talent.

Fourth Mock Draft: Pro Football Network

Pick 3: Jeffrey Okudah, CB, Ohio State

Pick 35: Ross Blacklock, DT, TCU (Cesar Ruiz, Julian Okwara, Marlon Davidson)

Pick 67: Zack Baun, EDGE/LB, Wisconsin (Jason Strowbridge, Matt Hennessy, Justin Madubuike)

Pick 85: Chase Claypool, WR, Notre Dame (Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Antoine Winfield Jr., Matt Peart)

Pick 109: Logan Stenberg, G, Kentucky (Ben Bartch, Antoine Winfield Jr., A.J. Green)

Pick 149: Robert Hunt, OT, Louisiana (John Hightower, Antonio Jackson, Thaddeus Moss)

Pick 166: Joe Reed, WR, Virginia (James Proche, J.R. Reed, Lavert Hill)

Pick 182: Anfernee Jennings, EDGE, Alabama (Nevelle Clark, Khalil Davis, Larrell Murchison)

Pick 235: Jon Runyan, OT/G, Michigan (Shaquille Quarterman, Quez Watkins, Kelly Bryant)

I realized on the last pick that I had completely forgotten to get a running back. For some reason I thought I picked one up in the middle rounds. I haven't slept a lot lately. Anyway, I would absolutely love those Day 1/2 picks. Okudah and Blacklock are starters. Baun is a bit undersized but I think the Lions would still love him, especially if he made it all the way to 67. Claypool could really make that Lions receiver group fun, and Reed has some special teams value that the Lions might like. Not in love with Stenberg, and I think that made me pick up a couple more linemen through the rest of the draft.

Fifth Mock Draft: Walk the Mock

Pick 3: Jeffrey Okudah, CB, Ohio State

Pick 35: Curtis Weaver, EDGE, Boise State (Cesar Ruiz, A.J. Epenesa, Julian Okwara)

Pick 67: Jonah Jackson, G, Ohio State (Jordan Elliott, Shane Lemieux, Noah Igbinoghene)

Pick 85: Cam Akers, RB, Florida State (Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Raekwon Davis, Darrell Taylor)

Pick 109: Tyler Johnson, WR, Minnesota (Darrell Taylor, Davon Hamilton, Chase Claypool)

Pick 149: James Lynch, DT, Baylor (James Proche, Prince Tea Wanogho, Matthew Peart)

Pick 166: Benito Jones, DT, Ole Miss (A.J. Dillon, Nick Harris, Gabriel Davis)

Pick 182: Lavert Hill, CB, Michigan (Tyler Huntley, Shaquille Quarterman, Cole McDonald)

Pick 235: Julian Blackmon, S, Utah (Khalil Davis, Michael Onwenu, James Robinson)

This isn't my favorite draft, at least towards the end. I went with Weaver for variety's sake. I'd probably actually go Epenesa. Jackson, Akers and Johnson all help the offense, with a lot of depth defensive picks at the end.

Final Mock Draft: NFL Mock Draft Database

Pick 3: Jeffrey Okudah, CB, Ohio State

Pick 35: Brandon Aiyuk, WR, Arizona State (Zack Baun, Justin Madubuike, Lloyd Cushenberry III)

Pick 67: Nick Harris, G, Washington (Jordan Elliott, Raekwon Davis, Bryce Hall)

Pick 85: Bradlee Anae, EDGE, Utah (Leki Fotu, Darrell Taylor, A.J. Dillon)

Pick 109: Jason Strowbridge, DT, UNC (Cam Akers, Devin Duvernay, Ben Bartch)

Pick 149: Darrynton Evans, RB, Appalachian State (Anthony Gordon, Davon Hamilton, Ke'Shawn Vaughn)

Pick 166: Collin Johnson, WR, Texas (Devin Asiasi, Anthony Gordon, James Proche)

Pick 182: Thaddeus Moss, TE, LSU (J.R. Reed, James Proche, Ke'Shawn Vaughn)

Pick 235: Braden Mann, P, Texas A&M (James Robinson, Lavert Hill, A.J. Green)

For my last draft I decided to go for luxury first, and it still played out pretty well. The Lions get one of the higher-tier receivers with Aiyuk and get guys who could easily contribute for the next few rounds. I focused on the trenches for the next three picks which paid off well, because in this draft it was a lot of skill position players at the end. So on Day 3 the Lions end up getting help with running back and receiver depth, their potential TE3 and a punter! I was excited that there was finally a mock draft where a punter was high enough in the rankings for me to pick him in the late rounds. 

The Bachelor Presents: Listen To Your Heart Goes To Guitar Center

The three words she wants to hear: "Guitar Center, baby!"

There's a lot to talk about when it comes to the latest episode of The Bachelor Presents: Listen To Your Heart. There's new contestants, love triangles, accusations of cheating, and an atmosphere of desperation and drunkenness. But before that, we need to talk about the dates.

The Bachelor franchise is famous for having romantic dates between the bachelors/bachelorettes and their potential suitors. They often involve helicopter rides, big romantic landscapes, expensive restaurants, and more.

Of course, Listen is an unproven spin-off show, so it doesn't have the budget for massive dates. Last week, one of the dates happened in a Columbia Records studio with a Grammy-nominated producer, so that must've cost some money. The other date was an intimate Plain White T's concert, which I imagine was much cheaper. I assume you can see the Plain White T's for the price of admission at your local State Fair.

This week, things were noticeably cheaper. Let's break down the dates.

Jamie and Trevor went on the first date this week, continuing their romance after Jamie chose Trevor over Ryan. Their romantic date? Busking. They went out somewhere in L.A. and performed a song an audience that was clearly planted by producers. They apparently had over $80 in their guitar cases after their performance, which is hard to believe. But aside from ABC most likely providing the audience with that $80, this seemed like a cheap date from The Bachelor folks. Jamie and Trevor also got to spend some alone time in a hot tub in parts unknown, where Jamie told Trevor she hates cheaters because every guy she's ever been with has cheated on her. This will be important later!

The second date took place at a Guitar Center after hours. A Guitar Center. I like walking around a music store and messing around with instruments I don't know how to play as much as anybody, but for a romantic date on a major television show? Nah. Now, Chris made sure to tell us as the date started that the Guitar Center in question was the most iconic Guitar Center in the world, which is clearly something they had to say to fulfill the product placement obligations. Chris and Bri might be the cutest couple on this show so far, so their date was very nice, but Bri telling Chris about the heartbreaking end to her engagement (apparently her fiancee called it off right after Bri told him she found the dress) inside of an empty Guitar Center was weird.

The third date was between Sheridan and Julia, who went into the IHeartRadio studio, were interviewed by a morning show radio DJ (there's nothing more romantic than a morning show radio DJ), and performed Maren Morris' "The Bones" in the IHeartRadio studio. Surprisingly, the morning show radio interview didn't end up being the most romantic thing in the world. Julia was asked if she had kissed any other guys on the show, and she said yes. Sheridan admitted he's really been focused on Julia. This will be important later!

The final date was actually something that a normal human being might be considered romantic. Brandon (who is a hot commodity in the house) and Savannah went to a jazz club, drank some cocktails and did a duet of Little Willie John's "Fever" with the house band. It's still probably a cheaper date outside of drink prices, but it felt way more natural than dates at recording studios or empty storefronts.

This week was the guys' turn to give out roses, and three more women were added to the house to make things uneven. Things started getting a little spicy and desperate!

In a classic Bachelor "we're going to find somebody vaguely associated with a contestant's past and have them stir the pot" move, one of those women is Natascha. Natascha is a former beauty pageant winner who has been on several other music-themed reality shows in the past. She is also friends with Trevor's ex. As soon as she "finds out" there is a "Trevor from L.A." on the show, she goes "Oh is it Trevor from American Idol?" and starts talking about how he cheated on her friend and broke her heart. She immediately confronts Trevor, who eventually gives in and admits that he did lie and "emotionally cheat" on his ex. He then tells Jamie the story, and says he's different than he was a year and a half ago. She believes him, and they pair up at the end of the night. Surely this will be the last drama involving this couple!

Despite choosing Sheridan over Buff Mr. Clean in week one and going on a date with him this week, Julia is still very much not settled on a man. She's between Sheridan and Brandon. She straight up tells Sheridan that she's undecided and wants to see how things go with Brandon before the rose ceremony. Sheridan is heartbroken, but holds on hope because Brandon has to choose between at least three women.

Aside from Julia and Savannah, Mel is trying to figure out who to she wants to pair up with. After things flamed out with the horrendous Matt last week, she chose Gabe at the rose ceremony, largely because he was Not Matt. They don't seem to have moved onto any sort of deeper connection, but Mel likes Brandon. She mentions multiple times that she thinks she's in love with him, and while Brandon is nice and does kiss Mel, they don't seem to share the connection that Brandon has with either Julia or Savannah.

Rudi chose Ryan last week after being heartbroken by the villainous Matt, but they don't seem to be that into each other either. Rudi realizes she's also in danger of going home without fame or love, so she tries to force it anyway. She kisses Ryan, but immediately admits that she felt nothing. So she goes back to the fiend Matt, who nobody else likes and has a rose to give. Remember that Rudi badmouthed the no-goodnik Matt to everybody in the house last week. This will surely end well!

At the end of the night there are a few decisions to be made, and by that I mean, Brandon needs to consider all the options in his Love Square and give a rose to only one of them. He chooses Savannah, much to Julia's clear dismay. Sheridan has the last rose of the night, and has to decide if he wants to be Julia's consolation prize or explore things with one of the three girls on the cutting room floor. He chooses Julia, of course. Almost immediately after the rose ceremony, Brandon hugs Julia and tells her that they'll "figure this out." This will surely end well!

The Pairings:
- Bekah and Danny, who have chosen each other two weeks in a row and have had a combined two minutes of screen time in three hours of television.
- Bri and Chris, who are the cutest couple on the show so far
- Jamie and Trevor, despite the admission of "emotional cheating" to a 21 year-old girl who despises cheating
- Julia and Sheridan, which is becoming more and more of a one-sided relationship by the minute
- Natascha and Ryan, who had a conversation about how she likes "nerdy guys" to Ryan. Ryan, a clean-cut, attractive musician in his 20s is the "nerdy guy" here by the way.
- Ruby and Gabe. Gabe was barely on screen this episode, and Ruby is one of the new cast members this week. She didn't say much outside of making a joke about having a lot of one-night stands with musicians in Austin
- Rudi and the despicable Matt, because we can't have nice things
- Savannah and Brandon, who outside of the whole love triangle thing seem like genuinely very boring people


The Post-Mortem:
- Mariana, who was one of the new contestants this week, told us her name and where she was from, and promptly went back home
- Cheyenne, who was the reason the dreaded Matt is still on our screens in the first place
- Mel, who seemed nice and cute but never meshed with any of the guys enough to stand a chance

Things I enjoyed last week: April 13-20

Last week was maybe the worst the whole coronavirus pandemic messed with my anxiety, but I still took time to Enjoy Things. Hope you enjoyed things too!

Music Thing I Enjoyed: Fiona Apple - Fetch the Bolt Cutters: Fiona Apple is one of the most heralded singer-songwriters of a generation, even though she hasn't released all that much music in her 25-year career. Fetch the Bolt Cutters is only her fifth album in that timespan, and none of her albums have clocked in longer than an hour. Apple is a musician where a little has gone a long way. Fetch the Bolt Cutters is no different. There's a lot to unpack in this jazz-pop record where Apple truly does sound free and unleashed. Largely written recorded in her home studio, it's chaotic and anxious while also keeping a lyrical wit from Apple as she talks about her own anxieties, romantic and sexual history, sexual assault, and the general feeling that you're being put down by opposing forces. It's quickly become one of the most immediately praised albums critically, and it deserves every bit of praise. Here's the title track. 

Gaming Thing I Enjoyed: Jackbox Party Packs 1-6: The Jackbox games are already some of the best party games around. At basically every get-together I have with friends, games of Quiplash, Fibbage and Mad Verse City tend to get going as the night goes on. With quarantine keeping my group of friends from getting together in person, we've been playing a lot of Jackbox on Zoom or Discord. Playing Jackbox online with a drink in your hands isn't quite the same as actual human contact, but it's a good way to hang out with friends online nonetheless.

TV Thing I Will Enjoy: Riverdale: I actually haven't watched the latest episode of Riverdale yet, but I assume it is incredible. It's the yearly "musical" episode of the series, which is always a good time. This year the gang is doing Hedwig and the Angry Inch. I've actually never seen that musical outside of hearing a couple songs, but I'm looking forward to it. I just want Archie's sick dance moves on my television screen.

Wrestling Thing I Enjoyed: Cody vs. Wardlow in a Steel Cage Match, from the February 19 episode of AEW Dynamite: It was a bad week for wrestling as WWE released or furloughed a bunch of on-air talent. It was sad seeing a lot of really talented workers who have wanted out of the company for a while finally get released at a time when they won't be able to find more work. I ended up getting caught up with AEW after the WWE news hit. Even though wrestling is scummy everywhere, it was nice watching more big-budget American wrestling that has no association with Vince McMahon. I've been a constant critic of Cody Rhodes' work since he left WWE years ago, but I've really started coming around to him. He really nails old-school stuff like cage matches or bloody brawls well. It makes up for a lot of his deficiencies in the ring. I don't wanna see Cody put on a workrate classic. I want to see that dude bleed.

TV Thing That I Continue To Enjoy: Better Call Saul: I slowed down on my viewing of Better Call Saul this week, but I'm still loving the hell out of that show. I finished season three this week, which was just a brutal note to finish on. The strained relationship between Jimmy and Chuck was incredibly well-done by Bob Odenkirk and Michael McKean. Rhea Seehorn continues to do incredible work as Kim Wexler. I wasn't feeling the Mike storyline as much this season, but I am interested in seeing where this goes with more Gus Fring in the mix. Good, good show.

Chartgazing 2020: March

Lil Uzi Vert put seven songs in the top 20 in March and topped the albums chart for several weeks

I was slacking on this one because it's a little bit daunting. March was the biggest month of the year for individual songs in the Top 20. That's largely because between Lil Uzi Vert's two albums charted in the month of March, seven individual songs made the top 20. Uzi had some monster streaming weeks, and the charts reflected it. That being said, this might not be so daunting because other than the Uzi songs and a couple others, the charts largely stayed the same. I have very few extra thoughts on many of the songs I've covered previously. So let's dive in.

34. Blackbear - "Hot Girl Bummer" (Peak Position: #11)

America is going through enough right now. Do we really need something this awful and depressing creeping into the top 10?

33. Maroon 5 - "Memories" (Peak Position: #9)

My thoughts on "Memories" have absolutely plummeted since I first heard it. This tends to happen for most Maroon 5 songs that hit the radio. At first, I think very little of the song, but as it gets increased airplay, I hate it. Even a lower-key Adam Levine like the one we get on this track is gratgin. I officially hate this more than "Dance Monkey."

32. Tones & I - "Dance Monkey (Peak Position: #7)

That being said, I still really hate "Dance Monkey."

31. Lil Uzi Vert - "That Way" (Peak Position: #20)

Spoiler alert for the rest of this list: I really like several of the Lil Uzi Vert songs that hit the charts in the past month. Unfortunately, "That Way" doesn't hold up. The Backstreet Boys interpolation used is extremely annoying. This was technically the second single for Eternal Atake, but this and lead single "Futsal Shuffle 2020" were only considered "bonus tracks" on the album itself. This really is a considerable step down from the tracks on the album itself. It sounds like Uzi trying too hard for a crossover hit, and he's got too big of a following to need to try doing stuff like that. This being included on the album itself probably helped boost streaming numbers, but it didn't need it.

30. Lewis Capaldi - "Someone You Loved" (Peak Position: #9)

We need another Capaldi hit or one of the other sad British pop singer-songwriters to come up with a new hit so I don't need to hear this anymore.

We're All Losing Our Minds Anyway So It's Time To Get Into The Bachelor Presents: Listen To Your Heart

This is my sports now [ABC]

I don't have any sports anymore. I can do mock draft after mock draft, talk about how underwhelming the Lions' free agency period has been, and cry myself to sleep after Michigan basketball loses two five-star recruits in a twelve-hour span. Those still aren't really sports, those are Theoretical Sports, looking forward to (or really, dreading) future seasons. There aren't any actual real sports happening. The NBA, NHL and MLB seasons are all delayed indefinitely. March Madness didn't happen. Golf is on hold. Even NASCAR is on hold, and now drivers are saying slurs on streams of virtual races. I miss real, competitive sports.

I also miss Riverdale. It's been off the air for a couple weeks, and the episode that airs Wednesday will  be the last episode until production can resume. Riverdale is the one television show I watch week-to-week, because it is ridiculous. I miss the drama of Riverdale, and that will be gone for months.

So here I am, ready to dive into The Bachelor Presents: Listen To Your Heart, the newest Bachelor spin-off. It premiered last night, and I'm hooked. I needed competition and drama, and this show has it in spades.

The gimmick of the show is that it is The Bachelor meets American Idol, which is a show concept that feels about 15 years too late, but I will take it nonetheless. Couples of eligible bachelors and bachelorettes will compete with each other in some kind of singing competition.

But before that can happen, we need the couples to actually form and also a hefty dose of drama. So the premiere has very little of the singing competition, because we need to introduce all our competitors and get them to pair up. To make matters more spicy, there are twelve men to eight women. Four men will be going home, so the women will have to deal with multiple guys vying for their affection.

The rest of this post will feature spoilers for the premiere of The Bachelor Presents: Listen To Your Heart, in case that matters to you.

The first thing that stood out was the immediate comparison of the contestants to A Star is Born made by Chris Harrison as the show begins. Later in the show, multiple contestants bring up A Star is Born. Did these people watch A Star is Born? Did they stop the movie after the "Shallow" scene? That particular film is maybe not the best goal for your relationship!

The first main drama of the episode is Jamie, the youngest person living in the house, who is also the first person to arrive at the house. She is stuck between Ryan, a very nice-seeming guy who is the second to arrive at the house, and Trevor, who seems kinda douchey. Ryan and Jamie immediately hit it off, but she seems very attracted to Trevor as well. The next day, it's time for the first date, and Ryan gets to choose who he goes with. Naturally, he chooses Jamie. They go to Capitol Records, where they record a duet of John Mayer's "Gravity" with the guy who actually produced the record. It seems like Ryan's got this in the bag! Or does he?

Then there's Matt and Rudi. Rudi seems very eager to be in the house, and also very naive. She gets very amped up, and connects with Matt on the first night. Matt also connects with Mel, but it seems that Rudi and Matt is the pairing. Matt gets the second date letter, and is stuck between Mel and Rudi. He sits both of them down, and makes it seem to Rudi like he's going on the date with her. Rudi gets pissed, talks a mess about him to all the other girls, and then airs him out when he gets back. It was incredible.

Some other things happen too. There's a girl named Julia who seems like she's between four guys, but mostly between Sheridan a Texan singer-songwriter with big hair and an even bigger hat, and Josh, who doesn't end up getting featured much but a few of the other guys are scared of him because he looks like buff, hot Mr. Clean.

There's also Michael Todd, who might be the worst person in the world. He sings one of his original songs very quickly to being introduced, and he sounds awful. He almost immediately tries to kiss Savannah (who, being an acoustic-pop musician, a yoga instructor, and self-described "bit of a free spirit and a little bit of a wild child," is really going for the Basic White Girl Bingo here), who dodges him hilariously.

Also, there's a guy in a leather jacket, who I'm pretty sure says four words in the entire episode, but can be seen in several scenes in the background, wearing a leather jacket.

At one point, Mel and Matt go to an intimate Plain White T's concert, because the show doesn't have a budget for bigger stars and you absolutely know the Plain White T's didn't have anything else going on.

Anyway, we get to the dramatic rose ceremony. Some of it hardly matters, as it features both men and women who we've hardly seen on the show. Julia ends up picking Sheridan (which is predictable, because Sheridan got a video package at the start of the episode while Josh spoke maybe twice). Mel ends up picking somebody other than Matt after Rudi badmouths him to everyone. Matt thinks he's going home because there's no way Rudi will pick him, but Cheyenne (another barely-featured face) ends up picking him. WILD! Everybody hates that dude now! He's definitely gonna get into a fight with somebody!

The rose ceremony ends with Jamie and Rudi having to pick, both of whom are obviously very undecided. Jamie ends up going with the curveball and picking Trevor over Ryan, throwing everybody off since she went on the date with Ryan. But don't worry because Rudi comes back and picks Ryan with the last rose! Surely this will end well for everybody.

Oh man, I love it. It was exactly what I needed after being in the house for a month, filling both my competition and drama needs. It looks like next week, they're going to add more women to the mix and probably make the men choose between them. One of those women is Trevor's ex, who wants to make sure he's honest about his past cheating (Jamie hates cheaters). Ahhhhhh I love it. It's going to be all I can think about for a while.

Now let's remember our fallen comrades:

- Michael Todd, who was too good for this world. The credits scene is a bunch of women making fun of Michael Todd, who has absolutely no game.

- Leather Jacket Guy, who definitely wore a leather jacket at several points

- Josh, who did not seem to have any personality or charm after the whole "Hot, Buff Mr. Clean" thing.

- Apparently somebody named Jack, who I am sure was not even on the screen once until the rose ceremony.

Let's do this again sometime.

Things I Enjoyed Last Week: April 6-12

I've watched an obscene amount of Guy Fieri this week [Food Network]

This is a thing I'm going to try to do every Monday, recapping the week prior by writing about stuff I enjoy but don't necessarily want to write a long thing about. Probably going to talk about around five different things every week. Simple as that.

TV Thing: Better Call Saul - A lot of people are using quarantine to catch up on shows in their backlog. I'm no exception. I used the month of March to finally watch Twin Peaks: The Return (absolutely brilliant, some of the best television I've ever watched), and now I'm finally working through Better Call Saul. I was a huge Breaking Bad fan when it was on, but only watched the first season of this when it came out. I'm not sure why, because I really enjoyed it. Now that I've picked up with season two and am now in the middle of season three, I'm really regretting my choice to throw this aside for a few years. Bob Odenkirk as Jimmy/Saul and Jonathan Banks as Mike might be giving even better performances here than they did in Breaking Bad, and the rest of the cast is great. Michael McKean as Chuck McGill is especially incredible, as is Rhea Seehorn as Kim Wexler. The part of season three that I'm at has some fantastic tension between Odenkirk and McKean, and I'm both excited and nervous to see where it goes.

Movie Thing: Onward - I've been watching a lot of movies during quarantine, but I ended up watching a lot less last week outside of the 2003 sci-fi action movie The Core and Onward, Pixar's recent animated fantasy that would still be in theaters if not for basically every theater shutting down. It's on Disney+ and worth a watch. It's not my favorite Pixar movie, but the studio's been a lot less consistent for a few years now. This feels more like "Good Pixar" than "Mediocre Pixar," even if it's not quite the achievement as something like Coco. I thought it took a while to get me into it, but around the midway point I started having a really good time, and the theme of brotherhood really hit me. If anything, Pixar can still really hit emotional family themes out of the park.

Video Game Thing: Animal Crossing: New Horizons - There's been enough written about Animal Crossing: New Horizons in the past month, since it's such a wonderful distraction from everything happening right now. After about a week, I was starting to fall off a bit, only really playing to get a few daily tasks done. But I'm back on it strong right now, and I think the reason is the level of connection you can feel to your friends even if you're not voice chatting. I can't visit my friends' actual houses, and they can't visit mine. Being able to visit their islands in this game is the closest I feel to actually hanging out with them. Two of my best friends have their birthdays on April 12; we couldn't have a big party like we normally do. One of the birthday girls'  husbands put together an Animal Crossing party for them that was super fun. We took pictures, showed each other our towns and houses, and played homemade minigames within the game. It was a hoot. The game made me feel like I was really with them, even though all of us were stuck in our own houses.

Another TV Thing: Guy's Grocery Games - My roommate got Sling TV and so I've been really cherishing having Food Network for the first time in years. Usually that's a treat reserved for when I visit my family back in Michigan. Last week there was a day where I watched roughly eight straight hours of Guy's Grocery Games, the best show on television.

Music Thing: John Prine - John Prine - The influential and cherished singer-songwriter John Prine died last week after complications with COVID-19. Prine's music was a special brand of Midwestern warmth, humor and sadness. Those emotions often all hit within the same lines. He never reached the heights of popularity as a Bob Dylan or a Bruce Springsteen, but his music was just as phenomenal. His peers knew that. We'll never have another John Prine. Here's "Spanish Pipedream." 

Two Lions 2020 Mock Drafts

Just Draft Okudah.

The NFL Draft is still scheduled to go on, in some kind of virtual format, from April 23 to April 25. A lot of teams don't seem to be thrilled about the prospect, but NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has seemed pretty adamant on having things go on as normal. I've been playing a lot with The Draft Network's mock draft simulator out of sheer boredom, but I thought I'd write about two of them for the Lions.

Round 1: Jeffrey Okudah, CB, Ohio State - I'm really not considering anyone else at number three. In basically every mock I've done, Joe Burrow goes #1 and Chase Young goes #2. If Chase Young somehow drops to #3, I'm taking him here. If the Lions traded back, I'm obviously open to other options, but Okudah's the choice at 3 given this circumstance. The Lions need somebody to play opposite Desmond Trufant, and Okudah's a corner prospect that can start right away.

Round 2: Cesar Ruiz, IOL Michigan - This was probably a best-case scenario for the Lions. Interior offensive lineman is probably the Lions' biggest need on either side of the ball, and Ruiz is generally considered the best interior lineman in the class. He should be able to play guard or center, so he makes sense as a replacement for Graham Glasgow. I don't think he's going to fall to 35. This interior class is considered pretty weak, so I think there's going to be a team that pulls the trigger early to ensure they get a guy like Ruiz at least a few picks before the Lions. I considered drafting TCU defensive tackle Ross Blacklock, but getting a top interior offensive lineman here was too good to pass up.

Round 3, Pick 1: Curtis Weaver, EDGE, Boise State - When I looked at the Draft Express' big board going into the third round, a cluster of three edge rushers popped out to me: Curtis Weaver, Julian Okwara and Joshua Uche. This would be another dream scenario for the Lions, who desperately need help rushing the passer. I wouldn't be mad at any three of them being picked, just a matter of who they like best. Weaver is probably the best prospect of the three, but the Lions were able to coach Uche in the Senior Bowl, and Okwara's brother is currently on Detroit's roster, so there's a connection.

Round 3, Pick 2: KJ Hill, WR, Ohio State - The Lions still need a defensive tackle at some point, but wide receiver is still a need for them with no receiver signed to long-term contracts. Hill isn't especially athletic or fast, but he's sure-handed and a great route-runner. He's a guy who could really benefit from learning under Danny Amendola for a year, with very little pressure for him in year one.

Round 4: Leki Fotu, DT, Utah - Waiting a bit on defensive tackle seems to have paid off here. Fotu is a guy I think the Lions will like as a potential nose tackle. I've been able to get him in later rounds, but he was probably the easiest fit available for the team I could see, and the Lions will probably have him higher on their board than other teams considering how much they seem to like big run-stuffers.

Round 5, Pick 1: McTelvin Agim, DT, Arkansas - The Lions need bodies on the defensive line, so I double-dipped. Agim is more of a developmental project as he hasn't played the position for long, but he has all the athletic tools he needs. I don't know if I trust this Lions staff to actually be able to coach up a player, but I'd like them to try here.

Round 5, Pick 2: Shaquille Quarterman, LB, Miami - The Lions have made some moves at linebacker this offseason, but it's still a flawed group that could need a boost. Quarterman seems like he could be a fit for Patricia, so I wouldn't be surprised if he's on their draft board.

Round 6: Anfernee Jennings, EDGE, Alabama - The sixth round is generally where I draft a punter for the Lions. Every time I try to draft Braden Mann here, the mock draft simulator breaks down. So I decided instead to add another body to the defensive line, from a program that Bob Quinn and Matt Patricia love drafting players from.

Round 7: James Robinson, RB, Illinois State - I've spent a lot of this draft helping the Lions in the trenches, when they could use more skill position players. The team probably needs to add another running back, so Robinson could be an interesting late-round pick. He doesn't have great long speed, but he's agile and strong. He was a prolific running back for Illinois State, but ball control could be an issue. These are the kinds of risks you end up taking drafting a running back in the late rounds, but Robinson could be a good fit.

Overall: While this isn't a flashy draft outside of a pick or two, it fits essentially every need the Lions have. If this was what the Lions did in this draft, I'd be pretty happy with the resuts.

Mock Draft 2

Round 1: Jeffrey Okduah, CB, Ohio State - All of my picks for the Lions are going to be different in this mock draft except for number one. Once again, Okudah's the choice unless Young is there or they trade down.

Round 2: A.J. Epenesa, EDGE, Iowa - Epenesa's stock seems to have fallen a bit in the past month or so, but he's still considered one of the top edge rushers in the class. Both Cesar Ruiz and Lloyd Cushenberry III were gone here, so interior lineman was off the table. Also considered Blacklock and Justin Madubuike for defensive tackle, but I couldn't pass up Epenesa at 35.

Round 3, Pick 1: Brandon Aiyuk, WR, Arizona State - Wide receiver is a bit of a luxury pick at this point for the Lions, but they do need the help and do have extra picks because of the Darius Slay trade. With a deep receiver class the Lions could still wait a few rounds and get a solid player, but with the extra picks somebody Aiyuk or Chase Claypool (or once again, KJ Hill) seems more likely to bolster that receiving corps.

Round 3, Pick 2: Matthew Peart, OT, UConn - I wasn't able to get any of the top-tier interior prospects and the options I saw here looked thin, so a team in the Lions' position here might take a look at an offensive tackle to move to the interior. Peart was initially a starting guard for Uconn that moved to starting offensive tackle, so he might be an option if Detroit went that route.

Round 4: Bradlee Anae, EDGE, Utah - I probably would've gone with Fotu here again, but I did say I'd pick differently in my second mock. I instead went with fellow Ute Bradlee Anae, another guy I think the Lions might really love from that defensive unit. It's a double-dip at this point, so I'd imagine someone like Fotu is still the pick here, but for variety's sake let's go Anae.

Round 5, Pick 1: Jason Strowbridge, DT, North Carolina - And here's the defensive tackle pick for the Lions. Matt Patricia coached Strowbridge at the Senior Bowl, and he graded out well at the combine. If the Lions could get him in the fifth to help bolster their defensive line further, it'd be a good match.

Round 5, Pick 2: Jack Driscoll, OT, Auburn - Driscoll is another possible "tackle moved to guard" prospect. He's a bit undersized to be a tackle, but he's a strong athlete in about every aspect other than size. Drafting two "tackles" might be a bit of a push, I do think the Lions' need for at least a depth tackle is underrated, but if Peart or Driscoll moved to guard and one stayed at tackle, it makes sense.

Round 6: Khalil Davis, DT, Nebraska - This is another "I'd draft a punter here but I don't want the simulator to break so here's a defensive line depth pick"

Round 7: James Proche, WR, SMU - I decided to stay at skill position for my final pick, but went for another receiver instead of running back this time. Proche was a killer at SMU with some of the surest hands in college football. He's not very athletic but made some circus catches. He'd have fun with Matthew Stafford as his quarterback.

Trying To Make Sense of Lions Free Agency

Hope you weren't tired of the Lions signing former Patriots. [Mark Zaleski/AP]

Despite everything around us being on fire, the National Football League have still gone one with the offseason like nothing has happened. It's a welcome distraction, if not bizarre. The league is still adamant that it is having the draft later this month, and plans to start the season in September even if OTAs and training camps are shortened/outright canceled.

That doesn't seem like the best idea. Even if things are fine by mid-May and OTAs are allowed to go on as scheduled, many players are still likely going to be a bit less conditioned than usual, particularly those who might not have the access to top-notch training centers during lockdown.

I don't know how well that will hold up if social distancing guidelines (many states being under Shelter In Place orders) continue, but it's been nice to at least think that sports might happen again eventually. The Lions made some signings, and I have some thoughts. Let's chat!