NFL Draft: Detroit Lions Team Draft Retrospective

This article is part of a series that looks at each NFL team’s recent draft history, with the hope of extracting information about the way they think and the players they value. The analysis is limited to the past five drafts in the interest of relevance, and the first three rounds because that’s where most impact players are taken.

This entry will focus on the Detroit Lions.

DRAFT HISTORY

In the past five years, the Lions have taken the following players in the early rounds. Their positions and the rounds in which they were drafted are listed next to their names.

2006:   Ernie Sims, LB (1)

            Daniel Bullocks, S (2)

            Brian Calhoun, RB (3)             

2007:   Calvin Johnson, WR (1)

            Drew Stanton, QB (2)

            Ikaika Alama-Francis, DE (2)

            Gerald Alexander, S (2)                         

2008:   Gosder Cherilus, OT (1)

            Jordon Dizon, LB (2)

            Kevin Smith, RB (3)

            Andre Fluellen, DT (3)

            Cliff Avril, DE (3)

2009:   Matthew Stafford, QB (1)

            Brandon Pettigrew, TE (1)

            Louis Delmas, S (2)

            DeAndre Levy, LB (3)

            Derrick Williams, WR (3)

2010:   Ndamukong Suh, DT (1)

            Jahvid Best, RB (1)

            Amari Spievey, CB (3)

BREAKDOWN BY POSITION

Here is the number of players the Lions have drafted for each position:

Linebacker: 3

Running Back: 3

Safety: 3

Defensive end: 2

Defensive tackle: 2

Quarterback: 2

Wide receiver: 2

Cornerback: 1

Offensive tackle: 1

Tight end: 1

IMPACT

Calvin Johnson is one of the top wideouts in the game. Cliff Avril has shown good pass rushing ability. Matthew Stafford looks promising, but can’t stay healthy behind terrible pass protection. Brandon Pettigrew seems to have come into his own last season, and should be one of the better tight ends in the game over the next few years. Louis Delmas is a solid safety. Ndamukong Suh had a sensational rookie year, cementing himself as one of the most disruptive under tackles in the league. Jahvid Best showed flashes of excellence in between numerous injuries.

TRENDS

The Lions should be commended for prioritizing the draft and building from the ground up. They’ve had the advantage of picking very high because of their terrible record every year, but they’ve also stockpiled early picks, choosing four players in the past two first rounds.

Interestingly, they don’t seem to put a lot of stock in traditional views of positional value, as the positions where they’ve taken the most players are linebacker, safety, and running back. They’ve also taken both a receiver and a tight end in the first round. To their credit, they’ve hit on several of those picks (Johnson, Best, Delmas, Pettigrew), but their continued struggles bring into question how much of an impact those players have made.

Another conspicuous fact is their lack of attention to the offensive line. Given the fact that they took Matthew Stafford first overall with the expectation that he would be their quarterback of the future, one might expect a greater emphasis on pass protection. Rather, they’ve trusted veteran Jeff Backus to seal the edge on Stafford’s blind side, and their young QB has paid the price in the form of several major injuries in his first two years.

2011 OUTLOOK

Despite the poor records, the Lions have looked poised to break through the past two seasons. However, the health problems of their young QB and an atrocious secondary have conspired to keep them down. Both areas need to be addressed this offseason.

If the Lions stay put with the thirteenth pick, their dream scenario has to be cornerback Prince Amukamara (Nebraska) falling to them. If he’s unavailable, they have to think about CB Jimmy Smith (Colorado), who’s on par with Amukamara in talent but has several character red flags. Should Smith be deemed too great a risk, they have some quality offensive tackles to choose from. Tyron Smith (USC) will probably be gone, but they should still be able to grab Anthony Castonzo (BC) and possibly even trade down and acquire more picks in the process.

The second round should be used to address whichever of those two needs aren’t met in the first. While there are some dangers in drafting out of need, upgrading these two areas will be instrumental in taking the Lions over the hump into playoff contention.