http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/story?columnist=mcshay_todd&id=3098817&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab1pos1

Per Todd McShay, the Lions should have taken:


http://assets.espn.go.com/i/teamlogos/nfl/med/trans/det.gifhttp://assets.espn.go.com/i/nfl/profiles/players/mugs/65x90/10447.jpg2. Detroit Lions -- Calvin Johnson, WR, Georgia Tech
Original pick: Johnson
Detroit's offense ranks in the top half of the league in total offense (12th, 339.0 ypg) and scoring (6th, 25.0 ppg) while the defense is giving up 23.1 points per game, so an argument could be made for a defensive player here. Adding to the skeptic's argument, a back injury has limited Johnson's production so far as a rookie. Knowing what we know now DE Gaines Adams would be a consideration, and 19-year-old DT Amobi Okoye has been the most disruptive rookie defensive lineman to date with five sacks on the season. When all is said and done, though, drafting Johnson with the No. 2 overall pick will prove to be the right move. Johnson has shown enough flashes when healthy to justify this selection, including an average of 17.8 yards per catch and an impressive touchdown run in Week 7 against Tampa Bay.


Thoughts?

The 2007 draft is not the one we messed up. Mike Williams over Jammal Brown all those defenders (like Merriman) was the stupid draft. Everyone knew BMW was a tweener (too slow for WR, too small for TE), except Millen.

I liked the CJ pick myself.

^^Seconded.

I bet we could have turned Williams into a tight end had he wanted to. Problem is he was a HORRIBLE blocker and lacked any drive to become a tight end. He even said he would never play tight end. I hated that pick from the start. I wanted......shit, I'm blanking on his name. Was it Derrick Johnson, the LB the Chiefs drafted?

What was funny was how in the '05 Draft, Kiper had Mike Williams #1 on his Big Board

http://www.thefantasyfanatics.com/images/melkiper.jpg

I bet we could have turned Williams into a tight end had he wanted to. Problem is he was a HORRIBLE blocker and lacked any drive to become a tight end. He even said he would never play tight end. I hated that pick from the start. I wanted......shit, I'm blanking on his name. Was it Derrick Johnson, the LB the Chiefs drafted?

Yeah, most people wanted DJ. I didn't really. I read about him being fast but not that great of a tackler. I didn't want Boss Bailey part two. I wanted Jammal Brown so we'd have the tackle spots anchored finally.

He was #2 for me, Chris. Mike Williams was somewhere around #25473 on my list of guys we should take.

And of course, Drew Sharp writes an article as to how Millen botched the '07 Draft...

I would bet that if AP didn't get the single game rushing record last week, nobody, not even Drew Sharp himself, would consider writing such an article...

What a clown...

http://imgsrv.1270sports.com/image/wxyt/UserFiles/Image/Drew%20v%20Brutus.gif

How about taking Gary Coleman last year? Has he made enough impact at linebacker to justify skipping Leinhart and Cutler?

Speaking of Cutler, he was on the new South Park last week...they took a nice stab at him too

http://broncotalk.net/2007/11/youtube-jay-cutler-on-south-park/

I think you clearly go with Brady Quinn.
[/Mel Kiper]

How about taking Gary Coleman last year? Has he made enough impact at linebacker to justify skipping Leinhart and Cutler?
He's considered one of the best young linebackers in the game. I'd rather have him.

The real botch last year was going for Stanton instead of grabbing a LB/OL/DB in the second round. Nothing against Stanton personally (I liked him as a player), but we needed depth other places badly, especially since I see them sticking with Kitna for a few years anyway.

I liked Puz (OLB), Sears (OG), Blaylock (OG), Ugoh (OT) Houston (CB), Harris (MLB) and Durant (OLB) all better than Stanton there. I'm not sure how any of them are doing really. I know all the OL are starting, but that is about it. I also know Stanton is on the IR and won't start here for years anyway.

Well, the 2nd rounder we traded for the pick that turned into Stanton and, I believe, a 4th rounder was used on Puzlowsky. I'd have muuuch rather had him starting at MLB for us this year. Granted, he broke his leg in the preseason or something like that. Also, I'd have loved to have had any of the guys you mentioned. I don't know much about the CB Houston, but we can use all the secondary help we can get. I was really hoping Harris would drop to us in the third but he had some good workouts and worked his way up there.

If Puzlowsky would have been drafted by the Lions he would not have broken his leg.

It would have been made of indestructible steel.

Lots of experts predicted Durant to us in the top of the 3rd. He was supposedly a prototype tampa 2 OLB, but would slip because he went to Hampton (I think that is were he was from). Turns out he went mid-late 2nd. I don't know how Houston has been, I do remember he had blazing speed but was not a matchup physical CB. Might have been a good fit in cover 2, but again I've heard nothing about him since the draft.

If Puzlowsky would have been drafted by the Lions he would not have broken his leg.

It would have been made of indestructible steel.

I think Posluszny broke his forearm, not his leg. Either way, a one armed or legged Posluszny is probably better than Paris Lenon...

Not in the cover 2....
And I am against the Lions drafting any player in the 2nd round, that pick should be traded every year.

Hey, we got.........ummm..........well there had to be ONE great 2nd round pick for us, right?

Honestly, though, none of them have been amazing, but they aren't that bad. Raiola has been a solid starter. Rogers has been amazing when healthy/motivated, Bailey's a decent starter. Alexander has been decent for a rookie this year. He was supposed to be a backup safety and compete for nickel corner for us this year and got stuffed into the starting role when last year's second rounder got hurt. Granted, there are probably more bad than good.

Lehman was great his rookie year, then got hurt, and again, and again. I had really high hopes for him.

Why in the hell do all of our second rounders get hurt?!

2nd Round Picks

Dominic Raiola- serviceable, adequate

Kalimba Edwards- terrible

Boss Bailey- mediocre

Teddy Lehman- mediocre, despite great rookie season

Shaun Cody- terrible

Daniel Bullocks- had good year last year, but went on IR in preseason

Drew Stanton- terrible pick, will never be an NFL starter

Gerald Alexander- I think he can be a good player, he's done decent while starting this year...

Ikaika Alama-Francis- you've got to be kidding me...

I wouldn't classify Cody as terrible. He hasn't lived up to the hype, he's too much of a tweener, but he isn't terrible. He's solid D-Line depth. The problem is that you don't look for solid depth in the 2nd round, you look for potential starters, and I don't think he'll ever turn into a great starter.

Cody is bad. We use random FA scrubs before we use Cody.

Shaun Rogers was a 2nd rounder, not sure how far you are going back though.

Rogers was a Millen pick. He was either the same year as Raiola or after him. I thought Raiola was Millen's first draft.

Rogers was a Millen pick. He was either the same year as Raiola or after him. I thought Raiola was Millen's first draft.

The first draft was Backus (18th), Riola (50th), Rogers (61st), Scotty Anderson (148th), Mike McMahon (149th), Jason Glenn (173rd)

Not a terrible draft.

If I could redo that draft we'd have (going in order of picks above):

Drew Brees, Rogers, Steve Smith, Derrick Blaylock, AJ Feeley, TJ Houshmanzadeh

Langston Moore > Shaun Cody...

I suppose Shaun Cody still carries that "upside" tag, kind of like how Darius Miles still has his...

The first draft was Backus (18th), Riola (50th), Rogers (61st), Scotty Anderson (148th), Mike McMahon (149th), Jason Glenn (173rd)

Not a terrible draft.

If I could redo that draft we'd have (going in order of picks above):

Drew Brees, Rogers, Steve Smith, Derrick Blaylock, AJ Feeley, TJ Houshmanzadeh


That draft was probably one of his best (ain't sayin much), he got all the talent he was ever going to get out of McMahon, the first 3 picks are all still here, with one being a Pro Bowler, and Scott Anderson used to make a big play every so often (maybe three or four in total)...

Last year I was actually hoping we could have traded the pick and somehow packaged the 2nd in to find ourselves with Joe Thomas and Patrick Willis. Not sure how realistic that ever was, but would have been decent. At least CJ hasn't been a bust. But who knew we would get this much production from McDonald?

I thought McDonald would be good (for a 4th WR), but I expected Roy to get more touches still. I didn't think it would be as evenly spread as it has been.

Do you think if we didn't have CJ and Roy both out there, McDonald would be getting as open? He's coming out of the slot a lot, not really playing where CJ is, and having to cover CJ and Roy leaves the slot guys with LBs on them a lot more often. I don't think it would be the same if we didn't have Calvin.

No, he'd have the drop off that Hakim had when he was suddenly a #1/2 WR.

The Hakim signing would have been great if he'd stayed a slot guy. I loved it at the start, then they started making him a #2 guy for us and trying to have him outmuscle guys and he disappeared. Leave him in the slot and let him return kicks and punts. He was perfect in that role.