NFL Draft 2010 - The Lions SuperBowl

For me, this week is like...a week of Christmases. I love the NFL Draft (much to my wife's chagrin). As a fan of NFL and college football, this weekend is the culmination of the old year and the shining portal to the new year.

Every team is full of hope. Every team believes they're smarter than the other 31 teams in the league. Every fan can believe that they're every bit as intelligent as an NFL scout. Everybody has their own opinion about the abilities of potential players versus the needs of every NFL squad.

To most (especially my wife), it's boring as hell.

To me, it's heaven with cleats.

So this is going to be a long article, with a full first round mock and then a "guess-timation" of each of the Lions eight picks. Plus some cheerleaders, because I don't like to break with tradition. I'm old-fashioned like that.

The news so far.

OK, lets bring everybody up to speed on what the Lions have done up to this point, just two days before the Holy Day.

The Lions went 2-14 last season, which in the bizarro world of Lionsland, was an improvement from the prior year. You remember, 0-16, first team to ever lose 16 games in a season. Anyway, needless to say, the Lions still had many holes to fill.

Last year, the Lions drafted Matt Stafford to be The Franchise Savior, and early returns were pretty good. The team also drafted Brandon Pettigrew, a potential pro-bowl tight end, Louis Delmas, a very promising young safety, and DeAndre Levy, a starting caliber middle linebacker. They also drafted Sammie Hill, a run plugging defensive tackle who showed great potential. A very good haul for one draft.

But 0-16, could not be fixed in one year -- it probably won't be fixed in two either. So lets look at where they're at now.

1. Corner Back. The Lions have had the worst passing defense in the league for three years running now. That about says it all.

The Lions have acquired Chris Houston, CB from the Atlanta Falcons for a fifth round pick. This was done in concert with not bringing back Philip Buchanon and Anthony Henry, last year's pitiful secondary. Houston is a starting caliber corner, who is probably best suited as the "off" corner, i.e. the guy who takes on the offenses second best wide receiver. The Lions also signed CB Jonathon Wade, who is most likely a nickel or dime defensive back. In other words the Lions still need a corner that they'll feel safe leaving on an island against the opposition's biggest receiving threat.

This is most likely an issue that should be addressed in the draft. However, the Lions have also held separate talks with both Adam "Pac-Man" Jones and Lito Sheppard, both free agent corner's who may be able to fill the job, if the draft board doesn't fall they way the Lions need it to.

2. Guard. The Lions traded their sixth round pick for Seattle guard Rob Sims, who has been professed by several sporting periodicals to be a top ten player at his position. This move has quieted most talk of moving Jeff Backus inside to guard. However, there is a large contingent who still believe that the Lions should use the #2 pick in the NFL Draft on the best left tackle on the board and kick Backus to the curb. This is may actually happen.

3. Outside Linebacker. The Lions were part of a completely unexpected deal in which they sent Ernie Sims to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for TE Tony Scheffler and Denver's seventh round pick. This leaves a huge gaping hole on the weakside of the defense and gives the Lions an embarrassment of riches at TE. This, most likely, should lead to the Lions using a two tight end set as one of the teams primary formations, but it also means that they'll most likely be running one back sets, i.e. they won't be using a fullback and they'll need a good all around running back. Which brings us to the Lions next major need.

4. Running Back. Kevin Smith was the primary back last season. He didn't play well, continually showed that he didn't have the break away speed needed to go the distance and took a major step backward in his ability to break tackles. And then, in December, he tore his ACL and blew up his knee. It is not known whether Smith will be back in time for next season and history has shown that it usually takes at least two years for a player to get back to 100%. Maurice Morris, the Lions backup running back, showed that he might actually be better, but he's not exactly the next coming of Barry. Aaron Brown showed exceptional speed, but couldn't be counted on to remember his blocking assignments and was in the doghouse several times because of it. Their have been several rumors about the Lions talking to teams about acquiring a couple of different backs prior to the draft and it is possible the team could trade picks during the draft for a new ball carrier. Names that have been heard include, Marshawn Lynch and Lendale White.

5. Defensive Tackle. As has been mentioned before, the Lions have had the worst passing defense three years running, their rushing defense has also ranked in the thirties (of 32 possible teams) for that same time period. The Lions began addressing this issue by trading a fifth round pick (the Lions had two) for Cleveland DT Cory Williams, a good penetrating DT who was playing out of position in the Brown's 3-4 defense. This gives the Lions a tandem of Sammie Hill, primarily a run stuffer, and Williams, primarily a pass rusher. But what they really need is...

Ndamukong Suh, who should be the Lions pick with the #2 overall selection. Suh is the most complete, most awe inspiring defensive player to come out in years. At least since Julius Peppers and some say since Bruce Smith and Reggie White. He is a once in a generation defensive Armageddon that cannot be denied. The type of player the Lions haven't had in my lifetime. The closest possibility in Lions history is Bubba Baker...Please God, make the Lions bring "The Kong" to Detroit!

6. Wide Receiver. Calvin Johnson wasn't just double teamed all last year, he was triple teamed all last year, because there was no other player on the Lions roster that the opposing defense had to worry about. To address this, the Lions signed Nate Burleson, a slick #2 receiver who may be better suited to the slot, but who has been consistent throughout his career, can make people miss and has very good hands.

7. Defensive End. Did I mention "worst passing defense three years running"? The Lions had no pass rush. The first position that was addressed in free agency was DE with the signing of Kyle VandenBosch. However, on the other side, the Lions are still hoping for something from Jason Hunter and Cliff Avril.

8. Safety. The Lions have Delmas, who's proven to be great so far, but he has nobody worth noting playing next to him.


First Round Mock*
*The sad faces are not necessarily about who they draft, it's that they don't have cheerleaders.

1. St. Louis - Sam Bradford, QB, Oklahoma. The Rams have passed on three franchise quarterbacks over the last three years. Marc Bulger is gone. The greatest show on turf is long, long gone. This team needs to start over, because as bad as the Lions have been....St. Louis has been on our tail down the drain the last few years.

2. Detroit - Ndamukong Suh, DT, Nebraska. Love THE KONG! As noted above, the Lions are in desperate need at pretty much every position on the defense. Suh is the best player available in this draft. His game against Texas in the Big 12 championship was every bit as impressive as Vince Young's dismantling of USC in the National Championship game a few years ago.
3. Tampa Bay - Gerald McCoy, DT, Oklahoma. People are saying that McCoy is 1a in the defensive tackle department, but to me he seems to have one big red flag--he only put up 23 reps at the combine, a number that was beaten by many cornerbacks. And he never tried to improve on that number. If he had a bad day, ok, but don't just leave that number out on the board.

4. Washington - Trent Williams, OT, Oklahoma. The Redskins lost Chris Samuels to retirement this last year and they have nobody on their roster who could replace him. There is a lot of argument between who's better, Okung or Williams and as the Skins will run Alex Gibb's Zone block cutting scheme, Williams seems the better fit here.
5. Kansas City - Eric Berry, S, Tennessee. KC is bad. They need every player they can get. They have spent a lot of picks in recent years on the offensive line and still have needs, but I think they have to get a playmaker in the back end of their defense.
6. Seattle - Russell Okung, OT, Oklahoma State. Walter Jones is pondering retirement as he went down with a season injury last year and is recovering at a very slow pace. A replacement needs to be acquired sooner, rather than later.
7. Cleveland - Earl Thomas, S, Texas. Cleveland has major secondary problems and huge question marks at QB. They've brought in the turnover machine named "Jake Delhomme" and also traded for a career backup in Seneca Wallace, while getting rid of both Derek Anderson and Brady Quinn. Mike Holmgren, the new guy in charge in Cleveland, has said publicly that he "wished he liked Clausen more." That sounds to me like their breaking up..."it's not you, honey, it's me..."
8. Oakland - Jimmy Clausen, QB, Notre Dame. Jamarcus Russell has been the biggest bust since Charles Rogers. There is talk of the Raiders addressing the offensive line, which certainly needs to be done, but talk of them drafting OT Bruce Campbell because of his triangle numbers at the combine is insulting to NFL stalwart Al Davis...almost as insulting as all the Detroit's going to draft another wide receiver jokes.
9. Buffalo - Anthony Davis, DT, Rutgers. I think Buffalo was really hoping that Clausen would fall to them, but since he doesn't they'll draft their next franchise LT. They still haven't replaced Jason Peters from two years ago.
10. Jacksonville - Derek Morgan, DE, Georgia Tech. This may be a stretch, as the Jaguars drafted two defensive ends high last year, but it doesn't appear that either of them panned out and there is still a great need for a pass rush in Jacksonville.
11. Denver - Dan Williams, DT, Tennessee. After shipping out Brandon Marshall for two second round picks, you'd think the Broncos and Josh McDaniels would be searching for a replacement #1 WR, but Dez Bryant has too many marks against him, both in maturity and the fact that he hasn't played in almost a year. Williams can provide a stalwart front on a defense that has been slipping for a while.
12. Miami - Joe Haden, CB, Florida. Joe Haden ran slow at the combine and that stigma has attached to him since. Many believe, especially in Florida, that he is a shutdown corner in the make of Darrell Revis. Bill Parcells can't get enough defensive playmakers.
13. SF - CJ Spiller, RB, Clemson. The Forty-Niners need a complement to Frank Gore. CJ Spiller has olympic sprinter type speed and can hit a home run from anywhere on the field.
14. Seattle - Kyle Wilson, CB, Boise State. Wilson is flying up draft boards, which is amazing for a guy who most had never heard of before the Senior Bowl just a few months ago. Wilson is a lock down corner with a nose for the football and a penchant for tackling. He'll immediately improve the defense.
15. NY Giants - Rolando McClain, LB, Alabama. The Giants have been targeting McClain for months now. They are in desperate need of a new MLB with loss of Antonio Pierce. There are some strange questions about Crohn's Disease surrounding McClain, ie does he really have it, but McClain is an upstanding citizen along with a great football player and gym rat.
16. Tennessee - Jason Pierre-Paul, DE, Southern Florida. The Titans lost Kyle Vandenbosch through free agency and they are still trying to find a replacement for the production that Jevon Kearse used to provide the team. JPP is another freak in terms of his triangle numbers and could provide a new pass rush.
17. SF - Mike Iupati, G, Idaho. Iupati has been the darling of the draft, quietly sneaking up the charts for months. He is an uberaggressive guard who may even eventually move out to tackle.
18. Pittsburgh -Brandon Graham, DE, Michigan. Graham was made to play outside linebacker for the Steelers. He follows what seems a well paved road from the Big House to Heinz field.
19. Atlanta -Sean Weatherspoon, OLB, Missouri. Weatherspoon fits a need for Mike Smith's defense. In recent years, the defense has taken a beating. Weatherspoon is a very active, aggressive and overly talkative player who'll bring some attitude to the Dirty Birds.
20. Houston - Ryan Matthews, RB, Fresno State. The Texans add another weapon to Matt Schaub's arsenal. Matthews is a perfect complement to the slashing style of Steve Slaton.
21. Cincinnati -Dez Bryant, WR, Oklahoma State. This is more a pick convenience. The Bengals could not pass up on the value of Bryant at this point in the draft. Pairing Bryant with Ochocinco and Antonio Bryant would take the pressure off of Cedric Benson and the running game. The Bengals and Carson Palmer would be very hard to stop.
22. New England - Sergio Kindle, OLB, Texas. Kindle provides speed, speed, and more speed from the outside. He'll pair with Jerrod Mayo in a stellar linebacking core.
23. Green Bay - Devin McCourty, CB, Rutgers. McCourty is the best of the corners left. He provides speed on the outside, can return punts and provides insurance for a Packer secondary that is rapidly approaching applying for Medicare.
24. Philadelphia - Bryan Bulaga, OT, Iowa. The Eagles are primed to take a DE/DT here, but Bulaga's value won't allow it. Bulaga will step into either the left or right tackle right away and greatly improve the protection of the new found Eagle savior, Kevin Kolb.
25. Baltimore - Kareem Jackson, CB, Alabama. The Ravens defense has been getting long in the tooth for several years now. The secondary lost Chris McCallister last year and need continue to upgrade the team's coverage abilities.
26. Arizona - Sean Lee, MLB, Penn State. In a bit of a reach, the Cardinals move to replace the loss of Karlos Dansby in free agency. Lee has quietly been moving up draft charts and is believed to be one of the safest picks in this draft.
27. Dallas - Taylor Mays, S, USC. Mays is freakish athlete with questions about his coverage ability. He could instantly step into the Cowboys secondary and bolster the run defense and will improve in his pass coverage.
28. San Diego - Terrence Cody, DT, Alabama. The 360-370 lb Cody will clog the middle of the Charger defense for years to come. Needless to say, at that weight, there have been questions about possible weight problems and the likelihood of Mt. Cody eating himself out of the league, but at the nose tackle in the 3-4 there is a long history of mammoth men with long, long careers.
29. NY Jets - Maurkice Pouncey, C, Florida. The Jets have loaded up on so much talent via trades and free agency this off season, this seems to be the team that has everything. Pouncey falls to them and pairs up with Sanchez for the next ten years.
30. Minnesota - Colt McCoy, QB, Texas. In a surprise move, the Vikings select a Drew Brees clone to build into the heir apparent of Brett Favre. McCoy may be a bit on the shorter side, but he has just as many intangibles as Jesus Tebow without the questions about his throwing motion.
31. Indianapolis - Jared Odrick, DT, Penn State. When you play in the SuperBowl, you typically don't have a lot of glaring needs. Odrick adds to an already very formidable front for this year's also rans.
32. New Orleans - Jerry Hughes, OLB, TCU. Hughes adds to the one weakness that the Champs had. They need to increase the pass rush abilities of their defense.