I know, right. It isn’t very often that a Detroit Lions draft class doesn’t leave us scratching our heads as fans. For the most part, Detroit Lions General Manager Martin Mayhew has been a horrible drafter. He’s had some solid finds sprinkled in, but his record with second round picks alone makes you want to puke. However, this year his draft class looks very promising, especially with the guys that were selected late in the weekend.
Grades:
#28 Overall: Laken Tomlinson, OG, Duke
As I wrote in my piece on Friday, I hated the pick right as it happened. However, in just a short time, I’ve learned to love it. The trade down maneuver was brilliant by Mayhew, and it seems they selected the guy they wanted all along and got a player and two picks to do so.
Tomlinson should be a day one starter at left guard, especially because the Lions don’t have an incumbent on the roster. Manny Ramirez wasn’t brought in to start at Left Guard, he was brought in to push Travis Swanson at Center and back up the interior three if he can’t beat out Swanson.
The only reason I don’t give this an full A for a grade is I thought they could have traded down further and still snagged Tomlinson, however multiple media reports suggest he wouldn’t have made it past number 32 when the New England Patriots would have selected him.
Grade: A-
#54 Overall: Ameer Abdullah, RB, Nebraska
Once again, I love the selection. Abdullah should be everything that Reggie Bush was brought in to be. The only knock on him is he’s a bit small and doesn’t protect the passer so well. He also had a fumble problem in college, but that isn’t going to scare me away from grading him highly because he does everything else very well.
Grade: A
#80 Overall: Alex Carter, CB, Stanford
Alex Carter could and should develop into a copy and pasted version of RaShean Mathis. They have the same frame and athletic abilities. The difference is Mathis is a wily veteran who’s been playing in the league for over a decade and Alex Carter is just a draft pick. Carter has to be pretty smart however, because you don’t get to play football for Stanford and be a dumb ass.
The only reason this grade isn’t a A is they traded up eight picks to select Carter, who would have likely been available if they stayed pat. The Lions could have gotten a similarly talented Corner Back at pick number 88 if Carter had already been selected by another team.
Grade: B+
#113 Overall: Gabe Wright, DT, Auburn
The Lions didn’t have a fourth round selection originally, but traded next years third rounder for the 113th pick which they used to select Wright. I like Wright a lot and he fills a need. He’s definitely better than the defensive tackle they selected in the fourth round last year, Caraun Reid, who hardly played, and when he did he got his ass kicked.
I’m not suggesting that Wright will be a day one starter, but will be a contributor in year one. Hopefully he can continue his development and become a functional starter in the not so distant future.
My only complaint is that you gave up next years third rounder to get Wright. That pick will probably yield a better player, but when you have nothing at Defensive Tackle, you are forced to make maneuvers like this.
Grade: B
#168 Overall: Mike Burton, FB, Rutgers
A Fullback in the fifth round… I don’t like it, but the Lions lost a mediocre Fullback in Jed Collins to free agency so it fills a need. For that, the Lions get points, but for using a fifth round selection when fullbacks grow on trees and DT Michael Bennett was still on the board (Bennett went 12 picks later) it makes me scratch my head a bit.
Grade: C-
#200 Overall: Quandre Diggs, CB, Texas
He’s a small cornerback who had a horrible combine. He’s a bit slower to play at that size but has great leaping ability to make up for it. The big question is can he handle the mental adjustment to the pro game. He’s likely destined to be just a special teams player and maybe a reserve nickel corner, but if he works out, the Lions may have stolen a once highly touted prospect.
Grade: B
#240 Overall: Corey Robinson, OT, South Carolina
I think the Lions stole one here. I had watched a lot of YouTube film on Robinson and pegged him as a third or fourth round selection. Heck, well renowned mock drafter Wakter Cherpinksy of WalterFootball.com had the Lions selecting Robinson with the 88th overall pick, in the third round! Robinson might not start day one, but I definitely see him being the first tackle off the bench and starting as early as next season at right tackle if he develops properly.
Grade: A+
Conclusion:
The only need that the Lions didn’t fill yesterday was possibly a third receiver, but the off season is far from over. They will probably look to scoop up a cap casualty later in the year and peg him there beside Calvin Johnson and Golden Tate, because no defensive coordinator will take you seriously if Jeremy Ross is your number three guy.
Overall Draft Grade: A-
The Lions had to many holes to fill to get them all filled on draft day, but they did do a lot to fill out the roster. The only reason I’m not giving a pure A is the Burton pick in the fifth round and I wasn’t a fan of the trade up to get Carter in the third, because I figured he’d be there if they waited.
