Detroit Lions Roundtable: Assessing Team Needs for the Draft

Welcome to this week's edition of the Detroit Lions Roundtable discussion. The topic for today is to identify the Lions’ biggest needs going into next years draft (as of today they would have the No. 1 overall selection and Dallas’ No. 19 pick), and then choose the two players the Lions should select to best meet those needs.

Of course, the Lions will have many more picks after the first round, but these picks should set the tone for the rest of the draft.

I’ve enlisted the help of two of my esteemed Lions sportswriters to contribute to this article, my fellow Lions community leader, Keith Shelton and frequent community contributor, Ja Tonio Lewis.

Let’s get started.

Ja Tonio Lewis

Because I love the Lions, I will try not to be over critical of the organization. I believe that the offense is coming along nicely, although they could benefit from an offensive lineman or two. The real problem is on the defensive side of the ball as that unit continues to give up huge plays.

The Lions are the worst team in the league against the run and constantly allow opposing running backs to post “Hall of Fame” type numbers against us. Historically, the Lions have had porous offensive line play but were stout defensively, especially in the late '90s—this year is the exact opposite.

They should address this problem by drafting James Laurinaitis, MLB, Ohio State. As a Michigan fan, this selection makes me want to vomit, but as a Lions fan, the selection would be sure money.

When Shaun Rogers departed, the Lions were left with a gaping hole in their defense. Laurinaitis (with some NFL caliber coaching) could fill that void, or at the least punish whoever comes through it.

Lauranitis and Ernie Sims would make an outstanding run stopping duo for the Lions and as this season has shown, stopping the run should rank among the highest of the Detroit Lions priorities.

With the second first rounder, I believe they should try to trade back for multiple picks. This way, they will be able to draft my cousin Terrence Taylor, DT from Michigan (the fact that we’re related isn’t the reason I think they should draft him), early in the second round to add run stopping intimidation.

He is no Shaun Rogers, but his large frame, his strength, and his aggressiveness will be a welcomed asset by any NFL team. Besides, one of the knocks on Rogers was that he wasn’t a hard worker and quit on his teammates, T.T. is the exact opposite of that and will give you everything he's got down after down.

Keith Shelton

The Lions' most pressing needs on the team are offensive line and defensive line. I’ve been screaming this for years, and the Lions finally started to address the problem by drafting Gosder Cherilus last April, but they can’t stop there. The entire line needs an overhaul. It's time to move Jeff Backus to guard and draft a franchise left tackle.

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