2011 NFL Mock Draft: Detroit Lions Worst Case Scenario Projections, All 7 Rounds

A good mock draft is like a good March Madness bracket.

No matter how much time, effort, analysis and knowledge goes into each one, it's still nearly impossible to get more than half the picks right. And it pretty much falls apart completely after the first or second round.

As the public demands mock drafts, it is my duty to provide them. But I like throwing a twist into the equation every once in a while.

Last week, I ignored the likelihood of certain players being off the board and wrote a mock draft that represented the best-case scenario for the Detroit Lions.

This week, I'm flipping the script, ignoring all logic and reason to provide the most unbearably bad draft scenario imaginable.

Now, like last week, this will be conducted within reason. This isn't a situation where I just call for the Lions to draft six undrafted free agents. Under my self-imposed rule, each player must be projected within approximately a round of where I list him.

It would just be too easy to just say the Lions would take Tyrod Taylor with their first-round pick and convert him to wide receiver, see?

So with that in mind, get ready to cringe a little. This is the Detroit Lions' 2011 Worst Case Scenario Draft.

Or, "How I Learned to Stop Thinking and Love the Millen."

Round 1, 13th Overall Pick: Cam Newton, QB, Auburn

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SAN DIEGO, CA - FEBRUARY 10: 2010 Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Cam Newton of the Auburn Tigers throws the ball during his workout routine for the media at Cathedral High School's sports stadium on February 10, 2011 in San Diego, California. (Photo

Could it be anyone else?

I toyed with the idea of it being Julio Jones, given the Lions' sordid history with first-round receivers. But Jones could actually be a really effective NFL receiver, and the Lions need one more of those.

What they don't need is an entertainer. Or a first-round quarterback. Much less both.

There are some people out there (though an uninformed minority) who believe that even though Matthew Stafford is still younger than a good percentage of 2011 NFL draft prospects, his development is shot and he'll never recover from all the time he's spent injured the last two years.

Clearly, the answer is to draft someone a year younger than Stafford with two years less playing experience, questions about his skills, intelligence and character.

Newton shows the kind of playmaking ability that makes everyone really excited during the season, and there's little doubt he will have a game against a sub-.500 team where he throws for two touchdowns and runs for two more.

He also shows the kind of playmaking ability that gets teams beaten down against an above-average defense.

Assuming Newton has any success at all as an NFL quarterback, it's a safe assumption it will be like that of Michael Vick: Flashy, exciting, lacking in QB fundamentals and never worthy of a Super Bowl.

Also, anybody who thinks Newton won't be available at 13? Direct your attention to Jimmy Clausen, Brady Quinn, Colt McCoy...

Round 2, 44th Overall Pick: Ras-I Dowling, CB, Virginia

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ATLANTA - OCTOBER 09: Ras-I Dowling #19 of the Virginia Cavaliers against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Bobby Dodd Stadium on October 9, 2010 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

See, the first pick was a no-brainer. This one probably has you scratching your head.

So let me explain why Ras-I Dowling is a bust in the making, at least for the Lions.

First we have injuries. Dowling suffered a season-ending ankle fracture in his senior season, which dropped his stock from what would have been one of the best cornerback prospects in the draft to a likely second round pick.

Dowling showed up at the combine, prepared to show scouts that he was recovered from his injury. And he almost did after he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.4 seconds.

Problem is, he popped his hamstring in the process, and hasn't been able to work out since.

But let's set that aside for now and assume that Dowling is fully healthy (otherwise I sound like a hypocrite after telling everyone to relax about Stafford on the last frame).

Dowling has good size and decent speed as a corner, so there's no issue there. The problem is, he's a scheme corner, and the Lions don't run his scheme. Everything about the kid translates to him being a great zone cover corner.

Sure, the Lions could draft him and stick him in a man-cover scheme, but why? He's nowhere near as good in man coverage, and for as steep as the learning curve is for cornerbacks already, why draft a guy who has an extra hurdle to jump?

Dowling isn't a bad cornerback, he could very well have a long and productive career. It's just that he's the type of guy who would likely have much greater success elsewhere.

It would be like drafting a 3-4 DE/OLB hybrid. Yeah, you could probably draft him and make him play 4-3 DE, but if he's not an elite prospect, why not just draft a 4-3 DE?

Round 3, 75th Overall Pick: Luke Stocker, TE, Tennessee

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LEXINGTON, KY - NOVEMBER 28: Luke Stocker #88 of the Tennessee Volunteers celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the SEC game against the Kentucky Wildcats at Commonwealth Stadium on November 28, 2009 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Ge

The funny thing about this pick is that it would actually be pretty good value, as Stocker could actually go in the second round and looks like a pretty solid tight end.

But Detroit's cup runneth over with tight ends. They have too much talent at that position to properly utilize it all, anyway.

Stocker is a pass-catching tight end who could be a complete prospect with a little more work on his blocking.

Of course, the Lions also have Brandon Pettigrew, who is coming off a breakout season and could be even better in 2011; Tony Scheffler, who basically fits Stocker's mold and Will Heller, who is more of a solid blocker than a receiver.

That's the Lions having every type of tight end prospect possible: blocker, receiver and "complete."

Stocker is a perfect example of why we say the Lions draft the best player available "as long as it makes sense."

Stocker may well be the best player available, but using a third-round pick on a tight end where there's no roster space for him makes no sense.

Round 4, 107th Overall Pick: Robert Sands, FS, West Virginia

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INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MARCH 1: Defensive back Robert Sands #41 of West Virginia works out during the 2011 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on February 28, 2011 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)

This pick follows the same logic as the last. Nothing against Robert Sands, but where exactly does he fit?

In 2009, the Lions drafted a safety in the second round by the name of Louis Delmas.

In 2010, the Lions tried drafting a cornerback in the third round, but ended up with another safety in Amari Spievey.

To go along with those two, the Lions have Randy Phillips and John Wendling, a couple of young potential stars on the rise (though Wendling's fame has thus far been as a special teamer).

In other words, the Lions have a full roster's worth of promising young safety talent. Sands might be a good player, but once again, it makes no sense to bring him in when there's no obvious player on the roster for him to replace.

Round 5, 154th Overall Pick: Steven Friday, DE/OLB, Virginia Tech

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MIAMI, FL - JANUARY 03: Andrew Luck #12 of the Stanford Cardinal throws a pass against Steven Friday #82 of the Virginia Tech Hokies during the 2011 Discover Orange Bowl at Sun Life Stadium on January 3, 2011 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Ge

One thing I will say about Steven Friday is that he can get to the quarterback, and the Lions are certainly fans of that. That makes him an attractive prospect on the surface level.

That said, take a closer look at his position. Not a DE, not an OLB. No, Friday is a DE/OLB.

In other words, Friday is a rush linebacker. Rush linebackers land with 3-4 teams.

Brian Orakpo is a great player. Would he be able to do what he does with his hand in the dirt? Not likely.

Friday seems uncomfortable in a three-point stance, would need to put on weight to be effective as a 4-3 end, struggles against the run and generates zero push with a bull rush.

By the time Friday starts his rookie season, he will be 25 years old. That makes him experienced, right?

Not exactly. Friday has only one year (his senior year) of starting experience. He showed well in that one season, sure, but there just isn't very much game film on the guy.

Round 7, 216th Overall Pick: Wes Byrum, K, Auburn

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GLENDALE, AZ - JANUARY 10: Kicker Wes Byrum #18 of the Auburn Tigers reacts after he kicks a 19-yard game-winning field goal to defeat the Oregon Ducks 22-19 in the Tostitos BCS National Championship Game at University of Phoenix Stadium on January 10, 2

So he made a big field goal. He's still a kicker.

More importantly, he's a kicker likely to go undrafted.

If the Lions really, truly think that Jason Hanson's career is done and that Dave Rayner isn't the answer, they can just sign Wes Byrum as a UFA. Every year, there are dozens of kickers that graduate from college (when's the last time you heard of a kicker declaring early?), and every year, only about two of them actually get drafted.

That gives the Lions an awful lot in the way of options for new kickers.

Ultimately, I don't care if Byrum is a good kicker. That's irrelevant. The point is, there's absolutely no reason to draft him.

If he's good, they can bring him in after the draft. If he's not good, they can pick one of the other hundred free-agent place kickers on the market.

Or, you know, they can remember that they already have a Hall-of-Fame-worthy kicker already on the roster, and just because he got hurt last year, that doesn't mean he's retired or dead.