Lions Draft Thoughts

The 2018 NFL Draft is officially over, and the Lions ended up with a pretty good haul. Rather than grading each pick, I will just share my general thoughts on this year’s Lions draft as a whole.

Watching the Lions attempt to run the football the last several years has been an absolute joke, and that might be an understatement. Whether it was watching guys get hit behind the line of scrimmage before they even had a chance to make a play, or not being able to pick up a yard on 3rd and short, and all of the other flaws their running game has presented. I mean, just take a look at the Lions team rushing ranks since 2014.

2014 – 28th

2015 – 32nd

2016 – 30th

2017 – 32nd

That honestly might be the worst four-year stretch in terms of team rushing ranks in the history of the NFL, and if it’s not, it has to be damn close.

With all that being said, I absolutely LOVED Bob Quinn’s approach to start the NFL Draft this year. Obviously, the approach was to fix the damn running game at all costs. With their first round selection, the Lions selected Frank Ragnow, center from Arkansas. Per Pro Football Focus, he has put together two of the highest graded seasons as a center in college football in the entire PFF ERA. In 2016, he had a grade of 94.5. In 2017, he had a grade of 93.7. Ragnow seems to have all the intangibles to be a very good offensive lineman in this league and should improve both the Lions’ running and passing game tremendously.

It was also apparent the Lions needed to add another running back to the roster, and they did just that in the 2nd round by trading up for Auburn RB, Kerryon Johnson. I expect Johnson to become the best running back on the roster, as he seems to have the full package of being an inside and outside runner, being effective in the passing game, and having the ability to pass protect.

As far as the 3rd and 4th round go, the Lions selected safety, Tracy Walker from Louisiana Lafayette and defensive end, Da’Shawn Hand from Alabama. I’m not going to complain about either of these picks. Walker seemed to be a reach at the time, but Adam Schefter went onto report that the Carolina Panthers were going to take him two picks after the Lions. Quinn and Patricia seemed pretty excited after the selection, and it seems they have a plan for Walker to get onto the field quickly and more than likely take over for Glover Quin in the years to come. Da’Shawn Hand never seemed to live up to his potential at Alabama, but the Lions desperately needed to add someone to that position group. Hand will be reunited with the man that recruited him though, Bo Davis, who is the Lions defensive line coach who probably believes they can get more out him than expected.

The 5th round selection seemed like a steal. Tyrell Crosby from Oregon, another offensive lineman. Some mocks had Crosby going in the 2nd or 3rd round, and the Lions got him in the 5th, which is great value and he should be able to compete for a job in training camp this summer. Injuries could be a concern though, as he declined to comment on how many concussions he’s had.

I don’t put much value into 7th round picks as the majority of them don’t end up making the roster. But maybe the fullback is back in Detroit? They took Nick Bawden, a fullback from San Diego State in the 7th round. He did block for the leading rusher in the country, Rashaad Penny, for what that’s worth.

Taking everything into account, this was a successful draft for the Lions. It sucks they failed to add a pass rusher for the second straight year, but you can’t address every need in the draft. I’m sick of complaining about their inability to run the football, and it looks like we will witness a change next season regarding that, so I’m definitely satisfied with the first two selections.

QUESTIONS: 

“Based off the draft and the current roster, how well can I realistically expect the Lions to do next year?”

I think we should all expect the Lions to make the playoffs next season. I don’t care about how tough their schedule is, Bob Quinn made it quite clear after firing Jim Caldwell that he felt this football team was better than 9 wins. They are not in rebuilding mode, they are in win-now mode, and the Lions are one of the teams in the league that will be in the conversation to make the playoffs, and once you get there, anything can happen. 

“Where do you see the Lions running game ranked next season?”

There’s no way the Lions running game should be ranked bottom five again like the last few years. Injuries happen though, and it’s a new group, so I’ll say 14th. A 14th ranked running game would be music to my ears if it becomes reality.

“What do you see the Lions doing with the RB situation?”

I think it’s going to be a committee type approach to start, but I think Kerryon Johnson will become the number one guy. LeGarrette Blount will be an effective runner and will improve the short yardage issues, and Theo Riddick will continue to be one of the best receiving backs in the league. I think the Ameer Abdullah experiment is coming to an end and they will either try to trade him for a late pick, or release him.

 

 

 

Ideal Draft Scenario for the Lions

The Lions Super Bowl week is here, NFL Draft week that is. As long as a tight end isn’t chosen with the 20th pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, Lions fans shouldn’t be all that upset. Now I’m no draft expert, and I don’t dissect film on each and every prospect. I leave that up to the guys who get paid to do it, and NFL Draft Twitter folks as many of them definitely do know what the hell they are talking about. I have a few prospects I like just from reading up on them, watching their highlights, and watching them during college football season. Those are guys like Saquon Barkley, Harold Landry, Mo Hurst, Sony Michel, and a few others. But I can’t sit here and tell you who I think the Lions should take in the third or fourth round, but I can tell you what positions I’d like them to go after round by round.

The Lions will have six picks in the draft on Thursday night, maybe more if Bob Quinn pulls of some wizardry, maybe less if he pulls the trigger on a big name and decides to trade up. A lot can change on draft night, like, a Laremy Tunsil situation may arise and guys could slip down the board that we’d never expect, but for this situation, we’ll just be banking on everyone keeping their draft stock alive.

Here would be my perfect-ish Lions draft scenario, round by round, no exact players listed. (Kind of)

Round 1, Pick 20: Defensive Line. Whether this is an edge rusher or a defensive tackle, the Lions NEED someone that can get to the quarterback. Ezekial Ansah is still a question mark, and the rest are definitely serviceable, but not exactly game changers. I lied though, I’m hoping this pick will be Harold Landry.

 

Round 2, Pick 51: Running Back. Considering the Lions missed out on the historic running back class last year, it might be wise for them to take one this year. Running back has proven to be a position that you can find gems late in the draft whether that’s in the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and maybe even 5th rounds. Matthew Stafford has never had a running game in his career, and I lied again, so pair Sony Michel or Nick Chubb with LeGarrette Blount and let’s put together a respectable rushing attack in 2018.

 

Round 3, Pick 82: Offensive Line. You could make a case to go offensive line in the first round considering how unhealthy and inconsistence the Lions’ front five were last season. We’ve seen Lions draft serviceable offensive lineman in the 3rd round in years past, such as Larry Warford and Travis Swanson, and this would be a great opportunity to add offensive line depth, preferably a guard or center.

Round 4, Pick 117: Defensive Tackle: This is such a glaring need for the Lions and at some point in this draft, you have to believe they’re going to address it, and it might even be in the first round.

Round 5, Pick 153: Cornerback. The Lions’ cornerbacks aren’t necessarily bad, but outside of Darius Slay, there’s still question marks. Deshawn Shead was a solid acquisition by Bob Quinn, but we still have to see how he fares here. The jury is still out on Teez Tabor, and Nevin Lawson is Nevin Lawson. Also, Agnew has a shot to surprise, but there’s no reason the Lions can’t add another young cornerback to that room. Yes, I’m expecting Quandre Diggs to play safety.

Round 7, Pick 237: Quarterback. The odds of this pick hitting are pretty close to the same odds that the Browns win the Super Bowl next season, so this could be any position you want. Bob Quinn has taken a QB in both draft classes he’s put together and I’m guessing he’ll continue the trend again, and attempt to create some quarterback competition once again.

Again, the Lions can go a variety of different directions in this year’s draft and I will have zero problem with it. I do believe the first two rounds should be a pass rusher and a running back though, in whatever order that may be.

What are your thoughts?

Follow on Twitter: @DetLionBlood

 

 

Why Not Signing Frank Gore was a Great Move

He’s turning 35 years old and likely has very little left in the tank.

End of article.

REPORT: Lions Have Shown Interest In Richard Sherman

Thanks to an Adam Schefter tweet this morning, we have found out the Detroit Lions are interested in free agent cornerback Richard Sherman. Sherman has told Josina Anderson of ESPN that he has received preliminary interest from the Titans, Lions Raiders, Texans, Buccaneers, and the 49ers.

This could mean nothing, and it probably is nothing, but it’s definitely a fun scenario to think about. Darius Slay and Richard Sherman in the same secondary? I like the sound of that.

What do you think?

UPDATE: 2:54 PM

Tom Pelissero of NFL Network has reported that Richard Sherman will visit with the Lions next week. More to come.

Follow us on Twitter @DetLionBlood

Lions Fans Should be Excited for the Future

I’m willing to bet that the Lions fanbase can drink alcohol with the best of them, so New Year’s Eve was probably a good night for the majority of this fanbase. Luckily, Bob Quinn made that New Year’s Day hangover worth it though by officially firing Jim Caldwell. What a FANTASTIC way to kick off 2018.

Now, I could just go on and on about all the flaws Caldwell had as a head football coach, but that isn’t what this is about. In the end, Caldwell is a good man, who just didn’t know how to correctly make in-game football decision, get eleven men on the field, start the game off hot, etc. It was an interesting four years with Caldwell here, but he wasn’t the answer, and it was time to move on.

We haven’t seen a playoff win since 1991, and historically we are huge losers, but I do believe that Lions fans should be excited about what is transpiring in the organization right now.

General manager Bob Quinn has done a fine job in his first two seasons. Yes, he fucked up the running back situation, and the signings of TJ Lang and Rick Wagner weren’t exactly home runs, but I believe those two will bounce back nicely in 2018. No general manager is perfect, but Quinn’s drafts have been solid, and overall he’s had more hits than misses.

But after firing Caldwell and making it clear in Monday’s presser that he wants championships, and playoff wins, we really get to see what Quinn is about. For the first time, and hopefully the last time in his career, he is able to hire HIS OWN GUY. Not a guy he inherited, a guy that he gets to hand pick, and I fully trust he’ll make a hell of a hire. (Hopefully Matt Patricia)

So why should we be excited?

Because I truly believe with a good coach, and another year of Quinn to add to this roster, the Lions should be able to finally get over the hump and have a damn good shot at winning the NFC North and making noise in the playoffs.

Give us a good coach, a real running back, and throw in a couple free agent signings, and the Lions should be well on their way.

Matthew Stafford won a Big Game

It’s funny that there’s a narrative out there that Matthew Stafford can’t win a big game on the road. There are plenty of flaws with that “stat” and the first one is that, no matter what the sport, pinning a loss on one player is asinine; especially in the NFL. I mean, look at the Los Angeles Chargers and Philip Rivers this season as he has put them in position to win two important games, and both were wiped away by a missed field goal. The other flaw with the “games won against winning teams” stat is that it counts as the team’s record at the END OF THE SEASON, and not when the said player (Stafford) played them. For example, if the Detroit Lions were to beat the Atlanta Falcons next week, that would be a win against a winning team, right? Well, if in some crazy world the Falcons finished the season with a losing record, then that would not be chalked up as a win on Stafford’s resume against winning teams. So, the point is, that statistic is stupid, flawed, horrible, and pick any other adjective that best fits you.

 

But, let’s get back to the “big games” narrative.

 

 

Matthew Stafford won a big game last night, on the road, against a team with their backs against the wall with a proven legitimate defense.

 

Why was last night considered a big game, you may ask? There are several reasons, for both sides. Let’s start with the losers, the New York Giants. They lost to Dallas last week in a pitiful offensive performance where they could not muster one touchdown. They get to return to New York for their home opener where they were honoring their 2007 Super Bowl Championship team, and Odell Beckham Jr returning from injury meaning the crowd was going to be AMPED. They CANNOT fall to 0-2 because according to Odds Shark, since 2007, 83 teams have started 0-2 and only NINE of those teams went on to make the playoffs, which equals a 9 percent chance. Long story short, the Giants HAD to win that game last night, or their season was (now is) essentially over.

 

For the Lions? They were traveling to a hostile environment against a defense that looks to be one of the best units in football. Not really an easy task, Oh yeah, they play the Falcons next week too, so a loss to New York could easily set you up to start the season at 1-2, which isn’t necessarily the start an NFL team wants. The Lions were three point UNDERDOGS and it was another chance for Stafford to win a meaningful game on the road. As you all know, Stafford made a number of plays in the first half, as he kept a handful of plays alive single handedly by using his mobility. He threw two touchdown passes, and had the Lions up 17-7 at the half. The defense was phenomenal again, and the Lions had more rushing yards than passing yards at the end of the game (!!!) It was a total team effort.

 

I’m not saying the Giants are world-beaters, they’re not. They’ll probably win 7 games this year and maybe even less. But the general consensus was the Lions were going to lost that game on prime time, because that’s just what they do. It’s really an amazing concept though: Stafford plays very well, the rest of the team plays well, and they come away with an easy victory. Matthew Stafford and the Lions won a big game last night. That was a big game, and an even bigger win.

Week 1 Recap

As you all know, the Detroit Lions kicked off their season on Sunday afternoon against the Arizona Cardinals. The start of the game was shaky, and we’ll get to that, but looking at it two days later, the Lions put together one hell of a performance in a game where they were a two-point underdog.

 

The GOOD:

Defense, defense, and defense. Going into this game, the general consensus was the defense was going to struggle, and they responded with the exact opposite. The pass rush was very effective, as it seemed like Carson Palmer was being hurried every other snap. It doesn’t show on the stat sheet, but the Lions SHOULD’VE had at least two more sacks than the box score shows. The linebacking core still has A LOT of question marks. Rookie Jarrad David did lead the team with 9 tackles, and added a fumble recovery, but Pro Football Focus graded him out to be the second worst linebacker in football during Week 1. Obviously, that grade factors in things such as getting off blocks, and how he held up in pass coverage, but Davis is young and is expected to improve every week as he gains more experience. Also, Tahir Whitehead looked more effective and comfortable as he has moved to outside linebacker. Lastly, the secondary did its job as Tavon Wilson, Miles Killebrew, and Glover Quin all came away with interceptions. Darius Slay wasn’t thrown at much, and Quandre Diggs had an elite performance in the slot. Ultimately, I think Palmer is really bad and he has officially reached “washed” status in his career, so I’m not entirely sold. To add on to Palmer being washed, that Cardinals offensive line is terrible, so again, I need to see the Lions repeat this performance against a higher caliber offensive unit.

Another great sign was Matthew Stafford, as after throwing a pick 6 on his first pass attempt of the year, he put together a very nice game. 29/41, 292 yards, 4 touchdowns, and another comeback in the fourth quarter. I know guys like Stephen A Smith and Nick Wright are very upset he had a nice game, as they were very quick to send off some tweets after the interception. Not much else has to be said there; he’s worth that contract and the Lions lose that football game without him. Golden Tate is this team’s #1 wide receiver, and there’s no argument about it. 10 receptions for 107 yards on 12 targets. Last but not least on the offensive side of the football, Kenny Golladay. He had a rough start, where he dropped a couple of catchable balls, but after what happened in the second half, WHO CARES? 4 receptions, 69 yards, 2 touchdowns, and one of the best catches we’ve seen in Detroit in awhile. The man is going to be a red zone nightmare, and it was great to see him use his size and athleticism to haul in two touchdowns in his first career game.

 

THE BAD:

 

Special Teams was pitiful. I don’t know what the hell Dwyane Washington was thinking on that kick return, but that was pathetic. Credit the coaching staff for getting him out of there though, as it now looks like that’s Jamal Agnew’s job to lose.The team’s only punter tears his ACL on his first punt attempt after dropping the snap. I mean, the one bright spot (kind of) was Prater did a decent job punting the football, and he’s still the best kicker in the league. As long as they sign a punter and figure out the kick returning situation, we shouldn’t see another pitiful special teams performance like that again.

 

Running Game: This was the most disappointing part of the game. They literally could not muster anything in the running game, and you’d think with a new and improved offensive line paired with healthy running backs, they could’ve at least provided something. But, the usual, no running game. Ameer Abdullah led the way with 15 carries, for a total of 30 yards, yikes. Washington has 6 carries for 22 yards, yikes again. The offensive line is a new unit and it might take a little while for them to get used to playing alongside each other.

 

OVERALL: The Lions ultimately dominated the game and if it wasn’t for the sloppy first quarter, the score might’ve looked even a little better. We’ll find out a lot about this team in New York on Monday Night Football, especially if Odell Beckham Jr suits up.

 

Lions vs Patriots Game Recap

Week 3 of the NFL Preseason is generally the game where the starters get to see their most action. Once it was announced the Lions would be hosting the defending Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots for the week 3 exhibition game, we knew it would be an interesting look. 

Tom Brady is the greatest quarterback ever. The Lions defense is not good. The New England Patriots might not lose a football game this season. It was not surprising to see the Patriots and Brady have their way with the Lions young and mediocre defense. With all that said, it is not a good look for the Lions defense to get completely dominated in the fashion that they did. For perspective, Brady finished his night 12/15 for 174 yards and 2 touchdowns. Yes, he did throw an interception to Glover Quin, but that seemed more like a gift than anything. The Patriots were just simply able to do what ever the hell they wanted. It also didn’t help that Chris Hogan decided to play like Randy Moss in his prime. New England’s first stringers put up 24 EASY points in the first quarter, and if you watched the game, easy is an understatement.

If you’d like to search for a positive, it’s that Ezekiel Ansah wasn’t on the field during this mess, and his pass rush presence SHOULD somewhat improve the defensive line. Rookie linebacker Jarred Davis didn’t have a great showing, but that’s fine, he needs it, and there’s a learning curve that most rookies are going to have to go through. Just all around, it was a very poor night for the Detroit defense, but that shouldn’t really be a surprise to anybody as they were one of the worst defensive units in football last year. Yes, they have upgraded from a year ago, but that doesn’t mean they’re a good defensive team yet. It’s going to be a process, but the “it’s the Patriots” excuse isn’t acceptable, as there are offenses just as good, if not better the Lions have to line up against this season. For example, Arizona, New York, and Atlanta are their first three opponents, and each of those teams have explosive offenses with playmakers all over the field.

Onto the other story of the game, and that’s the offense. It looked like it was going to be a complete circus when Golden Tate fumbled on the very FIRST offensive play of the game. The next drive didn’t end in a turnover, it just ended in a three and out, and some questionable play calls. Later on, it was either the third or fourth drive of the game and the Lions faced a 3rd and long, and that drive ended in a curl route about five yards away from the first down marker. Again, questionable play calling. 

They did rebound nicely though, as they put together two touchdown drives. The first was an absolute dime from Matthew Stafford to Marvin Jones in the corner of the end zone. The second touchdown of the night was just a short flare route to Dwayne Washington and he made something happen from about 20 yards out, which was a nice sight to see from the second year running back out of Washington. 

Ameer Abdullah is important. If the kid plays a full sixteen, he’s going to have a hell of a year. He finished the night with 13 carries for 60 yards, and 3 receptions for 39 yards. Abdullah makes things happen even when there seems to be nothing there, and that’s a skill not many running backs on this roster have. 

Lastly, Jake Rudock put on another damn good showing. He finished the night 10/13 for 113 yards and a touchdown pass. Rudock looks very comfortable back there and always seems to make the right decision. I don’t know what his future is in this league, but a serviceable backup fits him as of now. 

Overall Assessment: It is JUST preseason. There is no need to panic just yet. It is good for the younger guys on the team to get a taste of that for the first time in their careers though. If anything close to that happens week 1 against Arizona, then the Lions are in big trouble. 

Is 2017 Eric Ebron’s Breakout Season?

Yes, we all heard the hype surrounding Detroit Lions tight end Eric Ebron and honestly he hasn’t lived up to the hype that was expected from him when the Lions drafted him with the tenth overall pick in 2014. Ebron had a lot of hype after leaving UNC a year early and declaring for the NFL draft. He recorded 112 receptions, 1,805 yards, and 8 touchdowns during his three years of college football. Very impressive numbers during his college career, so of course he was highly scouted coming into the NFL. As you can guess when the Detroit Lions drafted Eric Ebron, a lot was expected from him, from Lions fans and football fans in general.

Since Ebron has been in the NFL, injuries have plagued him. He hasn’t played a full season yet. In 2014, he played in thirteen games and had 25 receptions, 248 yards, and 1 touchdown. He played fourteen games in 2015 while making 47 receptions, 537 yards, and 5 touchdowns. In his third season, Ebron racked up 61 receptions, 711 yards, and 1 touchdown and even 1 rushing touchdown. Injuries have limited Ebron from playing a full season and his health issues have played a huge part in Ebron not playing to his potential.

Ebron has often been very scrutinized by fans for not playing up to the hype that was expected coming out of college and obviously being picked tenth overall in the NFL draft, a lot is expected coming into the league. But people often overlook that Ebron has dealt with a lot of injuries and the critics need to realize if he can put together a full season, his numbers and production could drastically improve.

This year I am expecting Ebron to be fully healthy and to have his best year yet. Ebron will be one of Stafford’s main targets and I would expect him to get a lot more targets in the red zone this season with Boldin no longer on the roster. With Ebron being healthy, we should expect him to have a breakout year and become one of the best tight ends in the conference and maybe one of the best in the entire league.

 

 

 

DeAndre Levy is Unhappy With the Lions

As reported earlier today by ESPN’s Michael Rothstein, former Lions LB DeAndre Levy has filed an injury grievence against the team.  In Rothstein’s piece he sites that according to Levy himself, he wasn’t healthy when the Lion’s cleared him to return for the last 5 weeks of the 2016 season.  Furthermore, Levy claimed that he also wasn’t healthy when the team surprisingly decided to cut him early this offseason even though the Lions said he was.
“I’ve played through a ton of stuff that, the injury report probably tells half the story. I’m battling every day; I put in a lot of time, a lot of hours for nearly a decade and then you cut me and tell me I’m not hurt. And now I have to go through a legal process to prove that I was injured. It’s insulting, man. It kind of left a sour taste in my mouth.” – Levy

Levy also went on to add that the injuries “Set (him) back another year and has been extremely difficult to deal with.” And summed everything up by saying that he felt as if he was “chewed up and spat on after 8 years of sacrificing so much for (the Lions).”

Hey DeAndre…

One thing I don’t understand is why so many people are acting like Levy was the face of the franchise.  That includes Levy himself. Let’s stop acting as if he was our Ray Lewis or Brian Urlacher. 

 I’m not going to sit here and say that I didn’t love Levy, that would be a lie.  What I will say is that it was 100% the correct move to cut him and that no matter how it went down, every Lions fan should be glad the organization made the decision they did.