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In the comments to my post about the Hair's first mock draft (Sooners DT Gerald McCoy being the projected selection for Detroit), the possibility of the Michigan Wolverines' defensive MVP, DE Brandon Graham, being an option with the Lions 2nd round pick was brought up.
As John (of Tigergeist) pointed out, Kiper has Graham slotted at #32, the last pick of the 1st round. The Lions' 2nd round pick is #34. It's not hard to do the math. It's very possible Graham, who was a true impact defender for the Wolverines (in fact, their only NFL quality defender), could slide down.
One order of Graham to go, please!
Showing us semi-great minds think alike, Killer Kowalski's latest at Mlive brings up the Graham possibility as well:
In the second round, there are early indications that Michigan defensive end Brandon Graham could be available at Detroit's 34th overall pick.
"He's a guy I really like,'' said Mike Mayock, the NFL Network's top draft analyst. "He has a solid second-round grade.''
Some early draft projections had Graham going in the bottom of the first round, but Mayock said there are some questions about Graham's game. Some of those will be answered this week at the Senior Bowl. Graham is among the players on the North team who are being coached by the Detroit Lions' staff.
As much as I would LOVE for Graham to be on the board at 34, my fear is his stock rises considerably at workouts for the Senior Bowl and the NFL Combine, to the point where he moves up too far into the 1st round to make Graham a realistic target for the Lions. Unfortunately, this may already be the case.
Per ESPN's Big Ten blogger, Adam Ritenberg:
Michigan defensive end Brandon Graham is impressing the scouts, a development that shouldn't surprise any of us who watched No. 55 dominate the Big Ten this fall.
Scouts Inc.'s Day 2 blog recognizes Graham, who "has already emerged as the leader of the North defense. Graham is quick with good upper-body strength and technique. He never stops working, either. His motor is just ridiculous."
Dammit! Just as I feared.
I would not be remotely surprised if Graham begins to rise up draft boards all around the NFL, putting him out of reasonable reach.
I really wouldn't want the Lions to trade up if the cost is heavy in draft picks, especially a future 1st or 2nd round selection. The Lions need bodies, and lots of them. As much as they need quality, let's not forget the Lions need quantity as well.
But if Graham is still available when the Lions are on the clock in the 2nd round, or if they could trade up a few spots (if, and only if, the price is reasonable), you could do a lot worse than selecting the Wolverine end.
Could Brandon Graham end up a Lion?
Miracles do happen!
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