Grading the Detroit Lions 2022 Draft

[Motor City Sonics]

It's absurd to grade a draft before anyone has played a game.   It's nearly as absurd to grade it after the draft class' rookie season. 

3 years is fair

With that in Mind.   

Round 1 -  ED Aidan Hutchinson.    A+    Game-changer.  Let's hope he stays healthy

Round 1 - WR  Jameson Williams   B+.   Rocky start with injures and suspension, An A+ when he's on the field

Round 2 - ED Josh Paschal   C+    Hasn't been healthy enough, and he doesn't change games, but a solid rotation guy

Round 3 - S Kerby Joseph  A+   He's another game changer

Round 5  -  TE James Mitchell   D  - He didn't make an impact, even for a 5th rounder

Round 6 - LB  Malcom Rodriguez  A-   For where they drafted him, he's been a very positive player

round 6 - LB/ED James Houston  B   One trick pony, flash in the pan, but for a 6th round guy, we got something good

Round 7 . CB  Chase Luas Inc -  He was a 7th rounder, what do you want? 

 

A

 

An outstanding draft.  4 positive impact players, 2 of them stars.   If Josh Paschal can be a little better, then this is kind of an epic draft.

 

This is why I don't really question what appears to be some strange picks this year after the first round.    I completely trust Brad.  He turned this team into one of the best in the NFL - THROUGH THE DRAFT - in 3 years -  and it does get harder when you pick later, the cost of being really good.      With this year's draft they had fewer mid-level picks because they moved picks to go get specific guys they wanted.    If they wanted those specific guys, there must be a reason for it.   And as others have said - Brad has built the roster so well that they really don't need those picks anymore.   Not many places to put them.    

 

[MichiganCardinal]

Aidan Hutchinson: A+

Can't ask for anything more. His injury possibly cost us a Super Bowl. I hope he gets the DPOY that he was on track for last season.

Jameson Williams: B  

A lot of bark and little bite until last season when he finally showed his potential. There might still be meat on the bone too, which makes this a difficult grade. The off-field struggles and immaturity (both on and off-the-field) negatively impact this grade too. I worry about paying him the kind of salary that he will demand, and that has to impact my grade for a top-ten overall pick.

Josh Paschal: C    

I'd like more out of where he was drafted at #46 overall. Looking at the players drafted after him, there are a handful I would prefer. Part of me still wonders if David Ojabo would have been the pick, reuniting him with Hutch, if he didn't go to Baltimore the immediately preceding pick. Health has been part of it, but I agree with the assessment of him as just a rotational player, which you hope for more in the 2nd round. At the same time, I think there is part of him that is doing what he's there to do. He first and foremost plugs the run. He does it well when he's out there. I would just still like to see more.

Kerby Joseph: A+  

Love myself a good bounty hunter pickup in the late 3rd. He's possibly the best safety in the league, even if his faulty reputation hurts him.

James Mitchell: D  

I expected more out of Mitchell. His lack of contribution and exit stage left was disappointing.

Malcolm Rodriguez: A   

You can't ask for more out of a 6th rounder. He's not a revolutionary player, but he's the kind of guy you want on your team.

James Houston: B

What an enigma this guy was. If you had told me in the middle of his run of sacks that he'd be the first Holmes draft pick released in the era, I'd have figured he committed an atrocious crime off the field. It's hard to grade him higher than a B when he's not on the team anymore, but he gave us some entertainment for a little while, and what more can you ask of a 6th round pick?

Chase Lucas: B

He's still in the league, so hard to grade harshly. Would be better if you can find someone who can contribute on your team, but you can't win them all.

Overall: A-

It's not 2021, which I graded an A+, but it's still a very good draft - the kind that leads to championships. They did their job in picking up a game-wrecker at #2 overall, and then effectively added to the team, in a significant way, with Jamo, Kerby, and Rodrigo, along with no true busts before the 5th round. Still, the Jamo and Paschal picks leave a little something to be desired, and I'm not sure either will be here past this year. I'm not saying I could do a better job, I couldn't. But I think an A means like damn near perfect, and I don't think it was quite that.