| 29 April 2010
With the draft put the bed, it's time to see where the Lions stand with their personnel. So we have a couple of questions from readers asking for our thoughts on various position groups, along with a question about the rookies from Joshua, aka DetFan79, of Roar of the Lions, who is the keeper of the Lions congregation.
1. From Scott M: My question is about the defensive line. Mayhew and Schwartz have always talked about wanting to get bigger and stronger on the line. And that they wanted a line like Minn, with two big tackles in the middle to stop the run and push the pocket backwards They drafted Sammie Lee Hill (330 + lbs) last year to back up Grady Jackson (345+ lbs), who is now cut from the team. After trading for Corey Williams (320 lbs), we are paying him to start, but not at nose tackle where Sammie will be starting. So my question is, why did we draft Suh who is only 300 lbs, when it seems we should have been drafting a 330-340+ lb DT to backup/compete with Hill. Now that they drafted Suh, what does our starting D Line look like?
Compared to 2009, the defensive line is going to look pretty damn good. Oh, you'd like something more in-depth?
Suh may be a little undersized (though I have a hard time thinking a 300+ lb man being considered undersized, which shows you how crazy big NFL players are today) but I'm positive the Lions will bulk him up some. There will be a limit, as the Lions want Suh to keep his speed. And that's a big reason Suh was considered the prize prospect in the draft, his speed. It was always the first thing mentioned in any evaluation of his skills, his rare combination of both speed and strength.
Suh may be one of those once in a decade type of lineman. You just don't pass up those kind of players. The Lions apparently agreed.
As to what the starting defensive line will look like, you can expect Williams and Suh in the middle, with Kyle Vanden Bosch and Cliff Averil manning the ends. Hill will get plenty of time in the tackle rotation as the run plugger along with the Cohens, Joe and Landon, as part of the mix. Jared Devries and Jason Hunter should be the primary backups as part of the end rotation. It's make it or break it time for Andre Fluellen, who is another of Matt Millen's picks who has never lived up to his 3rd round status.
Overall, the defensive line is vastly improved (on paper) over last season. Hell, the line is vastly improved compared to the last decade.
2. From Will K: Last year the DL was awful, but the additions in free agency and trades should really improve the DL. With the addition of Suh, the DL could go from one of the worst position groups last year to one of the best in 2010. My question to the Lions Congregation is this: Given the changes that have been made to the Lions roster so far in the off-season, what do you think are the strongest and weakest position groups?
The draft went a long way in fixing one of the weakest position groups, running back, with the addition of Jahvid Best. So as things currently stand, the defensive backfield, and specifically cornerback, remains the Lions weakest link. The Lions blew out the majority of last season's corners, for good reason. They couldn't play.
There was some help in the draft. But when a 3rd round pick out of Iowa, Amari Spievey, is being immediately plugged in as a starter by NFL "experts," you have a positional depth chart with major issues. Off season pickups like Chris Houston (via a trade for a 5th round selection) and Jonathan Wade (signed as a free agent) will help, but they were available for pocket change for a reason. Fixing a long broken cornerback position has started, but it will take time...which is something NFL coaches don't have the luxury of getting from fans and ownership.
Good thing for the Lions the best pass defense is often a good pass rush from your defensive line, which, amazingly enough, should be a position group of strength. But a position in even better shape is on the offensive side of the ball, tight end.
Brandon Pettigrew is a Pro Bowl level talent who was just scratching the surface of that talent when his season ended with a knee injury. Will Heller is a very solid backup, though he's more of a blocker than receiver. And the recent addition of Tony Scheffler, a true playmaker who knows how to find the end zone, puts the position over the top. The Lions will be running lots of 2 tight end sets, as there's too much talent there to keep on the sidelines.
3. Which Undrafted Free Agent(s) do you feel have the best shot to make the team, or even to camp?
I'm going to cheat a little, and say it'll be a former Matt Millen draft pick who was just re-signed as a free agent, Caleb Campbell. Since he was drafted as a safety out of Army couple of years ago, Campbell has bulked up to linebacker size. As the Lions are making noises about Zack Follett possibly starting on the outside, there's a need at the position. There's also a need for more Follett-like headhunters on special teams, and that's where I believe Campbell will make his NFL mark.
If I were to bet on one kid to make it through rookie camp and then full blown training camp, it'd be Campbell. It'll be nothing compared to what he's already been through as a member of the armed services.
If you have a Lions question you'd like to see answered, you can email the congregation at lionscongregation@yahoo.com.
As always, to read the rest of the Lions blogosphere answering DetFan79's questions, head over to Roar of the Lions every Friday!
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