Round 1: Riley Reiff, OT, Iowa

Off hand this was a nice pick for the Lions that addresses a growing need on an offensive line. For Reiff he has a good chance at providing the Lions with an upgrade at the tackle position in his first season and is versatile enough to be moved around between tackle and guard. Now although he doesn’t possess elite run blocking skills he will employ nice pass protection for Matthew Stafford and perhaps add a couple of years onto his career.

Unfortunately given the tremendous need on defense the Lions had going into the draft, this pick had to be followed addressing just that which you will see didn’t happen.

Grade: B-

Who the Lions should’ve drafted: Whitney Mercilus, DE, Illinois

Round 2: Ryan Broyles, WR, Oklahoma

Drafting Broyles out of Oklahoma may have been the cockiest, most irresponsible pick by the Mayhew regime in its tenure. But not only that, given those serious needs in multiple positions on defense the Broyles pick tremendously devalues what was originally a nice first round selection in Reiff.

By going offense in the first round it became more vital that the Lions go defense with their second round pick and when that didn’t happen it put more of an emphasis o that first pick not being a defensive player.

Simply put, Mayhew and Schwartz dropped the ball.

But to top this pick off, the Lions decided to roll the dice on an undersized receiver that’s coming off an ACL injury. A player who may not even be ready for the start of the season and if he is will probably be the team’s fourth receiver behind Calvin Johnson, Nate Burleson and Titus Young. Oh yeah and let’s not forget Brandon Pettigrew as a passing threat.

Even the arguments trying to justify the Broyles selection are weak in themselves.
Yes he had excellent numbers before getting hurt in Oklahoma but there’s not guarantee that he returns that the previous form especially at the pro level. It’s also true that Nate Burleson may not be here in 2013 so the Lions were drafting Broyles to be his (Burleson’s) replacement. Okay well if that’s the case what about Titus Young and his role with the team? Or why not draft a receiver int he later rounds that can justify a project type player which Broyles is. Or draft a wide-out in next year’s draft when hopefully the defense isn’t such a concern! Receivers in the draft and in the NFL are pretty plentiful and for the most part pretty adaptive in their first seasons. So in other words you do not need to develop incoming healthy receivers as much as you would have to develop a rookie quarterback, offensive lineman or defensive lineman.
Bottom line, this pick has failing grades written all over it.

Grade: F

Who the Lions should’ve drafted: Josh Robinson, CB, University of Central Florida

Round 3: Dwight “Bill” Bentley, CB, Louisiana-Lafayette

So low and behold the Lions finally decide ti’s time to go defense by drafting Louisiana-Lafayette cornerback Dwight “Bill” Bentley.

Now there’s no denying that Bentley had a fine college career and an impressive performance at the Senior Bowl that displayed his high motor and aggression at the position. It’s also that same aggression which has enabled him to stay in coverage with bigger, stronger receivers at the college level despite his smaller frame and 31.5 inch vertical at the combine.

However that small stature and poor vertical is the drawback to Bentley once he gets to the NFL and the competition level goes way up.

At this point it’s looking like Bentley is going to be a nickelback  in the NFL which would’ve been fine if the Lions stressed defense with their first two picks.

Unfortunately for them (the Lions) though, Bentley offers a lot of the same in undersized nickelback corners.

Grade: C

Who the Lions should’ve drafted: Sean Spence, LB, Miami (FL)

Round 4: Ronnell Lewis, DE, Oklahoma

Whoa, two defensive players in a row?! Easy now Mayhew!

In all seriousness though this isn’t a bad pick for the Lions who need to address the defensive end position that could look drastically different come 2013.

While at Oklahoma, Lewis played OLB in a 3-4 where he displayed the potential to be a good pass rusher. However at the NFL level he’ll need to get bigger, stronger and more fundamentally sound which shouldn’t be a problem playing behind Cliff Avril and Kyle Vanden Bosch his first season.

Grade: B

Who the Lions should’ve drafted: Christian Thompson, S, South Carolina State

Round 5: Tahir Whitehead, LB, Temple

Instead of addressing further needs on the offensive line or defensive backfield, Mayhew and company decided to trade up and draft a linebacker with limited instincts and athleticism in Tahir Whitehead.

A wasted pick in the eyes of many including myself, Whitehead struggles to get off blocks, make plays in coverage and get to the passer.

Because of these drawbacks Whitehead will probably amount to a backup linebacker at best in the NFL.

Grade: D

Who the Lions should’ve drafted: Zebrie Sanders, OT, Florida State

Round 5: Chris Greenwood, CB, Albion

Martin Mayhew and the Detroit Lions turned heads once again when they drafted Albion College cornerback Chris Greenwood in the 5th round.

The selection of Greenwood could play huge dividends for the Lions given some of his combine statistics including a 4.3 40-yard dash and a 43″ vertical. Standing at 6’1″ and 190lbs. Greenwood possesses plenty of potential and the opportunity to become a starting corner in the NFL if developed the right way, but that’s a BIG IF.

Greenwood adds depth to the secondary but is raw and makes you wonder if he could’ve been had as an undrafted free agent considering the small college he came from. And please spare me the Brandon Carr comparisons who is more of the exception to the rule.

Grade: C+

Who the Lions should’ve drafted: Johnie Troutman, G, Penn State University

Round 6: Jonte Green, CB, New Mexico State

Like Greenwood, Green is another athletic, raw cornerback from a small college that if developed the right way could find himself as a starter in the NFL.

However unlike his counterpart in Chris Greenwood, the ceiling isn’t as high with many believing that his best opportunity could come if he bulks up and moves to the safety position.

Still this isn’t a pick by the Lions that’s going to turn a lot of heads.

Grade: C-

Who the Lions should’ve drafted: Brandon Washington, G, Miami (FL)

Round 7: Travis Lewis, LB, Oklahoma

A third player from Oklahoma? Did the scouts for the Lions have their car break up on the Sooner campus or something? Either way the Travis Lewis pick for the Lions may have been the best pick made by Mayhew the entire draft.

At 6’1″ Lewis is a talented block-shedder with instincts, range and coverage skills who could start in the NFL. Unfortunately he isn’t much of a pass rusher but all in all he should develop into a nice starter down the road and is a definite steal in the seventh round.

Grade: B+

Who the Lions should’ve drafted: Travis Lewis or David Molk, C, Michigan

The Bottom Line

The Lions had an opportunity in this draft to take a nice step forward in becoming a well rounded team that not only can make the playoffs but win a playoff game. However after this draft you have to ask yourself is the defense any better than what it was last season? Can the corners they drafted in the later rounds pan out and actually develop into serviceable NFL defensive backs?

It seems as though more questions were raised with the draft for the Lions than answered.

Final Grade: E

 

 

 

 

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