2011 Lions draft discussion

[Tahoe]

So, before I go off on the Lions too much.

Was there a LB available when drafted our first 3 picks that would not have been a reach?

Just wondering if they might have FA plans for that spot? It's the weakest position on our team and not drafting is baffling.

Prince was avail at 1 but he still dropped quite a bit, right? So he would have been a reach at 13?

thx havent been following.

[Tahoe]

#fail

back to sifting through meaningless teams for Lions news.

[Varsity]

I got you. Prince was a reach, some pundits thought he was worthy, but from what I read, Jimmy Smith was a better corner and he went 27th. So Fairley was a great value pick. There were LBs available, but I guess we have to assume they were not very high on the Lion's draft board.

[Glenn]

Hot damn, a Varsity sighting.

[Tahoe]

I got you. Prince was a reach, some pundits thought he was worthy, but from what I read, Jimmy Smith was a better corner and he went 27th. So Fairley was a great value pick. There were LBs available, but I guess we have to assume they were not very high on the Lion's draft board.

I guess they have plans for a FA LB. We need at least one, BAD!

[Vinny]

What killed us was a bunch of Cb/LBs going like35-40 before our 2nd pick (44) I'm talking Ayers, dowling, reed, aaron williams, carter...). I feel that at least a few of those guys that went were on our board and when they got taken, they weren't going to reach for a lesser talent just to fill a need.

[DrRay11]

I'm fairly confident we wouldn't have taken Ayers, who doesn't fit the "fast" part of what we look for (and would have to look for) in a high round LB. Ayers' strength was controlling/redirecting blockers and not getting washed out easily. The LBs in this system have to be able to get off the blocks and be strong tacklers, though, because the defensive line does not always get the runner on the way to the quarterback (which is their priority).

Bruce Carter may have been a possibility, but Hogue is a lot like Carter athletically and if he is an intelligent player and learner, he could turn out to be a great pick. I expect him to immediately contribute on special teams.

Dowling (zone skills), Brandon Harris (zone skills, short) and Reed don't fit our system or what we are looking for. Aaron Williams looks like Amari Spievey.

We needed a true number 1 cornerback. If we resign Houston, all of our other needs at CB are filled. We didn't get a true number 1 from Peterson, Prince (maybe), or Jimmy Smith (if he keeps his head straight), so there was no need to draft a CB for the sake of drafting one. We have Aaron Berry, Alphonso Smith, and Prince Miller as our young, fast, playmaking, developmental depth. I expect us to retain Vasher and Houston.

We have Palmer, Carpenter, Levy, and now Doug Hogue as sure roster makes at LB (in my opinion). Caleb Campbell is an interesting player we have as he fits our mold (6-3, 250, 4.5 forty), but whether or not he can better pick up the game at his age, an age at which he should be entering his prime, is in question. Follett may or may not play next year due to his injury, and I expect us to pick a vet LB up in free agency.

Based upon our draft and what we still have to add, I would expect us to target a premier CB like Jonathan Joseph (Nnamdi will probably be too much $$) and a solid LB (there should be a few available).

Other than those two FA pickups we should make, I think our defense is going to be set up pretty well.

I'll tell you what, I know you all hate O$U, but if Bobby Carpenter plays like he did the last few games of last year, he's going to be a very effective starting OLB.

Knowing these as our true defensive "needs":

• True number 1 CB (Prince may not have been to the staff, J. Smith has character concerns, Fairley is a better talent than both)
• Outside linebacker who is big, fast, good tackler

I think we made the right picks.

The philosophy on our offensive line is something I will have to research a little bit more. I think we need to improve/plan for RG, C, and LT pretty soon here.

Jason Fox may be the answer at LT. Aside from being short on strength, which is fairly simple to gain, I like his pass pro skills at LT.

Johnny Culbreath is supposedly a huge (6-5, 322), very athletic OT/G. Remains to be seen.

Hilliard was pretty effective in his few games last year. Also don't know a ton about him.

I do not have faith in Cherilus.

[Vinny]

My worry with Cherilus is if he'll ever be healthy. These microfracture surgeries seem to be so hit or miss. I thought he played very well last year when healthy.

[DrRay11]

My worry with Cherilus is if he'll ever be healthy. These microfracture surgeries seem to be so hit or miss. I thought he played very well last year when healthy.

Yeah, he was great in pass protection last year. Run game, not so much. I would have more faith of him if not for the microfracture, no doubt.

[Vinny]

I'm fairly confident we wouldn't have taken Ayers, who doesn't fit the "fast" part of what we look for (and would have to look for) in a high round LB. Ayers' strength was controlling/redirecting blockers and not getting washed out easily. The LBs in this system have to be able to get off the blocks and be strong tacklers, though, because the defensive line does not always get the runner on the way to the quarterback (which is their priority).

Bruce Carter may have been a possibility, but Hogue is a lot like Carter athletically and if he is an intelligent player and learner, he could turn out to be a great pick. I expect him to immediately contribute on special teams.

Dowling (zone skills), Brandon Harris (zone skills, short) and Reed don't fit our system or what we are looking for. Aaron Williams looks like Amari Spievey.

We needed a true number 1 cornerback. If we resign Houston, all of our other needs at CB are filled. We didn't get a true number 1 from Peterson, Prince (maybe), or Jimmy Smith (if he keeps his head straight), so there was no need to draft a CB for the sake of drafting one. We have Aaron Berry, Alphonso Smith, and Prince Miller as our young, fast, playmaking, developmental depth. I expect us to retain Vasher and Houston.

We have Palmer, Carpenter, Levy, and now Doug Hogue as sure roster makes at LB (in my opinion). Caleb Campbell is an interesting player we have as he fits our mold (6-3, 250, 4.5 forty), but whether or not he can better pick up the game at his age, an age at which he should be entering his prime, is in question. Follett may or may not play next year due to his injury, and I expect us to pick a vet LB up in free agency.

Based upon our draft and what we still have to add, I would expect us to target a premier CB like Jonathan Joseph (Nnamdi will probably be too much $$) and a solid LB (there should be a few available).

Other than those two FA pickups we should make, I think our defense is going to be set up pretty well.

I'll tell you what, I know you all hate O$U, but if Bobby Carpenter plays like he did the last few games of last year, he's going to be a very effective starting OLB.

Knowing these as our true defensive "needs":

• True number 1 CB (Prince may not have been to the staff, J. Smith has character concerns, Fairley is a better talent than both)
• Outside linebacker who is big, fast, good tackler

I think we made the right picks.

The philosophy on our offensive line is something I will have to research a little bit more. I think we need to improve/plan for RG, C, and LT pretty soon here.

Jason Fox may be the answer at LT. Aside from being short on strength, which is fairly simple to gain, I like his pass pro skills at LT.

Johnny Culbreath is supposedly a huge (6-5, 322), very athletic OT/G. Remains to be seen.

Hilliard was pretty effective in his few games last year. Also don't know a ton about him.

I do not have faith in Cherilus.

This is all spot on guys. I knew all that about Ayers, Dowling, Harris, Etc, i was just testing DrRay and once again he passed with flying colors. He keeps this up and I might have to make him my assistant some day!