Detroit Lions' Draft Backup Plan for Potential Free-Agent Misses
The Detroit Lions entered free agency with some holes and not a lot of available cash to fill them all. That's why the 2015 NFL draft will be so important to this team.
Don't get me wrong. The Lions weren't completely hamstrung, entering the bidding wars armed with somewhere around $14 million once you accounted for the incoming rookie class contracts. But that wasn't going to fill the long-term openings along the defensive and offensive lines as well as at cornerback.
More than likely, you've read or heard somewhere that consistently good teams build their rosters through the draft. That's correct for the most part because the young men coming in from college are a source of cheap labor.
So whom should the Lions be looking for at defensive tackle, offensive guard and cornerback come late April? Click through to find out.
DT Michael Bennett
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Twitter is ablaze with Lions fans asking if Detroit is moving to a 3-4 base defense. Detroit has certainly added the necessary nose tackle in Haloti Ngata and has four starting-caliber linebackers (in theory anyway). But, as usual, we haven't received any word from the Lions themselves, and apparently neither has the team's latest addition:
"#Lions new DT Haloti Ngata said they haven't told him if they'll play 4-3 or 3-4.
— Paula Pasche (@paulapasche) March 11, 2015"
If Detroit opts to roll with multiple fronts or just a straight 4-3, it's going to need another defensive tackle. And even if that need shifts to a 3-4 defensive end, Michael Bennett is still a capable selection.
The key to Bennett's game is his pass-rushing ability. He can get up the field and penetrate the pocket in a way few 3-technique defensive tackles can, meaning he would be a nice complement for Ngata.
Nobody will fall in love with his rushing defense though. He lacks the base strength needed to anchor at the point of attack. Instead, he relies on his burst off the ball to disrupt a play in the backfield.
But again, the way Bennett racks up sacks and hurries caused former defensive end-turned-scribe Stephen White of SB Nation to compare him to Geno Atkins. We'll see if Bennett's pro day raises his stock to that lofty of a perch and into first-round contention.
DT Carl Davis
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Carl Davis doesn't find himself in the same boat as Michael Bennett. Davis is more in the dingy next to Bennett's hyped-up steamship, but that doesn't mean he doesn't present a huge value to the Lions in the second round.
He's a behemoth at 6'5" and 320 pounds, fitting right in with the enormous men who would surround him. And while he only racked up 3.5 sacks and 14.5 tackles for a loss during his time in Iowa City, Jeff Risdon of DetroitLionsDraft.com doesn't think that lack of production is too much of a cause for concern:
"Davis was consistently the most disruptive interior rusher on either the North or South. He showed quickness and burst off the snap. He showed violence to his hands. He showed lateral agility and coordinated athleticism. He showed he’s got multiple moves and good technical mastery of them all.
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The real question will be whether the opportunity to draft Davis on Day 2 will present itself. Some see Davis rising all the way to the first round, and he would be a slight reach toward the end of the first night.
If Davis does survive until the second round, he will pair nicely with Haloti Ngata in the run game and has the ability to give Detroit some semblance of an interior pass rush as well.
CB P.J. Williams
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Detroit could be looking for a starting cornerback by the time late April rolls around. More than likely, the Lions will snag a veteran to at least hold down the depth chart if not the top spot for the year (Rashean Mathis?), but nothing leaked at time of publication confirms that idea.
Let's operate on the assumption that general manager Martin Mayhew doesn't think he can get a starting cornerback at the back of the first round. That's a highly unlikely proposition, and surely he knows that. Let's assume he's smart enough to invest in development rather than sabotage his current defense with a rookie.
That is where P.J. Williams would fit in since he isn't considered an instant starter. Instead, he'll need some time to develop to his full potential, which fellow Bleacher Reporter Cian Fahey thinks could be quite immense:
"I'd probably take P.J. Williams over Trae Waynes too. Williams is flawed too, but I also think he's more natural in coverage than Waynes.
— Cian Fahey (@Cianaf) February 27, 2015"
OK, so I added the immense aspect. And the tweet illustrates that there will be more than a few people pounding away in the comments section for Trae Waynes' services. It's understandable after the Spartan's incredible combine. And that's exactly why Detroit probably won't have the option to land Waynes.
But Williams is more than a consolation prize. His body (6'0", 194 lbs) and press-man ability make him a great fit for defensive coordinator Teryl Austin because that physicality also lends itself well to his significant tackling talent. It also helps that there is plenty of room for growth in Williams' game and Austin is a former defensive backs coach.
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CB Quinten Rollins
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Quinten Rollins isn't a pick-and-play prospect. He shouldn't be relied upon to start in August, so Rollins is only an option if Detroit finds a veteran stopgap.
But Rollins' talent and natural ability are worth the long-term investment.
Rollins played basketball for four years before switching over to football last season. All he did was win a starting cornerback job and earn MAC Defensive Player of the Year honors within nine months of the end of Miami's basketball season.
Unfortunately, he presents a problem with valuation. His basketball experience laid down the groundwork for a quick and athletic foundation, and NFL Network's Mike Mayock thinks it's affecting his draft stock:
"He's known more for hoops. BUT Mayock says "He's [getting drafted] higher than people think." http://t.co/KW6IOQhb7q pic.twitter.com/aOVGgZFRPc
— NFL (@nfl) February 25, 2015"
Rollins has the natural ability to play press-man and the basketball awareness to attack the ball in the air. The Lions would be hoping this situation turns out as well as it did for Darius Slay and, if they're lucky, Eric Ebron.
CB Eric Rowe
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If the Lions opt to wait a little longer, Eric Rowe would be a smart choice.
The Utah defensive back played both safety and cornerback in college. That versatility will be both a blessing and a curse because he might not be able to take over on the outside in 2016, but he could transition to strong safety, taking James Ihedigbo's spot.
It's difficult to think of pushing that cornerback problem off to another year. Yet the Lions won't carry nearly as much dead money ($17.4 million this year—second most in the league, per Over the Cap). They'll have more options available next offseason.
Plus, it improves the odds of the pick paying dividends in some manner. And his tackling ability means he can immediately help on special teams, as Steve Palazzolo of Pro Football Focus recently illustrated:
"Utah CB/FS Eric Rowe missed two tackles all season. #CFF
— Steve Palazzolo (@PFF_Steve) March 5, 2015"
Finally, the kid has a high ceiling if you keep him near the line of scrimmage. If Slay continues his development as a cover corner and Glover Quin can cover Rowe's backside, the secondary could be strong for years to come.
OG A.J. Cann
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The last major hole is the sinkhole at left guard. Too many drives stumbled into the quicksand (Rob Sims) last season and reached out for Sam Martin's help (graded out as third-best punter).
Brandon Scherff will be long gone before the Lions see the podium, and there aren't any other guards worthy of a first-round grade. General manager Martin Mayhew will play the waiting game, hoping all the prettier positions are picked in the second round to leave the most balanced guard left. Mel Kiper Jr. of ESPN (via Willie Smith of The Greenville News), however, sees him off the board before the Lions' 54th overall choice:
"Mel Kiper still has A.J. Cann going early to mid second round. Has Corey Robinson and Mike Davis as third day picks. #Gamecocks
— Willie Smith (@willie_t_smith) February 26, 2015"
But not everyone is convinced he should be picked anywhere near the second round. Bleacher Report's Matt Miller rates Cann as his 86th-best prospect overall. And it's unclear how well Cann can perform in a zone-blocking scheme. He'll have to prove he's athletic enough to execute blocks on the move.
It's unlikely Detroit could wait until the third round to nab Cann. He's probably the only plug-and-play natural guard other than Scherff, but the final slide probably provides the better long-term value.
OG Ali Marpet
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Everybody loves unearthing a small-school gem. Scouts gain a certain sense of pride (or arrogance) when some Division II player they wrote an article on a year ago either gets drafted highly or excels on the field. It also leads to some pundits getting a little too high on the unknown.
That's probably the worst thing I can say about Hobart and William Smith's Ali Marpet.
A quick search on Twitter finds fans and analysts of every team linking said team to Marpet. It's enough that some, such as fellow Bleacher Reporter Scott Carasik, have been forced to acknowledge all of that interest means a team will be quick on the Marpet trigger.
"A draft that wouldn't surprise me for Atlanta: 8 - Vic Beasley 42 - Ali Marpet 73 - Clive Walford
— Scott Carasik (@ScottCarasik) March 5, 2015"
Most mock drafts feature Marpet in the third round. His is probably a classic case of a guy rising too fast on the rising tide of a 4.98 40-yard dash (fastest among offensive linemen) and 4.47 20-yard shuttle (second), per NFL.com.
Lastly, it's probably not possible to lean on Marpet during his first year. He's only been measured against non-Division III competition once at the Senior Bowl. He acquitted himself well, but there is more of a bust factor here than present with A.J. Cann.
All combine statistics are courtesy of NFL.com. All advanced NFL stats, grades and rankings are sourced from Pro Football Focus.
Brandon Alisoglu is a Detroit Lions Featured Columnist who has written about the Lions on multiple sites. He also co-hosts a Lions-centric podcast, Lions Central Radio. Yell at him on Twitter about how wrong he is @BrandonAlisoglu.
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