Posted by Lisa on March 24, 2008, 12:01 am, in reply to "Looking for feedback on these posts"
can they even afford the rookies? And while I assume they will find a way to make the rookie salary cap work for them, will they have any money to sign a free agent that gets bumped from someone elses' roster by draft picks.
Here are the players I know they've been looking at extensively: DE Derrick Harvey, RB Rashard Mendenhall, DE Phillip Merling, CB Antoine Cason, CB Leodis McKelvin, OT Gosder Cherilus, MLB Xavier Adibi & Geno Hayes, DE Kendell Langford, OT Anthony Collins, DE Jason Jones, RB Matt Forte, RB Jamaal Charles, CB Justin Tryon, S Chris Horton. Those are the ones I've found in the past week, of the pro-days that they've been monitoring and the players that they've set up private workouts with. I know that there are others, though, that I've come across but cannot remember and there are a ton more I've not heard about.
My first preference, since 200? and until otherwise noted, will always be for the DE. I love me some defensive end...at least until they have fixed this problem. It glares at me every Sunday. Especially with this defensive system. I hate to be a broken record here, sorry. Yet, when you're looking at the draft... shopper that I am... you CANNOT take a guy that doesn't belong in the round just because you have a need. So everything I have to say about drafting for position is based on who is available.
IMO:
Round 1.
If they are going to draft a DE in 2008, they must get one in the first round. No two ways of looking at this. There are nothing but project players in this draft past Quentin Groves (who has similar measurables to Vernon Gholston). Chris Long and Gholston will be long gone by #15, and even Darrick Harvey seems to be moving into top 10 territory without much effort, because there just aren't that many 4-3 pass rushing DEs.
Saying that, I have to say it may not be good economic sense for them to take a DE. They need a game-changer and a full-time starter from their first round pick. And any rookie DE drafted is probably going to be a part time player under Marinelli, who will rotate a rookie with Corey Smith and (possibly) Ikaika Alama Francis. (Jared DeVries will rotate with D. White.) When you say that they keep 5 DEs or 5 DTs, I'm not sure where they are sticking IAF. If they don't pick up a DE, they are going to have to use him almost exclusively at DE. But IAF has said he's going to get time inside. And he's a project player at either position. I cannot imagine they would go that same route, and wait a round, if they could help it.
Round 1, plan B. If Groves is gone, they should then look at the best OT they can find. I like Chris Williams and have for a while...even before his Wonderlic of 32. OT is fairly deep, however, especially if you don't need a LT. A rookie RT from the 2nd round could probably still beat out Attention Deficit Disorder Foster through the 3rd round. Gosder Cherilus is a late 1st rounder. And Duane Brown would be my second round target. Would they trade down if their DE isn't there? Or would they look at trading up with New England (who is seeking a trade partner in the 10-16 range) to get the DE they want.
Round 2. They are looking pretty intensely at 2nd round type MLBs. Rivers will most likely be gone by #15 in the first. Early on, Jerod Mayo was a guy who was projected to go in the early 2nd round area, but has worked his way up into the 1st. So he most likely won't be available either unless they trade down in the 1st or up from their second. Geno Hayes, Xavier Adibi and Tavares Gooden are a few guys who fit the T-2 style and are probably available in the 2nd round. Keep your eye on Jonathan Goff and Ben Moffitt later on.
Round 3 #77/88. At RB, they like Matt Forte a lot, and he is projected as a 3rd round pick. He has been compared in running style to Jamal Lewis (except IMO he's faster and shiftier). They've got Jamaal Charles in view as well. I like Forte better. Kevin Smith is a starting caliber NFL RB. Jalen Parmale from Toledo might be a sleeper.
Round 3 #77/88. If they didn't get a DE or DT in the 1st round, they could probably get decent value for a role player. DE Darrell Robertson, Kendall Langford, Johnny Dingle are pass rushing part-timers. DT Pat Sims or Dre Moore in the 3rd would be a steal. DT Red Bryant or Ahtyba Rubin would be good value in the 3rd. And if they didn't get an OT in the 1st round, there is still decent RT depth into the 3rd round. They have less chance of beating out Foster here, but it's been done before: John Greco, Oniel Cousins, Heath Benedict (???), Tony Hills, J. Zuttah and a couple small school players.
Round 4-7. I wouldn't be surprised if they took either CB because of BPA value and the "you can never have too many CBs" --theory that is amazingly not just a Millen saying--or LB, because they need improved speed and bodies at LB. CBs--Zack Bowman, Terrell Thomas, Orlando Scandrick, Trae Williams, Jack Williams, Patrick Lee, Glenn Sharpe are all guys with some question about health, level of play, or speed. They aren't going to be going as high as they ought, just because the draft is very deep at their position. Good value. OLBs- Bryan Kehl, Ezra Butler, Gary Guyton, David Voboro, Stanford Kegler all have had very good pro-days and could turn out to be something more than thebackups and special teamers you generally are looking for from this stage on. DBs and OLBs generally make good special teamers.
In the 6th and 7th rounds if I were the Lions I would have some ace in the hole small school player that they really like if they didn't get somebody at RT or DT. Those are positions that you can find a diamond in the rough if you're smart (which the Lion scouts aren't). So okay, you know you don't scout well, so you take players that are football players but have poor 40 times or were hurt...like S Jamie Silva or the ILBs who ran poor 40 times that unexpectedly fall. (It is hard to predict who will fall, I can tell you better as the draft progresses.)
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