Detroit Lions 2009 Draft: What They Should Do

First off, when I become General Manager of the Detroit Lions, my first order of business is to release the following players:

• Right tackle George Foster
• Quarterback Jon Kitna
• Quarterback Dante Culpepper
• Cornerback Leigh Bodden
• Cornerback Travis Fisher
• Right guard Manny Ramirez

Second order of business:

• Current left tackle Jeff Backus moves to left guard
• Current left guard Ed Mulitalo moves to second string right guard behind Scott Peterman.

Draft wish list:

Currently, Lions have 2 1^st round draft picks.  Since I believe the 2008 season will finish no better than 1-15, I’m going to assume the first pick in the draft.

First Round

First choice:  Left tackle Michael Oher from Ole Miss.  6-5, 318lbs and is often compared to two of the best left tackles in recent history:  Orlando Pace and Walter Jones. 

Taking Oher will pay off immediately and moving Backus to left guard, having Gosder Cherilus at right tackle, Scott Peterman on right guard and center Dominic Raiola, this becomes a very potent offensive line that can pass protect and open holes for the emerging Kevin Smith.

Second Choice:  Eugene Monroe from Virginia.  6-6, 315 lbs.  Can do the same moves as you do with Oher.  But I think Oher is going to be one of the best left tackles to ever play the game.

With the second 1^st round pick, from Dallas and the Roy Williams trade.  Looking ahead at the Cowboy’s schedule, I predict they will finish 10-6.  Based on 2007 records, teams with 10-6 records picked 23 to 25.   And seeing how much help is needed in the secondary, I would look in that area.

First Choice:  Victor Harris, Virginia Tech.  6’0, 195 lbs.  Is best suited for the cover-two and with a 4.49 time in the 40, he can cover some ground.  Also has experience returning kicks.

Second Choice:  DJ Moore, Vanderbilt, 5’10”, 183 lbs.  Had six picks as a junior and is a very good kick returner.  Lions could take care of two areas here as the return game has been lacking since the days of Eddie Drummond.

Second Round

Lions get the 64^th pick of the draft and they have to stay with defense.  Ernie Sims needs some serious help inside to allow him to utilize his abilities.

First Choice:  Dannell Ellerbe, Georgia.  A 6’1” tackling machine, he and Sims could become the 1-2 punch the Lions have been desperately seeking at linebacker.

Second Choice:  Scott McKillop, Pittsburgh.  I don’t know what they put in the water in Pittsburgh, but they do produce very good linebackers.  McKillop is no exception getting 151 tackles last year.

Third round

Lions get two picks here from the Roy Williams trade.  Still going to keep it on the defensive side of the ball.  With the first third round pick, looking to shore up the secondary even more.

First Choice:  Courtney Greene, Rutgers.  Can play both strong safety and free safety.  6’1” and 209 lbs. and a 4.47 40 time, is strong and fast enough to stay with a lot of receivers.

Second Choice:  Curtis Taylor, LSU:  Free safety at 6’3” and 210 lbs., he can manhandle most receivers.  He had 49 tackles, two picks and a sack last year. 

With the second third round pick, the defensive line can be shored up.

First Choice:  Connor Barwin, Cincinnati.  6’4”, 257 lbs., and is athletic and quick.  Registered seven sacks, 9.5 tackles for losses and more important, three blocked kicks.  A steal at this pick.

Second Choice:  Matt Shaugnessy, Wisconsin.  6”6”, 251 lbs.  Shaugnessy is a pure pass rusher with three sacks and six tackles for losses.  Plus, he has that high-character that coaches love to have. 

Fourth Round

At the top of this article, I stated that I would release Kitna and Culpepper, which is going to leave us very vulnerable at the quarterback spot. 

Stanton & Orlovsky will battle it out for the starter job and we either keep Drew Henson as third string or put him on the practice squad.  Either way, the Lions have to take a quarterback and if they wait any longer than the fourth round, the talent level drops of pretty steep.

First Choice:  Nathan Brown, Central Arkansas  6’1”, 212 lbs.  Might be a little short but he does put up great numbers and was recently called the best QB ever to play in the state of Arkansas. 

Granted, the level of competition can be brought into question, but he has the tools.  In 2008, he tossed for 3,084 yards, 26 TD’s and 10 INT’s.  Not bad TD to INT ratio.

Second Choice:  Dan LeFevour, Central Michigan.  6’3”, 226lbs.  I have to admit, I have a soft spot for Central Michigan.  See, there was this girl…well, let’s leave that for another time. 

As for LeFevour, he seems to be an all-around QB.  Threw for 3,652 yards, 27 TD’s and only 13 INT’s.  Completed 65.4% of his passes and ran for 1,122 yards and 19 scores.

I’m going to stop here since anything the Lions do after the fourth round is an even bigger turkey shoot that the first four rounds.

However, this is precisely the kind of draft the Lions need to do to become competitive quickly. 

I’ll put up with young players since many times, speed will hide mistakes.  And with each game they play, they get more confident and experienced.  And yes, one might think that it’s a gamble to draft so heavy on one side of the ball.  But looking at the dismal defense we’ve had to put up with the last 2-3 years, how could the Lions do any worse?

I’m sure that many people are going to disagree. There aren’t a lot of sexy picks. 

The Lions don’t need those, they need to build a foundation.  Besides, with Calvin Johnson developing into one of the best receivers in football and the emergence of running back Kevin Smith, the Lions aren’t in too bad of shape.  Yes, they will have a young QB, but both Orlovsky and Stanton have gotten their feet wet and the Lions can manage until the 2010 draft. 

With an improved offensive line by taking Oher and moving Backus as well as an improving Kevin Smith, the pressure is off the QB to win games.