YES!
Easily for me it is Swift. If every pick stays healthy… I think Swift has the biggest impact of any rookie this year.
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Very unexpectedly, I whooped and hollered “YES”! when we picked De’Andre Swift, even though I had a list of about 10 players I would have been happy with at that pick. I didn’t react anywhere close to that for any other pick. So, without going into analytics, ratings, value, etc. my gut tells me its De’Andre Swift.
Some of your past favorite picks (Warford, AO) elicited the same reaction.
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Agree with all of this. I also think Okwara may have trouble staying healthy. Sure hope we are wrong.
Swift by a long shot. After watching his highlight videos it made me feel like I did waiting to watch Barry run. Hoping this revamped offensive line can make some creases for him.
It’s what I see too. Swift changes everything about what our O looks like. If the new OL hit minimum expectations - Swift’s presence makes every single thing about our O work better. Bevell/Stafford/Swift/Golliday/Hoch/Jonesy…hopefully Amendola is still healthy this year. Doesn’t take much imagination to see where this could be a really, reeeaaally fun O to watch.
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Okwara, but I think the guard from OSU will provide the most value next year. We need a guard and I see him as starting from day 1. Have 2 young vets in Decker and Ragnow will help him succeed better than Okudah or Okwara will and I think Swift will split too many touches with KJ and Bo to get the nod. In the long run, Okwara may not be the best player from the draft, but he will be the best value.
Okudah and it’s not close …any time you land blue chip prospect, a top 3 player in the Draft and it also matches a need it’s a huge win . A smart , hard working , motivated, non- diva , physical press man CB this team desperately needed to pair with Trufant.
A player that will likely see 60 snaps a game shutting down a teams receiver… that’s a huge impact .
DeAndre Swift a likely #1B to Kerryon #1A in 2020 even with zero talent elsewhere at RB in 2018 it still took time to get K.J more touches.
It wont surprise me if KJ ends up with more carries than Swift if they both stay healthy early, with BO getting some carries as well as the Hammer …the better our early Offense , the better our Defense, the more carries BO will see as a grinder late in games.
This team likely wants a 50/50 split run to pass per game …even in a back and forth, high scoring game, at best we are looking at 65 to 70 plays ran
With 30 carries a game to spread around the top 3 RB’s …a K.J 45%, Swift 40%, BO 15% split.
At best I see Swift getting 13 rushing attempts a game . Pass blocking is key …K.J is a good pass blocker as well which will keep him on the field, BO is bad , T.Y was simply horrible which kept him off the field in 2019 and will do the same in 2020 if he is here …Swift is okay , not good …he should get better
If Swift sees 4 targets a game as the primary rec back it will be a lot in a RBBC.
Swift after getting acclimated (4 to 5 games in), I can see him being a RB that touches the ball 15 times a game via rushing attempts and receptions …
Okwara is a huge get when we got him , this kid could pay huge dividends for this Defense in 2020, not early but in the latter part of the season.
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Hot take here: Swift. Overall, I’m moderately fascinated by the double dips at both RB and IOL. I’m impressed by the Jackson pick, but somehow become more impressed after the Stenberg pick. But Swift is the main beneficiary of all this action.
I’m impressed by what the double dips say for these groups, the OL group, the backfield. Whoever else rises to the top of these groups, Swift stands as the symbol of a Lion’s FO that has FINALLY said GDmit, we WILL have a run game.
Swift for sure
and?! The overall draft team assembled. I am not a in-depth draft guru but you can see the process … I knew Bevell was going to be the biggest single pick up in a decade for the Lions… his influence screams imho throughout this draft! I would have loved the conversations the coaches and GM had and Bevell laying out exactly what and why and how the players were were needs and who they wanted to fill those upgrades on offense
I’ll add DeAndre Swift is a hell of a prospect, but fans need to curb what they think he is and his impact here in 2020 will be …
Georgia had one of, if not the best O-Line’s in College Football and when they faced Florida who had a top Rush game Defense and the lanes were not readily available for Swift he was ordinary…a game they let him tote the rock on for 25 carries & his 3.2 yards per carry avg (The most carries he’s ever had )…
Highlights are great but watch his tape of his carries this year vs Florida …
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I don’t see “ordinary” at all. I see a defense keying against a runner, and they bottle him up, and bottle him up, and bottle him up…until he breaks it. Also - factor in the 40+ TD run that got called back because of holding…then factor in his ypc.
This very much reminds me of watching Barry…negative run, one yard, 2 yards, 1 yard, 5 yards…BOOM! He’s that style of dude, not a hammer.
Also notice how he blocks in the video, as well as what the QB is able to do in hitting his targets as a result of the D focusing on the run.d
This video is highly encouraging to me and is exactly what I expect from him in the pros. You are right…this video is probably going to be inicitive of what he brings to the Lions. Let’s not get the long one called back because of a hold, and we’re good to go!
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I agree on both of these.
I don’t see Okwara as being anything other than a situational pass rusher and even that is suspect. Just doesn’t look like an NFL player to me. Just another college kid.
Swift is special and I saw him as the clear #1 RB this year. I definitely didn’t see him lasting to our pick. I was thinking a trade down in 2nd and then going Taylor or Dobbins in 2nd.
Swift, Okwara, Huntley, Cephus.
We had a really good draft.
I fully expect the NFL to fold before they can play a game together.
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Good post, New York. Always better to watch the more challenging games. But if this is his worst game, I’ll take it. He shows wiggle, and rarely got negative yards. One of the things I liked seeing was that when it was a short yardage down, he converted the first down. Also staying in bounds when he needed to. I’m with you on Kerryon vs. Swift next year- I too think KJ will get more carries, and KJ has a little bet better vision though not the pop that Swift has.
Why’s that ? If you think the NFL is shutting down you really are nieve.
I gotta go with Jonah Jackson. I think he stabilizes the interior and gives Stafford a clean pocket more often than not. Could be as big an addition to the offense as Swift and I absolutely love Quinn moving up to grab him.
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Love Okwara. I was giddy in that draft day chat the moment we picked him. BUT… it’s still this guy
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Great post!
…still more excite about Swift though. lol
it’s kinda funny how they’re talking about how perfect he played it, but then it looks a like PI at the 5:50 mark when they go super slow motion