The State of The Detroit Lions Pre- Draft

The Detroit Lions are coming off a season that will forever be remembered as the worst season by any team in professional sports.

Now, with Martin Mayhew in at GM and Jim Schwartz in as the head coach, are things changing? Is the culture of Detroit Lions football going to improve? The preliminary answers will come by the end of free agency and on draft weekend (and, to a lesser extent, the supplemental draft).

I am going to talk about what the Lions have done, what they can do, what they could do, what they didn't do, and what they won't do.

The free agency period opened with very respectable players on the market. Arguably, over the last two seasons, the problem has been the Lions defense ranking last in nearly all categories. The only two solid players the Lions have on defense now are DT Corey Redding and OLB Ernie Sims.

Detroit released Leigh Bodden after trading Shaun Rogers to the Browns for him. The Lions said he had a disappointing season, but I would argue that his 72 tackles were a bright spot in an abysmal team season. Bodden's season was so terrible that he is going to visit the Patriots this week. See the problem?

Also, the Lions released DT Shaun Cody, who had a respectable 36 tackles. He'll never be an All-Pro but he'd be good to have as a reserve. Paris Lenon, the other beating heart of the Lions defense, also is a free agent. The Lions owe it to him to reward him for his 121-tackle season.

Nece, a reserve linebacker, had 68 tackles and also is a free agent. Defensive end Corey Smith, who had 30 tackles and three sacks, is a free agent and is currently missing at sea. The Lions released strong safety Dwight Smith, who had 41 tackles and zero interceptions.

Cornerback Stanley Wilson is also a free agent who recorded 38 tackles and zero interceptions. Defensive backs are the last line of defense and a lot of points were scored on the Lions. Their weakest position even after free agency is still their defensive backfield.

Rumors had the Lions making a play for Albert Haynesworth from the Tennessee Titans, but the Redskins got there first, signing him to a seven-year $100 million contract. So, how has Detroit plugged up its defense?

They signed CB Eric King away from the Tennessee Titans. King recorded 15 tackles last season. They then traded QB Jon Kitna and his $1 million roster bonus to the Cowboys for CB Anthony Henry, who had 51 tackles and one interception last season.

So, what the Lions have done is effectively release their best defensive back and allow their second best LB to slip into free agency, along with handful of players who are worthy of roster spots. Clearly, players the caliber of Eric King are not going to right this ship. These moves just prolong the agony of Lions fans and continue the joke that is the defense.

With the free agent market, though, the Lions can surely fill holes and voids. Noteworthy defensive free agents include CB Dre' Bly, CB Dominique Foxworth, CB Chris McAlister, CB Deltha O'Neal, CB Shawn Springs, LB Derrick Brooks, LB Cato June, LB Mike Peterson, DT Tank Johnson, DT Gabe Watson, S Atari Bigby, S Michael Boulware, S Darren Sharper, and S Rodney Harrison.

I'm not saying that the Lions should run out and sign all of these guys, but if they were to invest their money in some of these players, it would vastly improve the defense. Signing an older player like Bly or Harrison provides some leadership and proven talent to the younger guys that will be obtained in the draft.

Ernie Sims deserves to be in his position and trust that the guy next to him is able to make that tackle if he can't shed his blocker(s). The Lions shouldn't fill the gaping holes on defense by using the draft only, unless they are certain that this player will be able to step in and be a star.

As of now, Wake Forest's LB Aaron Curry, Ohio State's LB James Laurinaitis, CB Malcolm Jenkins, Texas' DE Brian Orakpo, Boston College's DT B.J. Raji, and USC's DT and LBs Brian Cushing and Rey Maualuga are the best defensive players in this year's draft class.

Some of these players are going to be impact players. But none of these guys warrant a first overall selection. If the Lions choose to use this pick on a defensive player, I hope that the route they choose is via trade to acquire another pick and a player.

Offensively, the Lions saw their offense fall to the bottom the league statistically in 2008 after firing Super Bowl-winning coordinator Mike Martz in 2007. The Lions released their leading receivers from 2006 and 2007 in Mike Furrey and Shaun McDonald. Both of the players were brought in by Martz and are victims of regime change.

The Lions have also released oft-injured TE Dan Campbell and G Edwin Mulitalo. Neither are much to speak of in terms of capability. None of these moves are particularly painful, as the only real loss is two blue-coller receivers that the fans liked.

Detroit's quarterback situation is one of interest and desperation. There are rumors going around that the Lions have already named Culpepper the starting QB, which is why Dan Orlovsky left for the Texans and signed with them Sunday.

There are also rumors floating around that the Lions are interested in getting Jay Cutler away from the Broncos. That would be a valiant step forward for the organization. Cutler is a franchise quarterback whose mobility and arm strength would make Calvin Johnson that much better of a wide receiver.

The only other QB worth mentioning in free agency is Kurt Warner, and there is no way he is coming to Detroit. The Lions also have a restricted free agent in Drew Henson at quarterback, but signing him is waste. He is not familiar with the new offensive system.

In other offense news, losing Rudi Johnson to free agency was cancelled out by signing Maurice Morris. Morris ran the ball 132 times for 547 yards. Clearly, he's not going to step in front of second year RB Kevin Smith.

The Lions did address one of the vacancies at WR created by the releasing of Furrey and McDonald by signing Bryant Johnson, who caught 45 balls for 546 yards. The Lions need more weapons to surround Calvin Johnson with at wide receiver, though.

Oh, and Detroit also re-signed future Hall-of-Fame Kicker Jason Hanson and G Stephen Peterman to long term deals.

Offensive free agents that would aid in the Lions offense are sparse. The Lions met with G Kevin Dockery and then lost him to the Redskins. Another notable but lost lineman was C Jason Brown, who signed with the Rams. Unfortunately, this year's agent crop lacks a solid yield of linemen.

The receiver crop in free agency as of today includes Drew Bennett, Mark Clayton, Laveranues Coles, Marvin Harrison, Nate Washington, and T.J. Houshmandzadeh. It is unlikely that Houshmandzadeh or Coles would sign with the Lions, so those names shouldn't be included. But, any of these players or even an Ike Hilliard would make a great difference to the Lions receiving corps.

The Lions don't have a dire need for more running backs, but, it's not out of the question that they will sign another guy likened to Morris. They could use a third down back like free agent Warrick Dunn. The Lions need to fill a hole at tight end and the best available TEs are former Buc Jeremy Stevens and former Cardinal Leonard Pope.

Should the Lions address the quarterback position in this draft? Absolutely. But, they shouldn't go all in on any of these quarterbacks. They should hold out that first overall pick next year to get Oklahoma's Bradford or Texas' Colt McCoy, the latter of who will be a superior quarterback in the NFL. I don't have enough faith in Matt Stafford, Freeman, or Sanchez to invest a pick in any of them.

Maybe the second round pick could see Pat White, unless his Combine superstar status moves him up that much in the draft. The Lions should invest in Graham Harrell, though, as he is a successful big-armed quarterback. But there isn't a quarterback worth taking with the first pick.

Why? Because whoever Detroit drafts needs to be ready to play. Culpepper lacks the ability to stay healthy, as does Drew Stanton, which leaves Henson as the only other choice.

The Lions have a  long road ahead of them. Sure, there's a new GM in Mayhew, even though he's a Millen carry-over. The Lions have to be aggressive in free agency and can't squander any draft picks on another Mike Williams, Charles Rogers, or Joey Harrington. 

The only player worthy of being chosen first overall is Michael Crabtree and the Lions are NOT going to select another WR in the first round (we hope).They need to fill starter positions with free agents and not rely on the draft to fill their team with more moderately-talented athletes.

If the Lions want to be mediocre in 2009, they've got a lot of work to do. If they Lions want to be successful, they have a lot of hard work and evaluating to do. The best player on the team is only as good as the worst.