NFL Draft Night - As It Happens.

[1984Echoes]

9 minutes ago, NYLion said:

... I hope they take a chance on Carson Strong with one of these two picks. He has arguably the strongest (pun intended) arms in the draft. The issue is mobility and potential chronic knee issues but in the 6th/7th, why the hell not?

Ryan Fitzpatrick.

[Motown Bombers]

 

[Motown Bombers]

I was not aware Jason is Aaron's brother. 

 

[Motown Bombers]

 

[gehringer_2]

1 hour ago, NYLion said:

I hope they take a chance on Carson Strong with one of these two picks. He has arguably the strongest (pun intended) arms in the draft. The issue is mobility and potential chronic knee issues but in the 6th/7th, why the hell not?

I have no idea what Strongs medicals are other than 'multiple surgeries' but sure - if he's a guy that might get some physical recovery/benefit from a year on PUP just holding a clipboard he could be a steal.

Edited April 30, 2022 by gehringer_2

[Motown Bombers]

 

[Motown Bombers]

6 of the Lions 8 picks are defensive players. 

[buddha]

lots of good udfas out there.

[Mr.TaterSalad]

I will start out by saying that overall, what I know of these players they drafted, I like. I am not smart enough nor have I watched enough film on each of the individual players drafted to truly dive in deep, evaluate what they did, and give a real, earnest, credible opinion. This is just my 1,000 foot view as a hardcore fan who watches a lot of college football, YouTube clips, and reads pages of player analysis online in the months leading up to the draft. There are times where I've been right in my amateur opinion and times I've been horribly wrong on player evaluations.

The biggest thing, above all else, that I appreciate about what Brad Holmes and the front office did this year was drafted seemingly talented players with natural speed, game play speed, and athletic ability. Gone are the slow, big, unathletic guys of the past that we saw from Quinntricia. There were no unathletic, plodding players like Teez Tabor or Jahlani Tavai. Instead, even though some of these players are still a mystery to us, they bet big on athletic ability and the upside that comes with it. After a dark 3 years of Quinn and Patricia drafting the types of players they did, I really appreciate what Holmes and Co. did here in the draft by leaning heavily on athleticism and speed, things you can't teach a player.

I love the Aidan Hutchinson and Jameson Williams picks a lot as individual players. I'm glad that we have a regime that finally recognizes the importance of having good pass rushers to get after the QB. When you've got to play Aaron Rodgers twice a year and (assuming he develops into a good QB) Justin Fields twice a year, you need top-tier pass rushers who can get pressure on the QB and disrupt plays. I think they've obviously got that in Hutch and possibly in Paschal as well, depending on how he develops. 

This regime also seems to recognize that you need explosive playmakers and gamebreakers on offense to score and win in this league. Assuming he comes back fully healthy and ends up being the top wideout in this class as some projected him to be, I think Williams will be the playmaker on offense we desperately needed. St. Brown is a very nice slot guy and #2 option at WR. If he plays like he did last year and improves upon it, he could develop into one of the better/best slot guys in the league. But Williams is the type of guy that, once you get a better QB, can really be unleashed and blow the top off defenses and help you build an elite scoring offense.

This is a guy that should be 90-100+ catches, 1,100-1,200+ yards, 10+ TDs. He is a game wrecker you can build an entire scheme around. They essentially traded one of their two 3rd round picks to move up and get him. In the end, while I had some reservation on draft night, I think this was a really shrewd move by Brad Holmes and he fleeced Minnesota in the deal. If Williams develops into what we hope he can be, I'd much rather have him than anyone we could have gotten at #32 or #34. He's tall, athletic, fast, has solid hands, and is by all accounts a smart, crisp route runner. He should be our #1 WR for the next decade around Detroit.

My loan disappointment was them passing on Nakobe Dean. Being fully honest, I don't know enough about Dean as a player, what scheme this coaching staff wants to truly run under Aaron Glenn, how Dean would have fit that scheme, and Dean's ability to stay healthy and on the field. After all, Dean may not have been a scheme fi, he may have been too small for what they want to do, and he may have too many red flags as far as his personal health goes. Being able to stay healthy and on the field is an important trait. Still, I would have loved for them to take the risk, address a big area of need, and draft Dean. I have the feeling the Eagles are getting a stud and a steal in Nakobe Dean. We will see.

All in all though, I don't think I've ever felt this happy about a Lions draft in my entire life. I have more confidence in Brad Holmes than I did last year and this years draft, at least on paper, has only boosted my confidence. This was by my uneducated opinion and by the metrics of at least semi-reputable draft analyst a really solid draft. We addressed needs not just for the sake of picking a body to fill a hole, but with talented players, with high athletic upsides. With a roster devoid of playmaking and game changing talent. Holmes went out and potentially got 2-3 playmakers to elevate this roster. Great job Brad, great job front office, at least so far. We will see now how it translates on the field. Maybe these aren't the Same Old Lions for fucking once!

Edited April 30, 2022 by Mr.TaterSalad

[Motown Bombers]

 

[1984Echoes]

13 minutes ago, buddha said:

lots of good udfas out there.

Quick Wish List:

Carson Strong, QB, Nevada.

Josh Jobe, CB, Alabama.

Justyn Ross, WR, Clemson.

Dohnovan West, C/OG, Arizona State.

[sagnam]

 

[sagnam]

 

 

[sagnam]

[sagnam]

 

[sagnam]

 

[sagnam]

 

[buddha]

btw, great job to whomever gave chris hinton the advice to leave school early.

undrafted.

[sagnam]

Carson Strong and Josh Jobe to the Eagles.  Smoke Monday to the Saints. Think Ross is still unsigned. Dohnovan West to the 49ers.
 

1 hour ago, 1984Echoes said:

Quick Wish List:

Carson Strong, QB, Nevada.

Josh Jobe, CB, Alabama.

Justyn Ross, WR, Clemson.

Dohnovan West, C/OG, Arizona State.

Edited May 1, 2022 by sagnam

[gehringer_2]

1 hour ago, 1984Echoes said:

Quick Wish List:

Carson Strong, QB, Nevada.

Josh Jobe, CB, Alabama.

Justyn Ross, WR, Clemson.

Dohnovan West, C/OG, Arizona State.

Yup, I'd definitely want to do my due diligence on Strong. His problems may be permanent but it would be worth it to be double sure.

Edited May 1, 2022 by gehringer_2

[Hongbit]

Another strong draft from Holmes.   I like the defensive focus as adding talent there was the biggest need.   My wife laughed every time ESPN would show the team needs graphic listing every defensive position group.     Nice talent boost in the early rounds and some guys that really have a chance to stick in the later rounds.  

[MichiganCardinal]

4 hours ago, Motown Bombers said:

 

Ladies and gentlemen, we have our quarterback. 

 

 

[Mr.TaterSalad]

1 hour ago, buddha said:

btw, great job to whomever gave chris hinton the advice to leave school early.

undrafted.

Terrible advice, he should have returned for his senior season.

[MichiganCardinal]

I would give this draft a square and even A.

We didn’t think too hard at the top or try to be the smartest man in the room. Holmes demonstrated an aggression never before seen in Detroit, moving up with a division foe to get a guy who could have gone top five if not for his injury, in a trade that outside the inherent risk seems extremely favorable. We drafted for need as the draft progressed, but did not seem to laser in (or “anchor” @Brad) too much on any single position.

The lack of early help at the linebacker position is what (perhaps unfairly) keeps me from an A+. Our linebackers have been the laughing stock of the NFL for so, so long. It seemed as if there were options at the Paschal pick even outside of Dean (Anderson, Muma, Asamoah, Harris) that may have been able to make both a more immediate and a more long-standing impact. Of course I hope Paschal proves me wrong.

I do think it’s important that the defensive line and pass rush shows serious promise this year. A lot of resources have been poured into that unit.

Edited May 1, 2022 by MichiganCardinal

[ewsieg]

I'm certainly no Lions slappy, but I do always get excited heading into the draft and usually spend the following week trying to convince myself that I should be happy about the draft.   This one is different for me, which scares me.  I don't want to start believing Holmes is building something good here because when it all falls apart, that would just means it hurts more.

Possibly Jacksonville forced us into this position, but I feel like we got a guy that could be in pro-bowl consideration every year and has an incredibly high floor.   With Williams, i'm not that concerned about the ACL, seems like that's becoming the equivalent of Tommy John in baseball, where players can come back just as good, if not better. 

Paschal, i'm just looking at the production we got out of Flowers.  Sounds like he can be a 3 down guy that is a better on the run side than the pass side, but overall, am I out of line to say he might be wash for Flowers as soon as his first year?

James Mitchell - Another ACL guy, but decent hands and can block.  Guess i'm a little more leery of a big guy with an ACL, but again it doesn't appear to be as bad of an injury as it once was.  

Kerby Joseph / Malcolm Rodriquez - I love what i'm reading about these guys, but the fact they are undersized is concerning.  Sounds like Kerby has the speed to make up for his size.  Malcolm is the type of guy that I think the fans of Detroit will love if he can find a way to contribute to this team.  I saw one mockup that had Malcolm as the 109th best prospect in this draft.  I feel like these guys can contribute, but the defense needs to be setup in a way to account for their limitations.