Detroit Lions: How I See Them, A Beer Thinker's Perspective

Here we are, a week before the NFL Combine.  And what do Lions fans have to look forward to?

If we are taking defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh or if we are taking defensive tackle Gerald McCoy with the second pick of the NFL draft.

Kind of makes your heart go "pitter-patter," doesn't it?

About the only real suspense Lions fans have had over the years is thinking about where they will end up in the draft.  Since 2000, the Lions have averaged picking ninth. 

The success rate?

Mediocre at best, which has been the Lions mantra since William Clay Ford took over the team.

Not bad with some of the picks like Stocker McDougle, Roy Williams, and Ernie Sims, but disasters with Charles Rogers and Mike Williams.

How Jeff Backus has remained a starting left tackle for 144 games is beyond me.  The only reason for his durability is the fact that he never blocks anyone! 

Last year's draft yielded yet the latest version of savior at quarterback in Matthew Stafford.  Despite the Lions going 2-14 last year, Stafford showed promise and a lot of guts that have endured him to Lions fans.  Brandon Pettigrew, the other first-round pick, showed a lot of potential and should develop into a fairly dangerous weapon for the Lions.

Anyone that has been insane enough to read my articles knows that I lean toward optimism when it comes to the Lions.  That optimism was severely tested in the last three years of Millen.  When he was fired and the coaching staff was gutted after the 2008 season, some of that optimism came back.

Martin Mayhew, Millen's replacement, has made some positive moves, perhaps the best was trading wide receiver Roy Williams to the Dallas Cowboys for three draft picks. 

He hired Jim Schwartz as head coach who then hired Scott Linehan as offensive coordinator and Gunther Cunningham as defensive coordinator. 

The 2008 roster was gutted with a 60 percent roster turnover and the Lions went into the 2009 season with a future franchise QB, a new attitude, and hope they could mimic what the Atlanta Falcons and Baltimore Ravens had done the previous year.

One thing that was overlooked:  The Lions still didn't have a high level of talent overall.   The Lions certainly do have talented players such as Calvin Johnson and Louis Delmas.  But overall, not so much.

One thing that concerns me is an article I read on the Detroit Free Press Web site.  Martin Mayhew says he'll be drafting by talent instead of position.   I think the he needs to refine that and draft the best talent by the most pressing needs at each position.

Anyone with half a brain knows where the Lions are lacking.  Defensive tackle, secondary, offensive line, wide receiver, and running back. 

I wrote an article in regards to the upcoming draft back on Dec. 30, 2009.  You can click here to read it.  For the most part, I did not have the Lions trading down nor did I worry about salary cap considerations.  I still think what I wrote then is valid since I based it on selecting the best talent to address serious problem areas:

• First Pick:  Defensive Tackle—Ndamukong Suh or Gerald McCoy
• Second Pick:  Cornerback—Ras I-Dowling or Crezdon Butler
• Third Pick:  Defensive End—Coorey Wooten or Austen Lane
• Fourth Pick:  Offensive Guard—Sergio Render or Rodney Hudson
• Fifth Pick:  Cornerback—Patrick Robinson or Kurt Coleman
• Sixth Pick:  Offensive Guard—Dan Doering or Jaques McClendon
• Seventh Pick:  Center—Kenny Alfred or Josh McNeil

My intention was to build the lines on both sides of the ball and improve the secondary.

As for free agency pickups:

• Second Wide Receiver:  Nate Burleson, Antonio Bryant, or Greg Jennings
• Running Back:  Chester Taylor or Willie Parker
• Backup Quarterback:  Kyle Boller or Charlie Batch

In a perfect world, all of these choices would work and there would be much joy throughout the land.  These are what I consider the best talents available at identified critical needs.

However, according to Detroit Lion Head Coach Jim Schwartz, and I quote:

"Maybe a really good team can afford to do that," Schwartz said. "Say you have just one hole on your team and you really need to fill that one hole; you can pass a player or take a cornerback who is maybe a step below another position. But over the long term, I don't think that's a very good strategy. You have to take talent in the draft."

This concerns me since that could be interpreted as they might take a talented running back with the number three pick instead of the best available talent needed for defensive end.

Draft day is a delicate dance and no matter what Mayhew does, there will be some fans that will be screaming for his head.