They need a QB that is a X factor Goff isnt that bad but to lift a franchise like the Lions past all the BS penalty calls and all the crazy bad breaks you need a alpha at QB.
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I really think so too. Definitely would help
Everything you said is true but Kyle Hamilton’s a bit of a Unicorn. You don’t often draft Unicorns and find out their ponies. The horn is a dead giveaway.
Now this knee stuff with Hamilton I’m just now hearing about on here. That potentially gives me some pause.
That said I’m still taking KT or Hutch at 2. KT for sure.
If we somehow win tomorrow and we slide down then I think I’d just go ahead and take Hamilton. I still want a trade down if we can get chart value but I see that as very unlikely.
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Who’s Lions:
Gee, who knew there are 2 Safeties on a defense?..If you want to be treated with respect, don’t insult my intelligence. DEN mates have a fairly informed knowledge of the game of Football and the number & kind of players on both offense & defense. I assumed you did, too.
My proposed scenario, whereby, Holmes signed FA S Williams negates the likelihood of drafting Hamilton with the #3 Pick is plausible. Of course, Holmes could draft Hamilton with the #3 Pick, After signing Williams, but that would be overkill in my mind. By Draft time, it is likely but not guranteed, Holmes knows whether re-signing Walker is in the cards. If YES, then the Lions have Williams & Walker tandem at Safety and can focus his efforts elsewhere prior to the Draft. If NO, Holmes will likely have the option of drafting either Brisker or Hill, the remaining 2 & 3-rated prospects at Safety, either with the Rams pick or #34. Both would be upgrades over Marlow, Harris, et al, excluding Walker at this point. IMO, if Walker leaves in FA, for whatever reason, that’s the way it goes. If Walker leaves, it will force Holmes to draft either Brisker or Hill, draft another Safety in a later round, or sign another FA Safety. Losing Walker would help Harris make the team in 2022, for experience reasons, if nothing else, regardless of his actual job performance.
Regarding Hamilton’s physical size and possible knee problems, now or in the future. What I have noticed regarding Hamilton is his fast closing speed in TFL, which is an excellent trait. What concerns me, more than a little bit, is if you look at his length. By that, I mean, he has long lean spindly legs, particularly between his knee & his ankle. It’s genetics, I understand. But the stress of a long calf muscle may lead to increased pressure on the knee joint. He could even have small ankles, which would make him proportional leg-wise, but increase the risk of leg injury. This associated Risk with his spindly legs is magnified greatly, when combined with his position of Safety, which results in many entanglements with opposing receivers and your own cornerbacks on any given play. Long, thin legs, may work for #1 WR receivers, but IMO, they are a drawback for a Safety. If you’re going to assume Hamilton will become a Unicorn, if not already, then it makes sense to compare his physical build to the greats - Taylor, Reed, Polomatu, Lott, etc. None of those HofF’s had the physical attributes which Hamilton possesses before even stepping onto the field. I wouldn’t take the Risk at #2 for this very reason. Too high risk of serious injury, IMO,granted his height, intelligence, and speed contribute greatly to his ballhawk skills, which I love.
In summary, I recognize the Risk of drafting a DE with the 1st or 2nd Pick. The bust factor for DE is right behind QB’s & CB’s, in my mind. Are either Hutch or Tibbs the 2nd Coming of Bruce Smith or Reggie White?..Heck, NO !!..I’m more leery of Tibbs taking off plays, which I have seen, and rumored approach to the Game of Football and how it relates to what He wants to get out of Life, that makes me wonder whether his Heart is really focused on being the Best he can be. Could MC coach Tibbs up to be Great?..Nobody truly knows. BTW, I too agree that Sacks shouldn’t be the Be All & End All judging DE’s. But its the statistic Fans/Coaches/Agents/Contracts put maximum value on to compare individual DE’s., ignore team defensive schemes to their regret. But it is what it is until some new Measurand can be created, like WAR in Baseball. LOL…IMO, I would lean Tibbs over Hutch regarding Sack Totals. It’s all or none with Tibbs. Either he gets Home for a Sack, or he doesn’t, often not close. Whereas, Hutch, IMO, will create much more constant Pressure on the QB. He is relentless in that regard, which leads to more actual Sacks, on any given play. Combine his athleticism, with Okwara on the other side, and the Lions could have a productive tandem for years to come, assuming Okwara comes back at near 90%+, a BIG assumption, which may lead to Holmes retaining DE FLowers for insurance, which would make sense. Hopefully, Holmes will have some data available by Draft time on Okwara, through Okwara and/or the Team Doctors to accurately predict whether Okwara’s long-term recovery process will lead to regaining his former high-end skillset.
I appreciate your long and informative contributions to making this Board what it is over many years. IMO, we have some of the most informed fans in the league. One, could only wish Lions Management would have taken some of the suggestions mentioned on this board to heart and implemented at least of few. It would have saved years of heart ache by Denmates and the City of Detroit, in general. Keep up the good work !!.. - GOALPOST
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As a reminder of recent history in year two Bob Quinn, the Lions kept Jim Caldwell and made the playoffs in 2016. That was Bob’s first season here. Bib followed up that over performance by Caldwell by drafting LBer Jarrad Davis, CB Tabor, Kenny Golladay (a gold pick!), Reeves Maybin, Jamal Agnew and others. Calvin retired at the end of the 2015 season so Calvin was already gone. We had Tate and Marvin Jones (an excellent signing as well). We had Glover Quin, Slay, Diggs, Ziggy at DE (14 sacks in 2017), A’shawn Robinson at DT and Ngata for 5 games. Not awful but not what we needed.
Point is missing out on those first two draft picks killed this roster despite hitting on Golladay.
Under Mayhew he drafted Suh in year two and that was a GREAT pick. But then he grabbed Best, CB/S Spievey and Jason Fox and that draft class just had too many misses in it despite adding Suh. Mayhew went on to mismage the DT position group by adding Corey Williams in 2010, draftin Suh and also drafting Sammie Lee Hill followed by drafting DT Nick Fairley.
Holmes is at the spot not too. A team with holes needing an identity. A foundation is set (like Mayhew did in 2009). Now the vision needs to start to come to life. Brad has $ to spend, legit options in front of him and some draft picks that need to help this club in 2022.
I don’t know how Brad is going to handle re-signing our own free agents but I know he need $ for at least 1 if not 2 critical free agent starting additions to this roster. I know that I don’t want Brad to spend too much $ on backups like a Christian Jones situation.
If the Lions cut Trey Flowers (a move I would support)…just too much $ tied up into a guy who isn’t a great scheme fit and we don’t bring back Charles Harris (which I would be fine with) that signals to me that we take a DE high which is positional value all the way. I think we look at Thibs overall but I also love Hutch. Regardless wat edge we have Hutch/Thibs, Romeo Okwara, Julian Okwara and Austin Bryant (who has sacks right now). I like that and if we keep Charles Harris i would LOVE that.
Holmes has draft options though is he doesn’t love one of those edge defenders. Whatever he chooses with his first three picks will help pave the road for this Lions team. These first three draft picks are critical to the identity of the Lions.
Personality I want defense but I really want value and guys that can play the game as viable starters. Tabor killed Bob Quinn in a lot of ways. Jahvid Best killed Mayhew in a lot of ways. We need viable starting level guys with these three picks. Scheme fits from day one. No more hoping for development. We need guys who are likely starters now and in the future with these picks.
If Holmes does his job and say adds a free agent WR (I say James Washington right now) and locks down one starting level safety (Tracy Walker V. Marcus Williams for my $) he needs to hit on these picks.
Really appreciate the post. Nice read.
I believe in our bald guy. It may not look like any of us think, but I think Brad will make us proud
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