Lions Intend to Extend all four 2023 Draft Studs!

The Den
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https://www.freep.com/story/sports/nfl/lions/2026/04/17/detroit-lions-sam-laporta-brian-branch-healthy-contract-extensons/89648951007/?gnt-cfr=1&gca-cat=p&gca-uir=false&gca-epti=z114522p119550l117450c119550u112622e1113xxv114522&gca-ft=8&gca-ds=sophi

If this article is remotely accurate, it definitely explains this offseason, and it’s pretty encouraging for 26-28’…

Goff, Gibbs, Laporta, Ra, Jamo, Sewell, Mays, Rat, Teslaa… that’s 9 pieces of the offense that will be here, and 8 of them will still be under 30 in THREE YEARS!!!

Hutch, Mac, Liek, Campbell, Kerby, Branch, Arnold gives us 7 pieces on D for 3 plus years and all will be under 30 in THREE YEARS!!! (Figure that Reed and Barnes will both be here 2 years as well)

We are talking 82% of our starters are locked up…

Guys like Mahogany, Borom, Wonnum, and McCreary are our only projected starters that aren’t in our long term plans…

  • Now look at the draft???

B Miller and D Ponds- those are the Borom and McCreary replacements.

Can we get lucky and use a 4th and 5th to move into round 3 for WLB Kyle Louis?

Then in round 4 we take a 3T like Barrett, Durant, K Proctor….

Round 5 we take an interior OL guy to challenge Mahigany…

Round 6 we take TE and QB depth, and in 7 a RB

What about edge? Then we sign Clowney or Cam Jordan after we restructure Sewell and Ra…

Next year we go edge in round 1, and CB in round 2

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I don’t agree with “planning” to extend LaPorta or ESPECIALLY Branch.

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Replacements for the guys we just signed?

Then why did we sign those guys?

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Hopefully Borom is a stop gap as we develop a high-ceiling O lineman (Freeling, Max, or if we’re lucky, Fano)

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Should a top 20 draft selection at OT not be expected to play immediately? Especially when joining a team that missed the playoffs the previous season like we did?

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Not a fan of publicly talking about planning to extend guys who have yet to return from major injuries that could affect their agility and movement at positions that desperately need those at their top ability.

That’s just poor management.

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I also think this is absolutely the wrong time to “develop” a “high-ceiling” OT. We tried that already. This team needs help NOW. Not in three years maybe hopefully.

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I think we can do well with Max if we take him, but yeah Miller is prolly the most likely to hit the ground running on OT (Though Borom does have a floor thats decent…ish)

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I question why Borom was the only OT signed in free agency if we weren’t going to be comfortable with him starting. Every year thus far, Brad has used free agency to make sure he didn’t HAVE to do anything in the draft. Of course, he HAS to draft a pass rusher, but since we don’t believe in creating quick pressure on the opposing quarterback, Brad is operating as if he doesn’t HAVE to do that either.

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How did a thread about extending the 2023 class turn into draft/OT talk? :thinking:

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And I’d argue pissing away numerous draft picks on “developmental” players is a large reason we’re at where we’re at, and why we had to sign 11 or 12 free agents this offseason.

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OP suggested we use the draft to select replacements for the guys we just signed, even though we have Titanic Iceberg sized holes elsewhere on the roster where those draft picks should be pointed to.

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yeah the issue is that we have missed badly, 2024 especially was a horrific draft for us, 2025 seems to be a rebound atleast, but yeah we going the BPA angle, just dont know what it would be at 17

Tre Downs my friend…. we need you more then ever

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Well, Miller probably would but to me it would be a disappointing pick at 17. But, I’d rather get a high ceiling guy, who may need a half a season or maybe even one season to take over. At 5, getting a Sewell is differnt than at 17 getting a Freeling.

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Sure would be nice to have or have had some of these draft picks to fill out the roster with:

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TBF to TeSlaa, hes easily been the most impactful and i think will be good for us in the long run. Was it a steep price? yeah it was i wont lie, but if you think hes the guy you gotta get him, and from what he showed year 1… def has the ability to be a big red zone target for sure.

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And we paid in this year’s draft capital, what’s shaping up to be one of the weakest classes of all time.

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Because we signed them for 1 yr? They are all functional starters or anazing depth (DJ, Borom, McCreary)

A small trade down and a haul like Blake Miller, Ponds, and K Crawford could give us great
competition to start 26’, and potentially our starters in 27’

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I guess we ignore Mahogany, Frazier, and whoever we draft in round 6 this year (Dallen Bentley?)

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Brad often does this though, so as a predictive metric it doesn’t really affect things. Signed Monty then drafted Gibbs. Signed Sutton and traded for Davis then drafted Arnold and Rakestraw. Signed Chark then drafted Jamo. Signed Lopez then drafted Tyleik (I mean if you’re including McCreary as a reason they won’t draft a guy, Lopez was even more expensive), on and on. He does this quite often, actually.

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