Instead of addressing the glaring needs at cornerback in April’s 2012 draft, the Lions decided to roll the dice by going offense with their first two picks. With their first round pick Mayhew and company decided to draft offensive tackle Riley Reiff out of Iowa then when with WR Ryan Broyles out of Oklahoma in the second round.
It wasn’t until the third round that the Lions decided it was time to take care of their very obvious needs in the secondary by drafting Dwight “Bill” Bentley out of Louisiana-Lafayette. After that the Lions also took Chris Greenwood out of Albion in the fifth round and Jonte Green out of New Mexico State in the sixth.
All three of the Lions’ new corners were present at the team’s three-day weekend rookie camp where according to Carlos Monarrez of the Detroit Free Press got off to a little of a slow start.
“All three of those guys showed the athletic ability that got them drafted,” coach Jim Schwartz said. “But they’ve all got a long way to go, just understanding the whole defense and where their help is and how they’re expected to cover. …
“If they roll up against Calvin Johnson, they’re going to have to be ready. They’ve got a lot of work ahead of them these next two weeks.”
At this point Bentley will probably get plugged into nickel packages from the start with a chance to become an every down corner if he gets off to a quick start. Greenwood and Green on the other hand have very nice athletic ability but are extremely raw at this point.
Ref: Detroit Free Press
