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