2012 NFL Draft: 11 Prospects That Can Push the Detroit Lions over the Hump

I'm just going to come right out and say it: The Detroit Lions are not an elite team.

They're just not. Good team? Absolutely. Playoff team? Pretty decent odds. Top five team? No way.

But that's okay. The Lions were not supposed to be an elite team this year. I figured they would go about 9-7 (which is still a very real, if pessimistic, possibility), but regardless of how they finish, there are two things that no knowledgeable NFL fan, whether a Lions fan or not, can deny.

One is that the Lions have made considerable progress this year. The big step the Lions needed to take this year was to play meaningful games in December, and they are definitely doing that.

Two is that the Lions are full of room for improvement. They're good enough to be 9-5, but aside from the most delusionally optimistic among us, nobody is pegging this team as a Super Bowl favorite. It's easy to see where the Lions need major, immediate upgrades.

And so while it might seem a little premature to talk about the Detroit Lions in 2012 without affixing the word "playoffs," I plan to do just that. Because the Lions are building a team that, regardless of the result of their 2011 campaign, should be a major contender for years to come.

That, of course, starts with what they do this April in the 2012 NFL draft. These are some of the guys who could put the Lions into that "elite" category.

Peter Konz, C, Wisconsin

Listen, I love Dominic Raiola. If science could put his brain into a body with about 20 more pounds of beef on it, the result would be a perennial Pro Bowl center.

Instead, we're looking at a guy who, on his best day, has to get really creative to even match up with physically superior players.

Raiola is getting paid a lot of money, and his contract is good for another two years. Conventional wisdom says the Lions can't afford to pay that much money to a bench player.

But modern NFL wisdom says they don't have to. Raiola, as a longtime Lion, student of the game and leadership figure in the locker room, is the ideal mentor. Konz stands 6'5" and weighs 313 pounds, or about 20 more than Raiola, and he doesn't need to start immediately because of the new rookie wage scale.

I wonder if the Lions are interested in a little science experiment.

Mike Adams, OT, Ohio State

They've put it off as long as they possibly can. But Jeff Backus is a free agent in 2012, and his days as a long-term solution at left tackle are over.

It's time for the Lions to find the guy to protect Matthew Stafford's blind side for the next 10 years.

Mike Adams is an interesting prospect, because if we're going by straight talent, Adams might be the top tackle prospect on the board.

The problem is that Adams was one of the players suspended by Ohio State for improper benefits to start this season, and he's currently nursing a knee injury.

The combination of his injury concerns and potential character concerns will bring down his stock, but only just far enough for the Lions to get him.

If the pre-draft concerns turn out to be a non-issue, the Lions could end up with yet another elite talent at a bargain draft price.

Brandon Jenkins, DE, Florida State

What? Another high defensive line prospect? What am I thinking?

I'll tell you what I'm thinking. I'm thinking that Cliff Avril could be playing his way into a Pro Bowl with 11 sacks and an NFL-best six forced fumbles.

I'm also thinking that like Jeff Backus, Avril is a free agent in 2012. Unlike Backus, the Lions are going to be interested in committing a lot of money to retain Avril. And it's entirely possible (likely, even) that Avril's eventual payday is outside of the Lions' budget.

The Lions still have Kyle Vanden Bosch, Lawrence Jackson and Willie Young, but I don't see any of them stepping in to fill Avril's shoes if he leaves.

Cordy Glenn, G, Georgia

Foreground: Matthew Stafford handing the ball off as a Georgia Bulldog.

Background: Cordy Glenn shoving a guy out of the way on the play.

The Lions need to upgrade the offensive line in a big way, to the point that they may want to draft two linemen in the first two days of the draft. Matthew Stafford has looked a bit uncomfortable at times in the pocket, so why not give bring in one of his old teammates to help?

Glenn is a huge road-grading offensive guard who could step in and replace Stephen Peterman immediately. His 350-pound frame would give the interior line some much-needed power for the currently non-existent power running game.

Perhaps more importantly, putting him opposite Rob Sims could solve the Lions' guard problems for at least the next five years.

Jayron Hosley, CB, Virginia Tech

Don't let me tell you the Detroit Lions' secondary hasn't exceeded expectations this season.

The Lions have lived and died this year on turnovers, and the secondary is the dominant unit in that regard.

Don't believe me? The Lions are tied for second in the NFL with 18 interceptions. Better yet, four of those have been returned for touchdowns.

But still, the Lions' starting corners are guys on short-term contracts, and neither is a true shut-down threat (though Chris Houston has really come into his own this year).

Jayron Hosley isn't coming off his greatest college season in terms of health or production, but that just improves the chances of the Lions getting him in the second round or so. He has first-round potential, but he could slide under the right conditions (like a bad combine).

If Hosley declares and the Lions take a chance on him, they'll hope to get the man who led this nation in interceptions as a sophomore, not the guy who has struggled to stay on the field as a junior.

To Hosley's credit, though, the Hokie secondary all but imploded without him (he went down in the first quarter against Clemson, and the Hokies lost 38-10).

Dont'a Hightower, ILB, Alabama

I know nobody wants to hear this right now.

But as good as Stephen Tulloch has been for the Lions this year, he is on the tail end of a one-year contract, the Lions are in salary cap hell and there's a good chance what little cap room the Lions have will be devoted to trying to convince Calvin Johnson and Cliff Avril to finish what they started in Detroit.

So what happens if Tulloch goes off to seek fame and fortune elsewhere?

Well, I wouldn't complain too much if DeAndre Levy moved back to the middle, flanked by Justin Durant and Bobby Carpenter.

But Dont'a Hightower is another option. Lots of mocks right now have him going to the Baltimore Ravens as an eventual successor to Ray Lewis (!).

If that doesn't speak volumes about the kid's potential, then maybe you just hate mock drafts. And if that's the case, then really, what are you doing reading this?

Ben Jones, C, Georgia

Ben Jones appears to have a bit of a crazy streak. And I can't think of a position on the field I'd rather put a guy with that kind of intensity than center.

Dominic Raiola, frankly, has the same kind of hotheaded style Jones shows here. And like the aforementioned Peter Konz, Jones outweighs Raiola by about 20 pounds.

On lots of draft boards, Jones and Konz are basically 1a and 1b for center prospects. And the Lions ought to be in the 20 range in the draft, which is when top interior line prospects start going off the board. The situation seems perfect.

The time is now to bring in Raiola's successor, not when Raiola's contract comes off the books in free agency. Raiola has so much to offer in terms of technique and strategy, it would be a waste to not let him help groom his successor.

Michael Floyd, WR, Notre Dame

I know what you're thinking. Really, I do. And don't worry, this is the only skill position player I mention here.

If they would all get healthy at the same time, the Lions have enough skill players to give the Packers a run in terms of straight talent.

But that's only for now. Calvin Johnson is due a cap-busting amount of money next season (his cap hit is just short of $18 million), so if there was ever a time to sign him to a contract extension, it's this offseason.

If they can't, it might be time to plan for the worst-case scenario. You know, the one none of us want to think about. The one where Megatron rips our hearts out and leaves us for dead.

From the beginning, Johnson has wanted to win. He has dealt with consistent futility and even 0-16, and only now is he finally starting to get his wish.

Detroit's front office hopes that he'll re-sign before another team has the opportunity to make him an incredibly rich(er) man, but if he doesn't, the 6'3, 224-pound Michael Floyd might help soften the blow. A little.

Ok, very little. But Floyd at least has No. 1 receiver ability. The Lions can't be stuck trying to use Nate Burleson or Titus Young as a No. 1 receiver.

Levy Adcock, OT, Oklahoma State

I may have mentioned these things before, but just in case, here's a quick recap:

• Jeff Backus.
• Free agency.
• Offensive line upgrades.
• NOW.

One thing I haven't mentioned is Jason Fox, the former fourth-round pick who is currently nursing an injury for the second time in two NFL seasons.

At one point, I thought Fox was for sure being groomed to take for Backus at left tackle.

But there are a couple of big problems with that. One is that Fox might fit better at right tackle, and Gosder Cherilus is so inconsistent, it has taken us four seasons to still not really know if he's any good or not.

The other is that Fox appears to be the anti-Backus. Where Backus is an iron man who never misses a game, Fox has been active for four games in his two-year career. All of them were last year, and now he's on IR.

Which brings us to the core problem here. Somebody has to take over for Backus, so who's it going to be?

Why not Levy Adcock, the versatile star from Oklahoma State who can play both tackle positions and didn't allow a single sack for the entire 2010 season?

Adcock is big, talented, and projected to be available in the second or even third round. He could step in immediately, but even if he doesn't, his versatility basically makes him Corey Hilliard with way more upside. It's win-win.

Chase Minnifield, CB, Virginia

Yes, Chase Minnifield is a talented cornerback. And yes, the Lions need one of those.

But that's only half the reason he's on this list. The other half is that Minnifield is a talented kick returner, and I've officially fallen out of love with Stefan Logan.

Yes, Logan is shifty, and yes, he has big-play potential. But he hasn't produced this year, and his only value is as a kick returner. He brings nothing to the offense, even in the gadget packages designed for him.

It's all well and good to have a guy on the roster who only returns kicks (and to Logan's credit, he's also on the coverage team), but he'd better be awfully good at it if that's all he's going to do.

Logan hasn't been awfully good at it this year, and it should come as no surprise. Dynamic kick returners rise and fall perhaps faster than any other position. Anyone remember Dante Hall? How long was Desmond Howard really good? Eddie Drummond, even?

In today's NFL, kick returners typically have other jobs. DeSean Jackson, Randall Cobb and Devin Hester play wide receiver. Patrick Peterson plays corner, and so can Minnifield.

I have nothing against Logan, but he just hasn't performed well this year. Bringing Minnifield in could not only improve the secondary in the long term, but free up a roster spot as well.

Melvin Ingram, DE, South Carolina

Again, Cliff Avril. I don't want to be all doom and gloom about it, but a good team is prepared to lose good players because they draft well.

The NFL is set up to ensure that no team can just stock up unlimited talent at every position and be successful (I'm looking at you, current Philadelphia Eagles and past Washington Redskins), and if they try, it almost always backfires.

So we have to swallow the pill, as Lions fans, that for the first time in a long time, the Lions might start losing talented players to free agency that they actually want to keep.

But that's okay. The Green Bay Packers lost some key players in free agency, and in case you haven't noticed, they're doing all right. That's because they draft well enough to be prepared for injuries and free agency losses.

And that's where the Lions drafting Melvin Ingram comes in. Ingram is a natural 4-3 DE with size and pass-rushing ability. He was named to the All-SEC First Team this year with 8.5 sacks, 13.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions and three touchdowns.

One of those touchdowns put Ingram's athleticism on display, as he hauled his 272-pound body 68 yards down the field on a fake punt against Georgia.

The Lions aren't likely to ask the guy to run 68 yards in a straight line, but you like to see that kind of athletic ability in a defensive end, especially considering how the Lions run a scheme (wide-nine) that privileges speed.