Grade the Pick: Louis Delmas

[WTFchris]

well, they better be right. the problem is that if he is a stud, he'll still have to make 100 tackles because we have no DT's or MLB.

I have a feeling Peterson is going to put up 200 yards a game on us next year.

[Zekyl]

Rey is considered a 2-down LB. Schwartz said he doesn't want a 2-down player. He wants someone that can stay on the field in all situations. That could have pushed Rey down their list. JL is supposed to not have much upside (I'd still have loved picking him), but that's probably what pushed him down the list. Delmas should be a solid thumping SS, and our secondary was a position of need.

Plus, I've been saying I'd like getting him with that pick since the season ended.

[b-diddy]

safety has become kind of the it position on defense. ed reed and troy polamalalualau leading the way. boomer compared him to bob sanders instantly upon name being read.

i think you build a defense from the base up, but im excited about this pick. sounds like they got value.

[WTFchris]

well, maybe next year we can get a top OT and top MLB with #1 and #2. I'm hoping some of our DL we've taken in the last couple years can pan out.

[Zekyl]

Now that they want bigger DLs, Francis may have more of a shot. He was never small and quick enough for Marinelli's defense. Maybe beefing up and being back on the end will help him out.

[Tahoe]

White and Avril are panning out already, imo.

Huge, HUGE HOLE at DT right now though.

[Zekyl]

Oh yeah, no question about that. We're screwed up the middle right now. We need a starting DT and MLB hardcore.

[Wizzle]

Early indications are that Louis Delmas is even better than Lions imagined
by Tom Kowalski | Opinion

The Detroit Lions had him tabbed as the best safety in the draft but even they didn't realize how promising Louis Delmas would look so soon. As the first pick in the second round - 33rd overall - Delmas has already brought smiles to everyone in the Detroit organization.

The coaching staff is almost giddy in anticipation of what this kid is capable of. True, he hasn't played a single down on a Sunday afternoon yet, but he has already shown the signs of becoming a solid pro.

While he's a little undersized at 5-11 and 203 pounds, Delmas has good speed, great recovery speed, toughness, excellent coverage skills and big-time hitting ability. The Lions - and everyone else in the league - knew these things because of the tape they watched and the research they did.

And while the Lions would love to take the credit for coaching this kid up, they can't do it. Even the scouting department would love to say they knew Delmas was going to be this impressive this early, but they can't.

The reason? What nobody knew - or could know - before the draft is how good his football instincts really were and how they would translate so smoothly to the NFL level. They couldn't know how seamlessly he would fit the locker room chemistry and the energy he brings to the football field and the workout room every single day. They couldn't know how rapidly he would pick up the defense and understand the concepts of what they're doing and why. They couldn't know his true maturity level as a ballplayer until they spent days, not hours, around him.

Even several of the Lions veteran players, who normally have great disdain for rookies until they've actually proven something during the regular season, are greatly encouraged by what they've seen so far from Delmas. Again, the final analysis is yet to be written but the Lions' horrendous streak of second-round disasters may have come to a stunning halt.

[Fool]

lol

[Glenn]

I love when Killer refers to these guys as "kid".