Detroit Lions Roundtable: Assessing Team Needs for the Draft

Welcome to this week's edition of the Detroit Lions Roundtable discussion. The topic for today is to identify the Lions’ biggest needs going into next years draft (as of today they would have the No. 1 overall selection and Dallas’ No. 19 pick), and then choose the two players the Lions should select to best meet those needs.

Of course, the Lions will have many more picks after the first round, but these picks should set the tone for the rest of the draft.

I’ve enlisted the help of two of my esteemed Lions sportswriters to contribute to this article, my fellow Lions community leader, Keith Shelton and frequent community contributor, Ja Tonio Lewis.

Let’s get started.

Ja Tonio Lewis

Because I love the Lions, I will try not to be over critical of the organization. I believe that the offense is coming along nicely, although they could benefit from an offensive lineman or two. The real problem is on the defensive side of the ball as that unit continues to give up huge plays.

The Lions are the worst team in the league against the run and constantly allow opposing running backs to post “Hall of Fame” type numbers against us. Historically, the Lions have had porous offensive line play but were stout defensively, especially in the late '90s—this year is the exact opposite.

They should address this problem by drafting James Laurinaitis, MLB, Ohio State. As a Michigan fan, this selection makes me want to vomit, but as a Lions fan, the selection would be sure money.

When Shaun Rogers departed, the Lions were left with a gaping hole in their defense. Laurinaitis (with some NFL caliber coaching) could fill that void, or at the least punish whoever comes through it.

Lauranitis and Ernie Sims would make an outstanding run stopping duo for the Lions and as this season has shown, stopping the run should rank among the highest of the Detroit Lions priorities.

With the second first rounder, I believe they should try to trade back for multiple picks. This way, they will be able to draft my cousin Terrence Taylor, DT from Michigan (the fact that we’re related isn’t the reason I think they should draft him), early in the second round to add run stopping intimidation.

He is no Shaun Rogers, but his large frame, his strength, and his aggressiveness will be a welcomed asset by any NFL team. Besides, one of the knocks on Rogers was that he wasn’t a hard worker and quit on his teammates, T.T. is the exact opposite of that and will give you everything he's got down after down.

Keith Shelton

The Lions' most pressing needs on the team are offensive line and defensive line. I’ve been screaming this for years, and the Lions finally started to address the problem by drafting Gosder Cherilus last April, but they can’t stop there. The entire line needs an overhaul. It's time to move Jeff Backus to guard and draft a franchise left tackle.

Michael Oher would be my pick. He has Jake Long size and nearly his ability as well, and he would be a crushing run blocker for Kevin Smith. Not only that, but he could step in and contribute right away, whereas if you draft a quarterback, you likely have to take the time to develop him properly.

Oher would make an immediate impact on the team and if you want evidence, just look at what Jake Long has done for Miami this season. An offensive line held down by Oher and Gosder at the left and right ends would be intimidating to say the least.

With the Lions' second first-round pick from Dallas, I would take LSU defensive end Tyson Jackson. The defense is in extreme need of a playmaker on that line. The Lions thought they had him in Cory Redding but he’s more of a complementary guy.

Jackson can be the star of the D-line and make Redding better at the same time. LSU has been excellent at producing quality D-linemen in the NFL and would address the Lions biggest problem, which is stopping the run.

You might notice there isn’t a quarterback listed. The popular choice is often not the correct choice and Detroit can get by with an average quarterback if they have a solid offensive line to pave the way for Kevin Smith and a defensive line that can stop the run.

Quarterback can be addressed in the second round or Detroit can wait 'til 2010 to make their move.

Scott Rieger

I think that the Lions’ woes on defense have relegated the offense to look worse than they actually are. If I asked you to name the Lions best and most exciting players, you would invariably state two or three offensive guys before mentioning the first defensive player.

This, in my opinion illustrates the biggest need for this team: DEFENSE! 

Having said that, I agree with Keith in that something needs to be done on the offensive line. Jeff Backus is an average-to-above-average LT but would be much more effective at a guard position. The poor line-play has also led to the seemingly unimpressive offensive output this season. 

Taking all of this into consideration, I think that the Lions should try to trade out of the first overall pick if possible to accumulate more picks as this team has many holes. That is just speculative at this point though, so I will go ahead and select a player.

With the No. 1 overall pick, I believe the Lions should select Alabama left tackle, Andre Smith. Smith is an underclassman, but if he comes out, will grade higher than the top senior tackle prospects, Michael Oher and Eugene Monroe.

Smith is an impressive physical specimen with outstanding agility and quickness, who has paved the way for a potent Alabama rushing attack. He was widely considered to be the top offensive line prospect out of high school and has lived up to the hype.

He has started every game of his three-year college career, doesn’t have any injury concerns, and a prototypical left tackle prospect. Simply put, this would be a huge upgrade for the Lions.

With the second first-rounder, I believe the Lions should select linebacker James Laurinaitis. Some mock drafts have Laurinaitis listed higher, but I believe that he will fall in the first round once all of the underclassmen declare for the draft. Laurinaitis is a phenomenal linebacker and would be a great fit for the Lions due to his awareness, instincts, and tackling ability.

He isn’t the best athlete though, and in today’s NFL, where the combine numbers and physical attributes tend to weigh heavily with the scouts, J.L. might be a bit undervalued on draft day, allowing the Lions to steal him in the mid-first round.

Laurinaitis has posted over 100 tackles for three straight seasons and will be able to come into Detroit and instantly turn a weakness into a strength. A starting linebacking core of Ernie Sims, Jordan Dizon, and James Laurinaitis would go along way towards improving the defense.