To clarify, my main disagreement with your assertion that, “Brad’s approach to the draft hasn’t changed the entire time he’s been here” isn’t about his aggressive trading up. I saw the same show you did where Dorsey talked Holmes out of trading back into the 1st round for Levi. Thankfully. Rather, it’s based on the fact that in 2023 he started reaching for fantasy camp, non-nfl level players in the mid-late rounds as projects that he thought could eventually be molded into players. He didn’t do that at all in 2021 or 2022. But he started reading his press clippings, admiring his roster success, and turned into the smartest guy in the room. He no longer felt the urgency to mine for nfl-ready talent in the mid-late rounds. That’s how his approach changed.
I can agree with the fact that he did start taking more swings on what I would consider project players. However, I don’t think your reasoning of him being the smartest guy in the room is correct. I think it was more of consequence of the Lions success. As the Lions become more successful, the roster was filled with better and better players, making it harder for these later round guys like Amon Ra in the 4th to get on the field and get a real shot at developing [immediately, with in-game reps].
Not only that, but as the draft picks get further and further back in the 1st and 2nd rounds, you’re missing out on guys who have the legit physical skills that might allow them to be real difference makers early in the draft. So if you identify guys who have strong physical assets like they did with Broderic and Manu, but are from smaller schools or have only played lesser competition, and may need more development that are still there in the 3rd/4th, you may be more apt to swing at them for both of the above reasons.
I just think the discussion is far more nuanced than “Brad thinks he’s the smartest guy in the room”. Of course there’s some ego involved (Brad comes off like he has more than enough) and he trusts his conviction on guys that he and his scouts have identified. But I think draft position and roster configuration plays a bigger role than you’re giving credit to.
Regardless, I think we can all agree that it would be nice to see him hit on guys more frequently outside of the 1st and 2nd like he did early in tenure. It makes everything so much easier. At the same time, I’m not going to skewer him over something that the math says he has a low chance of doing.
Quinyon was already gone. And I don’t know about everyone in here, but by no means did every “expert” have Arnold over Wiggins. Not at all.
All of the ones I read did, at least by draft day. A great many of them - Jeremiah, Dane Brugler - had Arnold over Quinyon.
No, not every. But the consensus, yes.
And even if they didn’t. Anyone who wrote or followed the Lions knew that Wiggins would not be drafted by the Lions because of his effort in run defense. He simply just isn’t the type of DB that Brad/Dan have shown they covet. It was talked about ad nauseum here.
The general consensus, at least around here was that we’d be looking at Coop/Rake/Kool-Aid types if we went CB because there was no way Arnold would be around for the Lions pick which is why the majority felt like we pulled off a coup to move up and get him.
#22 overall sitting there late 30s from Iowa
After we just drafted Bama
And we had the epic Bama/Iowa draft the year before
I wonder if he is simply taking it east still
Mfrom his stomach injury late last season
unlike others, I enjoyed the game, Hass made plays, White made plays, Altmer seems like he’ll do fine as a back up, Tesla sucked, might have something in Saylors, we were getting pressure and our O-line was good, and Blake Miller did well. we lost, but our back ups showed up for the most part.
You and me both Wolf. I thought that was one of the more positive pregame outings for the Lions in years
That’s fine. But I didn’t feel that way because I don’t subscribe to their type-cast approach to CB’s. Especially at the expense of assets in a trade-up. There’s nothing wrong with a pure cover corner - especially for a team that has nothing close to one. I would have been more than happy to wait for Wiggins at 29. Just like I would have been more than happy to take Christian Gonzalez after Witherspoon got swiped out from under us. (though I can’t argue with Gibbs & Campbell).
Two sentence recap: The trenches on both sides and the linebackers gave reason for optimism going forward. Altmyer looked better than his receivers did and they hurt his stat line.
my opinion on Teslaa: Teslaa and Lovett both had bad drops in the game.
I’m still very high on Teslaa, though. His drops are an abberation from normal, whereas Lovett seems to have a regular problem with this.
I think Lovett is practice squad at best. I’m hoping and expecting Teslaa to right the ship on his slow start.
The team he’s on move heaven and earth to NOT play him outside
I am worried about the depth at WR and the secondary. Otherwise I still think the Lions win 12 games and the NFC North.