Draft review

[Old Lion]

Walter Football review for those who did not see it.

NFL Draft Team Grade: B- Grade

Goals Entering the 2016 NFL Draft: Calvin Johnson's retirement stole all of the headlines this offseason, but the Lions signed Marvin Jones to a big deal, so they're bound to address greater needs. Those areas of weakness are in the trenches, on both sides of the ball. Help in the secondary is needed as well.

2016 NFL Draft Accomplishments: The Lions were resigned to the fact that they wouldn't be able to upgrade Riley Reiff at left tackle, but they at least bolstered two other areas of their offensive line. They used the 16th-overall pick on Taylor Decker, who should be way better than what Detroit possessed at right tackle last year. Meanwhile, third-rounder Graham Glasgow should provide good depth in the interior and eventually emerge as a starter.

Sticking with addressing their needs, Detroit used its second-round choice on A'Shawn Robinson. While it may seem like Robinson was a great value pick, his drop was rather predictable, as he interviewed poorly and showed a lack of passion for football. The Lions could've done better.

I like what Detroit did on the beginning of the third day, though some of its picks after that were rather confusing, especially Antwione Williams and Jake Rudock. Overall, the Lions' draft class wasn't bad, as some decent prospects were taken to satisfy needs, but the total haul wasn't very great either.


NFL Draft Individual Grades:

16. Taylor Decker, OT, Ohio State B Grade
Taylor Decker was projected to go in the 14-20 range, so this makes sense as far as that is concerned. He's also a good fit in terms of need. The Lions' pass protection was an abomination at times last year. They needed a left tackle, but weren't going to get that here at No. 16. The right tackle spot had to be addressed as well, however, and the Lions will be better at that spot with Decker. This deserves a solid "B" grade.

46. A'Shawn Robinson, DT, Alabama C- Grade
A'Shawn Robinson said some sketchy things in some team interviews, prompting him to drop. Teams had concerns about his passion for football, causing him to fall even more. This might be seen as a great value, but Robinson was a projected mid second-round pick with everything factored in. I don't like this pick very much. This isn't a great fit, and I'm not convinced that Robinson is going to give Detroit his full effort.

95. Graham Glasgow, C/G, Michigan B+ Grade
I really thought the Cardinals would take Graham Glasgow, as they were considering him at No. 92. They loved Glasgow's versatility, so I'm sure the Lions value that as well. Glasgow also has plenty of starting experience at Michigan. The one negative is a DUI he was issued in 2014, but he figures to be a good player for the Lions.

111. Miles Killebrew, S, Southern Utah B+ Grade
Miles Killebrew was a highly productive safety in Utah, and then he thrived at the Combine, testing extremely well. There was some concern about him not having a pure position in the NFL, but I could see the hard-hitting Killebrew working out as a linebacker-safety hybrid that is becoming ever popular in the NFL.

151. Joe Dahl, G/OT, Washington State B Grade
Joe Dahl played left tackle at Washington State, but he'll have to move inside in the pros, thanks to his short arms. That's fine, as the Lions are happy to address their interior offensive line depth. Dahl makes sense as a mid fifth-round choice.

169. Antwione Williams, LB, Georgia Southern C Grade
It's not surprising that the Lions drafted a linebacker, but Antwione Williams? He was not in my top 400, as he wasn't even that great of a player for Georgia Southern. He could've easily been picked up in the seventh round or as a UDFA.

191. Jake Rudock, QB, Michigan C Grade
It makes sense that the Lions would take a developmental quarterback at this juncture, but picking Jake Rudock over Vernon Adams is highly questionable. Rudock played well this past season, but did so under Jim Harbaugh. As we've seen, quarterbacks not named Andrew Luck get substantially worse after being separated from Harbaugh.

202. Anthony Zettel, DE/DT, Penn State A- Grade
Anthony Zettel was a very productive player at Penn State. He also tested pretty well at the Combine. So, why did he drop into the sixth round? It's become he's a tweener who doesn't have a true position. He has the skill set of a defensive tackle, but at 277 pounds, he's light. That said, he can be a very effective pass-rushing specialist on obvious passing downs, and I think he'll be great in that role. The Lions obtained a good football player.

210. Jimmy Landes, LS, Baylor C+ Grade
I'm not going to put much thought into grading a long-snapper. A C+ seems right for a long-snapper in the sixth round.

236. Dwayne Washington, RB, Washington C+ Grade
Dwayne Washington made a terrible mistake of leaving school early despite not having much experience at Washington. He paid the price, dropping to the seventh round despite testing well at his Pro Day. It'll be tough for him to make Detroit's final roster

 

[Old Lion]

Now that I see what the philosophy was, I would have made a few subtle adjustments.

This would have been a better draft:

16. Taylor Decker, OT, Ohio State
46. A'Shawn Robinson, DT, Alabama
95. Graham Glasgow, C/G, Michigan
111. Nick Kwiatoski, OLB West Virginia
151. Miles Killebrew, S, Southern Utah
169. Joe Dahl, G/OT, Washington State
191. Anthony Zettel, DE/DT, Penn State
202. Jake Rudock, QB, Michigan
210. Antwione Williams, LB, Georgia Southern
236. Jimmy Landes, LS, Baylor

Brew is a nitch player and would have been there a round later. Dahl would have lasted another half round as well. Kwiatkoski was there for us in round 4 and looks to be a better prospect than Williams. Williams had a very late round grade by almost all. The more I see of Zettel the more I like him. He is a tweener like the article says but picking 10 spots higher is an easy decision. Rudok is there 10 spots later (and no biggie if he aint). More teams wanted Adams anyway. No need to waste a sixth on a LS. He is there in the 7th easily. The R7 RB will probably be on the practice squad, he could have been a UDFA. It was a wasted pick.

 

[RobBase]

Kwiatkoski

I don't see it. He's not a natural athlete. Try hard overachiever if anything. Honestly, the kind of guy Millen would have loved.

 

[gandydancer]

Kwiatkoski

I don't see it. He's not a natural athlete. Try hard overachiever if anything. Honestly, the kind of guy Millen would have loved.

My overachieving LB was Matakevich from Temple. He reminded me of Zach Thomas. Sideline to sideline player with a constant motor.

 

[RobBase]

My overachieving LB was Matakevich from Temple. He reminded me of Zach Thomas. Sideline to sideline player with a constant motor.

I like him better. No coverage skills through. He will probably make a good special teamer. Biggest knock on him is his low ceiling being a ginger. Think about it.

 

[Old Lion]

Kwiatkoski

I don't see it. He's not a natural athlete. Try hard overachiever if anything. Honestly, the kind of guy Millen would have loved.

I get that but every player cant be a great athlete. Many of the super athletic guys underachieve in the NFL because they overwhelmed much lesser athletes at the lower level but are nothing special at the NFL level because their athleticism is not much more than anyone elses.

Need some smart players who give 150% but are not necessarily great athletes. Football at the NFL level is more about angles and responsibilities more than anything. Execution.

Not saying Kwiatkoski will be that good, just better than A Williams most likely and better than wasting a pick on a RB who was not even a starter on his team. Hopefully I am wrong about all that.

Edit: Also the point was that we drafted a lot of guys a pick earlier than we needed to.

 

[gandydancer]

Hard for me to give a grade for Quinn's first draft. Too many unknowns as always for a few years. Forced to guess on one, I would go B-. Wasn't happy with some late round selections.

Glad it was Decker over Conklin. A'Shawn over Billings. Glasgow was my fourth best, but only Tuerk was still there when selected. Same with Miles Killibrew being fourth, but my 3rd guy was undrafted. Dahl is a 50/50 pick for me. Very versatile player, so at this moment I don't see any starter safe from last season at their current spot.

Miles and A'Shawn do the same for S and DT. Only guy I see safe as a starter is Glover Quinn

 

[Old Lion]

My overachieving LB was Matakevich from Temple. He reminded me of Zach Thomas. Sideline to sideline player with a constant motor.

Not sure why he dropped so much but he is another lesser athlete with the same type of mentality. He and Scooby both dropped to round 7 because they dont show well in the combine events. I keep telling people that it is football not the olympics! I dont give a fuck what his broad jump is.

 

[RobBase]

Scooby can't run. No sideline to sideline game. Pure in the box tackler. Gotta be able to run in the NFL.

 

[RobBase]

Walter is the only guy I've seen report that A'Rob interviewed poorly, showing a "lack of passion" for football and saying "sketchy things". I'd love to hear more about those comments. I love the pick, just curious. He must have interviewed well w Detroit.

 

[Old Lion]

Scooby can't run. No sideline to sideline game. Pure in the box tackler. Gotta be able to run in the NFL.

He could play in a 3-4. Browns will get some use out of him. Steelers will do the same with Matakevich. Both teams will play 3-4.

 

[Old Lion]

Walter is the only guy I've seen report that A'Rob interviewed poorly, showing a "lack of passion" for football and saying "sketchy things". I'd love to hear more about those comments. I love the pick, just curious. He must have interviewed well w Detroit.

I am sure if we dig enough we can find someone to say something negative about every player. I just tend to go with the consensus for now. Make up my own mind when the playing starts.

 

[gandydancer]

Not sure why he dropped so much but he is another lesser athlete with the same type of mentality. He and Scooby both dropped to round 7 because they dont show well in the combine events. I keep telling people that it is football not the olympics! I dont give a fuck what his broad jump is.

I might not care about just his broad jump alone. I do when you see what some GM's and coaches have as a metrics for 4-5 combined events. It starts to separate some kids graded around the same. Film is the ultimate guide IMO. I just think some of these metrics are great tools with combine number(s) as opposed to one event.

 

[Old Lion]

I might not care about just his broad jump alone. I do when you see what some GM's and coaches have as a metrics for 4-5 combined events. It starts to separate some kids graded around the same. Film is the ultimate guide IMO. I just think some of these metrics are great tools with combine number(s) as opposed to one event.

Agreed, I guess they need some way to judge the guys that really dont jump off the screen.

I am just concerned we reached on Williams. GA So is a bottom feeder borderline D2 school. He should have dominated that level. So far I have not heard that.

 

[gandydancer]

Agreed, I guess they need some way to judge the guys that really dont jump off the screen.

I am just concerned we reached on Williams. GA So is a bottom feeder borderline D2 school. He should have dominated that level. So far I have not heard that.

I'm guessing BQ trusted some scouting, not sure? Fired two scouts toady. Doubt whoever scouted him was not one of them. Was he drafted with ST in mind? BQ is huge on that it seems. He might see him as asset on coverage teams and developing is just a bonus.

 

[gandydancer]

My favorite pick might be Zettel. New strength coach can pack on a few pounds and his versatility may have huge upside. Kept slotting him around a fourth round pick. Seemed to be good value in him. I see Austin using him fir great use in sub packages.

Longsnapper I already covered.

Williams LB only seen a few clips of film. I see another LB FA signing coming now that the draft is over. Otherwise we might see $0.05 and $0.10 a shit ton.

Washington RB ... ZZ is prolly safe

 

[gandydancer]

Rudock choice wasn't that special for me. Swarm loves it and will stick my head toilet if I pick him. Fucking homer...

What I do like about him is that coming from Iowa I hated him. After seeing what one year under pro style coaches did for him. I do feel he can replace DanO. Might be same results with either if Matt goes down this season. Few years under Jim&JBC and new QB coach we may see a decent backup or trade bait.

 

[Rollingthndr]

My overall opinion of Quinn's draft was conservative, VERY conservative.

Decker should be solid, Robinson could be a star but also could amount to nothing more than a rotational guy as well.

How much better is Glasgow than Swanson going to be? Swanson was essentially a rookie last season.

Killebrew looks like a fun player to watch and might be my favorite pick of the draft.

Couple that with many head scratchers like Glasgow in the 3rd and the long snapper in the 6th.

My grade is a D+ until Robinson or Killebrew step into solid starters along with Decker. Not expecting much of anything from the rest of the picks.

 

[Stomp]

Heres the grade from Evan Silva Rotoworld

Grade: C-

Detroit Lions

1 (16). Ohio State OT Taylor Decker
2 (46). Alabama DT A'Shawn Robinson
3 (95). Michigan C Graham Glasgow
4 (111). Southern Utah SS Miles Killebrew
5 (151). Washington State OG Joe Dahl
5 (169). Georgia Southern LB Antwione Williams
6 (191). Michigan QB Jake Rudock
6 (202). Penn State DL Anthony Zettel
6 (210). Baylor LS Jimmy Landes
7 (236). Washington RB Dwayne Washington

Overview: This haul also includes second-year DT Gabe Wright, whom ex-GM Martin Mayhew selected in the 2015 fourth round in exchange for parting with Detroit's 2016 third-round pick. (Wright was a bit player as a rookie.) New GM Bob Quinn knocked out a big need with his first-ever pick, bookending Riley Reiff with 2015's Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year. Albeit short on pass-rush skills, Robinson gives Detroit an immediate contributor in DC Teryl Austin's defensive line rotation. Glasgow will push ineffective C Travis Swanson to start, while Killebrew is a sneaky bet to earn early-career snaps across from FS Glover Quin. Dahl adds interior depth with OGs Laken Tomlinson andLarry Warford coming off disappointing 2015s. I wasn't a fan of Quinn's final five picks, none of whom profiled as impact NFL players in college. The Lions came out of this draft still weak at cornerback and defensive end, and with unsolved questions at wide receiver, center, strong-side linebacker, and safety.

 

[RobBase]

My overall opinion of Quinn's draft was conservative, VERY conservative.

Decker should be solid, Robinson could be a star but also could amount to nothing more than a rotational guy as well.

How much better is Glasgow than Swanson going to be? Swanson was essentially a rookie last season.

Killebrew looks like a fun player to watch and might be my favorite pick of the draft.

Couple that with many head scratchers like Glasgow in the 3rd and the long snapper in the 6th.

My grade is a D+ until Robinson or Killebrew step into solid starters along with Decker. Not expecting much of anything from the rest of the picks.

I'll predict that all three O lineman are starting for us within two years.