With the team playing well and the Atlanta game right around the corner, it’s looking more and more like the Lions will be drafting outside the top 2. If that ends up being the case who are the guys outside of AH and KT that you would be okay with?
I’m not looking at a QB because Goff’s contract and recent play make that a statistical improbability. The 4 other guys that really jump out at me as top of the round picks.
The first for me would be Evan Neal. He’s a monster and would give us the best OL in the NFL IMO. Not a huge need but a lot of value and you can let Big V walk next year or trade him away for a 4th or 5th.
The 2nd would be Kyle Hamilton. The guys a stud but does positional value push him out of the running?
3rd would be Derek Stingley but again, positional value. Is he Deon Sanders or Darrelle Revis good?
4tth would be George Karlaftis but he would be the 3rd best DE coming off the board so I’m not sure you’re getting the value that pick deserves.
There will undoubtedly be some very good options available, the question is which direction do you think the Lions should go assuming we play our way out of the top 2?
If it’s not 1st then I could care less, assuming the Jags do the right thing. 2-8 all the same to me. I’m counting on the Lions to draft real football players that fit with the teams DNA. Someone might be willing to trade up for Neal. I would if I needed OL and the price wasn’t too much.
I will absolutely puke if they take George Karlaftis but they won’t so I’m not worried about that.
They won’t take Evan Neal. I think they think that Vaitai isn’t that bad, and he will probably be back next year even with the money we could save.
They don’t need and won’t take Stingley.
I see Wilson being really high on their board. At least I hope he is. He fits everything they seem to want in a WR, and is the playmaker we badly need right now.
Karlaftis is the most overrated player in the draft IMO. I’d take him maybe at the end of the 3rd, but I still feel like I can get better playmakers, and the goal of this draft should be playmakers like last year’s was trenches.
The Jags are the perfect team to be in front of Detroit because they need an OT so bad. There are a few solid defenders so as long as they are in that top few they’ll be fine.
Jac - OT Neal (Good Championship Game against whomever seals it, IMO)
Hou - QB Corral or Hutch (Could go either way; One for Legal reasons/Ins/Top QB, the other See Above)
Det - Thibs or Hutch…Or Trade down position for someone who MUST have a Stud DE - Hello NYG #6 +NYG 3rd Rounder - #70, which is almost equal trade value, points-wise. Det owns #67, their own, if they finish 3rd in draft order. Packing, their #67(75) + #70 (70, coincidence) = 145 points = #41(146 Points - ATL), in the 2nd Round, the 9th Pick in the 2nd Round.
In your scenario, I think Neal is the next best talent, but I question the wisdom of continuing to sink assets into our positional group of greatest strength.
I do think the Jags would take Neal over KT or AH. But to stick with your scenario, I would strongly consider DeMarvin Leal. He is less a Myles Garrett or Bosa brother type and more a Richard Seymour, Fletcher Cox, Chris Jones type interior force. Big, powerful, explosive, cat-quick, disruptive. Can play 4-3 DT and 3-4 5-tech. That’s some super valuable flexibility and I could see it if we couldn’t get one of the edge guys.
Stingley is intriguing but he has missed so much time to injury I’d be real hesitant. Best ability is availability.
Hamilton is a stud, and his musical did super well, but what this defense needs more than anything is a guy who can consistently bring heat into Aaron Rodgers’ wheelhouse.
Hoping for Aiden Hutchinson. KT would be far from a disastrous consolation. If both are gone…. Demarvin Leal probably provides greatest bang for the buck.
For some reason, Leal hasn’t been getting much publicity. He is an outstanding DT, IMO, and would fill a big hole - Strong, Williams, Hand are all gone… Brockens might as well be, certainly 2023. Drafting Leal would cement both OL & DL for me, currrently, though there is still some risk concerning whether Okwara will ever be the DE he was last year, after his Achilles injury. Leal is the No.1 DT rated statistically in a tough conference -->> SEC. Det could grab their needed S or LB with their 2nd Round pick (Hill, Brisker, Smith). Take the BPA WR with the Rams 1st Round Pick…Bonus: Extra 3rd Rounder or #41 with the NYG Trade mentioned above.
I’ve watched a little of Leal, and I don’t hate him but he reminds me of Levi O as a prospect. Now I liked Levi O as a prospect, but as a potential top 5 pick?
I would only take DT Leal in a trade down with the NYG, current #6 Pick, whereby the Lions would also pick up #70, NYG’s 3rd Rounder…At #6, i assume S Hamilton would be gone, along with CB Stingly, who, I don’t desire regardless of position. WR Wilson may work, but seems a little high, same problem with LB Lloyd. Assuming, Lions don’t go for a QB at #6, DT may be the default pick…Am open to discuss WR Wilson/Williams vs. filling an out right DL hole in DT, which is going to be filled via the Draft or FA, regardless…Who knows? Maybe Holmes uses #6 to trade down further and collect more picks.
I think it is a good draft crop not to get the 1OA pick in. Plenty of talent and looks a deep draft at a number of positions but no slam dunks. I would be surprised if there is a player in this years draft who would have cracked the top 10 last year.
I wouldn’t be one bit annoyed if we pick 2nd, 4th, 6 etc but I would be a bit pissed off if we end up finishing ahead of the bears and missing out on a last placed schedule next year.
On the bright side, the Giants own the Bears 1st Rd pick, so at least they wouldn’t be picking ahead of the Lions.
Fortunately, the Giants and Bears play each other in game 16, so one of them is going to have 5 wins and drop either the NYG actual pick or the Bears traded pick down a notch.
Great question. And the honest answer is: I don’t know yet.
The answer I really want to give is Kyle Hamilton. I think he is the best combination of value and need. He’d give them a real matchup piece with the ability to disguise coverages better. I say this with a personal aversion to picking a safety that high in the draft.
But for some reason, I just can’t see them doing that.
My gut says this FO/coaching staff really really wants to build the trenches. They want to be tough and physical and win the line of scrimmage. They believe they have really good secondary coaches that can coach up secondary players with raw talent. I think we will see a safety drafted, but it’ll probably be somebody like Brisker .
Do we really draft Evan Neal? That would be overkill wouldn’t it? Hell, I thought Sewell was a bit overkill. He’s been fun though. But at least he played tackle. How do we justify taking what amounts to an OG in the top 5? He’d have to be a no brainer people mover like Quinton Nelson.
I think more likely we’d go DLine and if the two DEs are gone, that does leave a dilemma at 3. Jordan Davis is a beast, but not the sort of beast we seek in our D. Awfully high for a DT who doesn’t get to the passer like Suh. Then there is Leal. I think Leal could be a Cam Jordan type and we do have a Saints DC. The comparison is there for me because they both use their hands similarly with strength/violence and they both can play up and down the line. Leal seems to have fallen out of favor with some, so I’m not sure of the value there. I think he is a Dan Campbell type though and Campbell went to Texas A&M too so I’d imagine he’ll have some extra inside. I haven’t done enough homework on the kid from Purdue yet.
