The Lions have soo many holes on this team and they need to improve the worst position or player, not draft a Left Tackle when we already have a good Left Tackle. In fact, Decker is probably a top 5-7 player on our team…now I know, Sewell was drafted to play Right Tackle and somehow it’s not clicking for him yet…but again, I don’t think too many teams are drafting Right Tackles at pick #7 overall either.
Don’t get me wrong, Sewell is a great player and I was happy to get him, although I thought this team really needed weapons more. If you remember, I actually made a thread about “If Sewell is there at pick 7, do you take him?”
Maybe they thought Vaitai was the worst player on this team but I think there could have been a strong argument for a couple of other players.
I’m hoping either Sewell or Decker can settle into that RT position, if not our O-line isn’t really a whole lot better than it was going into the draft.
I suspect it will be Sewell, but whomever it is will likely play really well.
People are getting all worked up over Sewell’s preseason performance. I think it had WAY more to do with it being preseason rather than which side he played on.
When you have this kind of rebuilding to do, you draft the best available player on the board. If that means you have two All-Pros at the same position, then you trade the older/worse one and get whatever you can.
I might make an exception if the best available player is a QB, simply because you can’t put a rookie behind a line that’s going to get him mauled, with no one to throw to. At least when we drafted Stafford he could throw jump-balls to Calvin all afternoon long. I’d rather let Goff be the placeholder while the other 21 positions get restocked with talent.
Yeah, I’m not sure I’m on the same page with this. How are you “restocking” the other 21 positions, if you’re drafting the same position over and over?
Sooner or later you have to try to improve your worst positions, if not through the draft then through free agency or trade or whatever.
Again, I was one that said Sewell was a generational LT prospect and I know this isn’t exactly going as they planned but sooner or later you have to address your weaknesses…and we didn’t do that.
I have zero issue with the pick conceptually, and even less after Sunday.
Goff is not the QB of the future here. I think ever’yone knew that. He may be a serviceable QB, middling, even! But at some point in the "rebuild we will be drafting a QB.
Getting your stud OT in place with a couple of seasons under his belt before you bring in the anointed one makes a TON of sense.
Again, I’m pretty certain that Holmes thinks otherwise. I think he is a believer in Goff, I truly do…and I’m ok with it. The kid has already done what 20+ other QB’s haven’t and that’s been apart of a Superbowl team. I have no problem building around Goff for the next 6 or so years, if at that point we’re not going anywhere, then go to plan B…but until then, until Goff is the problem, build around him.
Okay, I’ll prove it to you using Madden Math! Assumptions:
Assign the best available player (LT) a score of 100
Assign the player you already have at that position (LT) a score of 80
Assign the second-best player available (who plays a different position, say SS) a score of 90
Assign the current player at the second-best available’s position (SS) a score of 70.
If you trade a player, you get the equivalent value back, either in a player with the same score or a draft pick that will give you the equivalent score.
Scores are a combination of all relevant factors: current talent, potential, and value
You start with a total score of 150 (80 LT + 70 SS). If you draft best-available and trade for a player at the second-best available position, you now have 180 (100 LT + 80 SS). If you instead draft the second-best available, you now have 170 (80 LT + 90 SS).
Everyone seems to think Sewell can’t play RT because of what we saw in the preseason. I think Sewell has the athleticism to be a dominant left or right tackle. I also think Sewell will be a better RT than Decker could be. I just don’t see the hang up with having some awesome bookends on the OL? And i just cant get the reasoning for trading Decker? He’s 28, top 10 at his position and signed for a few years. And even if they do keep Sewell and move Decker to the right whats to say Sewell doesnt get hurt and you put Decker back at Left? I just can’t see trading Decker for any reason other another “Stafford” type deal.
hey, if he comes out looking sharper next week, and the week after I’ll start climbing on board. For now I’m willing to go along with him just being rusty as hell, but the devil on my shoulder just keeps chirping about a few of those passes…
Lets not forget that we passed on Aaron Donald because we already had DTs. I wasn’t onboard at all with that at the time and Donald was my guy. I think my path has proven superior.
If Tom Brady falls to you every draft, you draft Tom Brady every year. Then you make the other 31 teams bid for him. As a practical matter, this may take the form of a draft-day trade.
We needed a foundation piece! If you look at our current roster, Sewell might be our best player outside of Swift (and that could be debatable). That’s how bad the roster was. Again, we are in rebuild mode so I understand how Holmes and Campbell is thinking. I don’t want a quick fix. I want something build long term that can produce a consistent winner.
It’s crazy how few people were wanting Aaron Donald that draft and how many people now say they wanted us to draft him.
I’m not saying that was you or wasn’t you but I made a thread before that draft on why it made sense to draft Donald since Suh was a UDFA, Fairley wasn’t everything we hoped, and Mosley was a UDFA as well. At that time, there weren’t many in support of drafting another DT…and even I had some reservations on it…but I knew I didn’t want to draft Ebron.
I think we have gotten past the point of looking specifically for a left or right tackle when drafting. The value of the right or I guess non-blind side tackle has been steadily increasing. Drafting Sewell means the Lions can have both tackle spots locked down for several years. If another team badly needs a LT and offers a hefty trade package for Decker, then maybe you consider moving him. Otherwise I would keep both of them and play money ball at guard. With two very good to great tackles and the top center in football under contract, I think you can get by with drafting new guards to keep the offensive line costs in check.
