Just incredible that we were able to get him where we did. This is not a guy who came out with question marks, he was solid, so for him to be there and to have a conference rival had him over…incredible.
One of my favorite quotes form someone after the draft was, “Detroit’s first four picks are all guys that could have went at 18.”
So, I went back to see what GB ended up with from our trade, and they hit too. WR’s Reed and Wicks, those guys with Watson and Doubs and even Melton…their top 5 WR’s came from the last 2 drafts. I hate the Packers.
It’s nuts. And to think GB traded their pick to us so we could grab him.
Love this…
Obviously, Reed is not a surprise to folks who paid attention to him at MSU but the Packer’s drafting strategy was all about volume. They had 13 pix!
Actually I think it’s question marks about his athleticism - especially after his combine testing - that really caused him to fall. That and the position he plays.
Which is kind of crazy…because where the league is headed offensively.
STAR DB should be a damn near premium position.
Yep and tackles, tackles for loss, sacks, int’s, pd’s were all great numbers.
I agree but that’s not the way they’ve been drafting so far.
Branch endeared himself to this city the moment they showed that he was the only one that stayed for Day 2 of the draft to get his hug from the commish and celebrate with his fans. THE ONLY ONE. You knew right then and there, “yup, this is a Detroit / MCDC guy”.
If you saw his college reel though he was already NFL ready. Great instincts and playing speed. Great tackler. High footbal IQ. Versatile. Loves the game.
And he don’t like being snubbed by doubters to boot. 
Yep, those were - and are - his strengths, and he was pretty much universally loved for them by everyone on here.
But he ran poorly and the NFL overreacted. And he plays a position that usually doesn’t get drafted that high. It wasn’t hard to see coming, in fact I predicted his fall last January.
And while he’s everything everyone thought he would be, he still struggles with deep speed and has to be protected in that respect. And that’s fine. For everything he offers it’s a small price to pay.
Branch was one of my favorite players in the draft. I felt he was a perfect fit here at an area of need. So happy we got him.
I feel like being a “Dan Campbell guy” is a symbiotic term to use. Brad has stayed the course to keep bringing in those guys. So that makes guys built from that mold wanting to be here or at least admiring from afar. If Brad is willing to stay the course going forward, having the Lions draft a player early will become a stamp of approval on that guy. Teams who didn’t know that about him will revisit where they missed. But the current players can watch a punk kid walk thru the door and already know “he’s like that.” And when a free agent hears the Lions are highly interested, its validation of how hard he has worked and what he has put on film doing the dirty work to win games.
He was one of mine too, glove fit for us. And I always thought we might be able to get him with one of our 2nd rounders.
One of the coolest moments of the draft. So glad we got him. He’s going to be a star and household name in a couple of years. Very excited the way the fans have embraced these players. They feel it and they want to play here. When is the last time we could truly say that?
I really wanted the Lions to get Branch in this draft. The only player I wanted as much was Witherspoon. While I liked Jalen Carter I wasn’t as high on him as a perfect fit for the Lions as I was on Branch and Witherspoon.
I figured being a slot CB/S Branch would fall a little in the draft from where mocks were projecting him. I had him going late, late first to early-mid 2nd but I never thought he’d make it all the way to 45. We were incredibly lucky he hung around that long and we were able to move up to nab him.
I was hoping the Lions would trade down from 18 and still be able to get him. I was screaming Branch, Branch, Branch when we took Laporta. I liked Laporta but never thought he’d be this good. Pleasantly surprised on him. But Branch I was sold on completely.
Had anyone told me we would still get him at 45 I wouldn’t have believed we could get that lucky.
The stars sure shined on Holmes and Cambell this last draft. To get Gibbs, Laporta, Branch and Campbell is amazing. To be honest I have pretty high hopes and expectations for Campbell too.
Branch was the first Jersey I bought this year. In fact I had to order it because they weren’t available when I wanted one at the start of camp.
This topic was automatically closed 90 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.