This is an exciting time to be a Lions fan. Maybe we even still make the playoffs OR we finish 8-9. Regardless this has been a HUGE step forward dsspite an unbearable start to the 2022 season. Credit to Dan Campbell for doing what was necessary to start winning games.
I am on record as wanting 2 CBs this draft but honestly I really don’t care who we draft. What I find interesting is that IF we can re-sign a couple critical guys (none of which will kill the team)…guys like WR Chark, S Elliott, DT Cominsky, OG/C Evan Brown, RB Jamaal Williams and so on (DT Buggs needs to be back too…vet. min. deal)…this draft represents simply adding talent. Period.
I am in the camp of NOT wanting to sign ANY outside free agents. I want our critical guys back. LBer confuses me but LBer is also workable. Re-sign Anzalone (not my fav. option), draft guys and so on.
Regardless THIS draft is mostly about adding good players to the roster with need playing a VERY limited role. That is crazy refreshing.
If we sign the above guys back…there are likely NO rookie staring here in 2023. I am advocating Jalen Carter (if we are that lucky) OR DT Bresee as they MIGHT start but they are part of a rotation anyway. Holmes simply needs to keep adding talent to this roster. Period.
This is an exciting time to be a Lions fan. I have an opinion about who I like but WHO we add doesn’t matter to me as much as adding viable guys with talent. Good players. Keep making this roster better. If we like a guy…draft him.
The only position I don’t want to spend a top 100 pick on is QB (and of course kickers).
I think Evan Brown is a goner. His best position is center and I think he’ll get paid to start there by some other team more than we will with him as a back up. Paid more than we will with him as a back up.
I think this is fine, too. I like Brown but playing between Penei and Ragnow is one of the easiest gigs in the league. We’ll be able to find a youngster or cheap vet to give us a very high percentage of what Brown gave us, if not more. That’s why I have no problem paying tackles and a center… if they’re worth it (and ours are) they’ll help the guards out immensely.
I’ve been back and forth on who or more so what positions they should draft. I’ve been wanting them to draft a QB to develop since Goff joined the team. Then it was trench talent. Pass rushers, Oline depth. I’d still like for them to get a QB, but Goff seems to be doing OK for now. There’s still a part of me that keeps saying that when a crucial time comes and he NEEDS to make that big play he’s gonna choke, but for now he’s doing OK.
Now I’d like to see them draft pass rushers and other defensive players. Maybe some Oline depth. DB help sure, but I’ve said before: if you’re pressuring the QB your DB’s don’t have to be top tier.
But I’m of the mind that anyone they draft will make the team better. So I don’t really care who they draft.
And it doesn’t matter if I agree with it or not. They’re going to get who THEY like.
You may be over simplifying it. We have seen Kayode, Skipper, and Stenberg get abused in that spot this year.
I do agree that Brown would not be a massive loss. He is a solid player, but very replaceable. I don’t mind saving the cash and draft a mid round guard.
Yeah I don’t like when posters/fans get disrespectfully cheap with contract expectations with worthy players.
Idk if this became popular under Patricia and the patriots way. Or based on the cheap contracts Holmes has been giving out over the past 2 years… but I’d prefer a lil more respect on my lions names.
You’re right. You need a base level of talent for sure. Replacement level talent at least, which I don’t think Skipper or Stenberg have (I’m willing to chalk Kayode’s struggles up to his inexperience, he literally went from a different team’s practice squad to a live game). To me Brown is a net neutral, on a good line he won’t let you down, on a bad line he’ll struggle. Those aren’t the type of player I want to pay. Maybe that’s a harsh assessment, but roster-building is inherently a harsh business.
Me, too! Sign “our” guys and kick ass in the draft.
This team is ready to go straight out of the gate, next season, as is.
The draft class will only improve a great team.
Yeah I’ve seen the proposals where we take him, play him at guard for awhile then shift him out to RT when Penei moves over to LT. It’s interesting and not a bad plan at all, though I think it’s a little premature to be planning to move on from Decker.
My biggest problem with it is the resource allocation. That would make 4 1st rounders on the OL and that’s too many. We need to hit on some mid-round guys like we did with Jonah or our pay structure will start to get really skewed. I agree with everyone that a good OL means everything, but how you get there matters.
Just look at the Eagles. A 7th rounder at LT, a 6th rounder at C, 2nd and 3rd rounders at both guard spots. Only one 1st rounder on that elite line, Lane Johnson. Because of it they were able to ink Mailata to a $16M/year contract extension, Kelce’s averaged $10M/year over the past 4 years but never made more than $6M before that, Seumalo’s on $5M/year and Dickerson’s still on his rookie deal. By the time they have to pay him Kelce will be off the books and he’ll be moving over to center.
Obviously that’s easier said than done and I don’t fault us for making OL a priority, but we have to find some way to extract value there in the coming years. Perhaps moving on from Decker is one way.
If we’re using a premium pick I’m hoping Mauch makes it to our mid-2nd rounder. If he’s universally seen as a guard he might. Or Torrance, but I’m pretty sure he’ll be gone by then. Schmitz is also pretty enticing, he’s so smart and smooth and I think he’d be able to shift over to guard no problem, and backup Ragnow. Sort of like the same approach the Eagles took with Dickerson. He’s a little older than I like but that’s not as big a deal on the interior of the OL.
Otherwise I’d just as soon wait. I’m sure someone will be available at 2b or 3 (Ekiyor is my favorite option). We might even be able to get away with waiting until our 5th rounder given Brad’s late-round success rate + the amount of times later round guys hit, but unless we bring back Brown or Vaitai I’d prefer to address it before then.
Probably.
Ragnow’s foot though could be a worry long term. He had a long time to recover before this year started and has played hurt from pre-season on. The staff obviously knows more than we do, but may be willing to match Brown’s offers unless they’re really out of whack.
I wonder if Kramer is done? He had showed promise.
Yeah he might, I forgot about that good call. But I think the Eagles essentially see C and G as interchangeable and like to draft centers to play G cause they have to be smart. They’re other G Semeula was a center in college too.
