We need help everywhere.
2 of your interior defenders are Brockers and Williams.
2 of your edge defenders are, as you already pointed out, an achilles injury and cap casualty.
1 of your LB’s is a career ST player/backup.
Yeah, we could easily add a playmaker to each position group and we would still be far from the “embarrassment of riches” that Schwartz had on his DL.
I’m more than ok with that. The problem is there’s really no player worth trading up for in this draft.
I agree. Hopefully, they are elite players and are the core defensive players for a long time. These are the guys that keep the defense in tack and you build around them. This is how great organizations sustain winning seasons year after year.
I did a mock and Washington moved up for thibs. Lol ok washington
Thats my trade down every time.
They offered 1/2/3 and 2/3 next year
Then I packaged lar 1st/our 2nd/both our and was 2nds next year and like a 5th to move back up to the top 10
I am rebooting this thread since i see ideas like it sprinkled thruout the board.
I tend to look at the team in terms of units. So my own thinking is to concentrate on building legitimate strengths and allowing them the time to grow together rather than spreading resources too thinly across units - even if it means that some areas such as the secondary have to ‘make-do’. There’s no perfect answers, but I think that’s how you build an identity.
With this in mind, given the culture they’re trying to build alongside the specific strength/depths of the 2022 draft class, my own preference is to prioritise the defensive front. I’m not against picking defensive front with their opening three picks. AH or KT and then two of Nakobe Dean, Devon Lloyd, DeMarvin Leal, Travon Walker, Jermaine Johnson, Kingsley Enagbare etc. They can pick up a receiver and a safety in the third round who would still represent an upgrade on current resources (and that’s ignoring the FA possibilities).
More than anything, I like thinking of Detroit as a team that opposing QBs don’t want to play because of their defensive front. But it’s just my opinion and I’m almost certainly wrong!
I agree with this wholeheartedly. Every year fans want to fill ALL of our needs and that’s just not possible. Even the best teams have weaknesses, the salary cap makes it almost impossible to be fully loaded. (Teams with QBs on rookie contracts can come closest, but it’s short-lived). Plus needs change so frequently the position you’re bypassing this year might be a gaping hole the next.
However for me, I just want us to draft the best players we can. If that means we end up stacking the defensive line, so be it. If it means we end up stacking the secondary or the offense, so be it. If it means we’re spreading talent evenly amongst positions, so be it. I wouldn’t pass on a better player to fill a need or create a position of strength, because again, sometimes it doesn’t play out how you envisioned. Just draft the best players.
I think not getting Goff another legit playmaker on offense is doing a disservice to evaluating Goff in 2022. I think no matter what happens this off-season, the most important thing that has to come out of next year is knowing whether we can move forward with Goff as our starter. If they don’t come out of this off-season with a WR with #1 talent, it will be a failure, IMO.
I am perfectly fine building the front seven, even if its with our first three picks, but if thats the case then we better have signed Robinson/Adams/Mike Williams/Godwin, or traded for Amari Cooper/Ridley/ whoever else is available. I would even be okay with Brandin Cooks as he has a good history with Goff, is only 28 and still topped 1,000 yards this year with a horrible supporting cast in Houston.
I completely agree. When we had the second ranked defense in the league, we still had holes in the secondary… It just didn’t matter because our defense of line was so good
Yes I agree with this too Detroit1811. It’s really WR that I see the team having the biggest positional need really (if we agree that QB is off the table.) Moreover, I see a lot of people drafting WRs to the Lions but it’s hardly ever in terms of giving Goff a break or support and I like that you’ve brought that up.
I know that Goff isn’t everybody’s favourite QB but I do feel that a lot has been asked in terms of leading a team with pretty much no receiving options (at least in the first half of the season). Expecting him to do so again is a bit like expecting him to sacrifice his career in the interests of a rebuild that he’s unlikely to see the end of.
Again, I tend to think of this in terms of personalities and units. One thing the Lions do seem to have got right this season is the sense of a culture and ‘buy in’ - so I’d be wary of neglecting one side of the ball. So if they go defense with their first 3 picks, it’s with the proviso that they secure Josh Reynolds and one other receiver somewhere who is a legitimate WR1 option.
I can get behind that for sure. If you re-sign Reynolds and sign Robinson, then draft Hutchinson, Lloyd/Dean, and Drake Jackson/Walker I would be thrilled. Major talent infusion is the front seven with the 2nd overall pick and what amounts to two late 1st rounders (I hate calling our 2nd rounder a 2nd because with it being the 2nd pick in that round it is almost like have an extra late first).
I’m very much in favor of going defense those first 3 picks. One of the DEs first, I’d love the LB Dean from Georgia but figure he’ll be gone top 20. Hoping Lloyd is still an option around 30. Than in the second I’d love Dax at Safety if available or, I believe it is Battle from Bama. I like his presence regarding hitting with authority. He makes a statement. I want other teams to worry on offense about what’s coming, and where it’s coming from.
I like this thought, but I am reeling back a little only because we are not going to build our defense with playmakers through the draft alone this year, FA and even trades should be considered.
For instance if we get Marcus Williams in FA and resign Tracy Walker, then we won’t need to take a Safety that high, however mid round depth absolutely…especially while we have Glenn and Pleasant coaching our DBs.
Again, I do thoroughly like your thought process on building playmakers at all levels of the D.
I’m down with building the middle. I think I mentioned in another thread, I’d go DL, S and ILB. We need a nasty defense. I’m also sympathetic to just getting the best talent, so if there’s a WR or even QB just hanging there, we need to go for best talent. But I’d love for best talent to align with defensive playmakers.
Just starting to look at prospects, and Kyle Hamilton, wow. He cannot miss. Giants and Jets have two top 10 picks. If we could wrangle Hamilton and a DL stud, that would be awesome.
If the Lions miss out on both Lloyd & Dean, and they are truly serious about acquiring a run-stuffing LB, who has side-to-side speed, I would advocate Alabama’s LB Chris Harris in the mid-2nd. Lions could easily tradedown 10 spots in the 2nd, acquire another mid-3rd pick. At the top of the 2nd, the Lions will be able to demand premium return at #34 Pick…
Personally, I’d rather draft WR Bell at #34. He’s relatively tall, at 6’2" - 205lbs. rangy build, who could very well fill the bill at #1 WR. Have to take the pressure off Sun-Ra & Hock, and give them more room to manuever mid-field and easier to get open…Just sayin.
