| 24 April 2010
The Lions started the day with 3 picks in the 7th round. They ended the round with an undersized DE from the ACC and Mr. Irrelevant.
So just who did the Lions pick up in the waning moments of the draft?
With pick number 213, Martin Mayhew selected DE Willie Young, a pass rush specialist out of North Carolina State. At 6'5 - 251, he's well under weight for an NFL defensive lineman. There were thoughts he may be converted to linebacker, but Young shot down any rumors as to switching positions.
We can only hope this sort of pic is commonplace while Young is a Lion
Per the Detroit Lions' PR machine:
On what position he will play on Detroit’s defense
“Yes, I will be playing at defensive end with my hand down – yes sir.”
Here's what NFL.com had to say about Young (be prepared for lots of football buzzwords):
Pick Analysis: The Lions draft another edge rusher in Willie Young of North Carolina State. He's high-hipped, but highly inconsistent. However, he's a natural bender, who can accelerate of the edge and get to the quarterback.
A high hipped bender? OK...
Now let's hear about Young in something resembling English from Scout.com:
Senior Season Stats: 65 tackles, 25 tackles for loss, and 12 sacks in 11 games
TheInsiders.com Scouting Report: A tall, rangy defensive end with a lot of energy on and off the field. A speed rusher campable of blowing past slower offensive tackles, and he has the frame to keep getting bigger.
So Young is an edge rusher with speed, and will need to bulk up in order to make a mark in the NFL. About as good as you can expect from a 7th round selection.
After taking Young, the Lions traded the 2nd of the 3 picks (13th in the round, 220 overall) to the Eagles for their 6th round pick in 2011. Continually collecting extra picks in order to make future moves is a Mayhew trademark.
The draft found it's end point a little after 5 pm.
After 14 hours and 37 minutes over 3 F'N DAYS, the Detroit Lions went on the clock for the 255th, and last, pick of the NFL Draft.
After 14 hours and 42 minutes over 3 F'N DAYS, the Detroit Lions ended the NFL Draft by selecting Mr. Irrelevant, Weber State WR Tim Toone.
I can't just put my finger on why, but I think the Mr. Irrelevant folks may like Tim Toone!
Toone is a little older than your normal rookie, having served a 2 year Mormon mission. I have no idea if Toone will be any good (though his kick return stats as a senior are encouraging), but any player with a Facebook group called "Tim Toone is God's Gift to Football" has a definite chance at becoming a fan favorite.
Considering all of Mayhew's 7th round picks in '09 stuck in the NFL, I'm not going to write either player off. Same for this draft as a whole, though it's almost absurdly top heavy with the selections of Ndamukong Suh and Jahvid Best, both very highly rated talents.
About all I can say about the the draft is it's 3 days of mindless boredom punctuated by occasional blips of interest when the Lions take part, and full of talking heads saying anything to fill time between those blips of interest.
I'm glad to say I lived to tell about it...barely.
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