2014 Detroit Lions draft picks thoughts and comments........

[Naughtymax]

I miss me some Deja Vu. Used to have one in the city of the first college I went to. There isn't enough all nude strip clubs around.

Drive across the border.

 

[Old Lion]

This is, of course, football 101. offensive left tackles are worth much, much, much, much, much, much more than TEs(and that's why they're paid like it). When you have an 8/10 LT like Lewan available and an 8/10TE available and neither are a pressing need, you take the tackle. Waddle was fine last year, even good, but thinking one season turns an UDFA into a 10-year starter may be a bit optimistic, and we have no depth on the OL, where guys get hurt. A quality tackle like Lewan or Martin would have been smarter than Ebron unless Ebron turns into the next Antonio Gates (I doubt he'll be Graham). The alligator arms in college for a guy who doesn't block makes him a coin toss, not a sure thing.

And so, for the record, if you have a chance to upgrade MLB or CB, you upgrade CB because the position is more valuable. If you can upgrade DE or fullback, you upgrade the DE. If you can upgrade OT or TE, you upgrade OT.

Meh. The difference between Ebron and Pettigrew is much greater than the difference between Lewan and Waddle. OTs also bust at a much higher rate than TEs. Martin is a Guard. Maybe he can play RT in the NFL but most project him as a guard because he has stubby arms. Seriously, you want one of these 2 shlubs over the guy that many experts had as the second best offensive player in the draft? One could make a better argument for Donald at 10.

 

[lionstop1]

This is, of course, football 101. offensive left tackles are worth much, much, much, much, much, much more than TEs(and that's why they're paid like it). When you have an 8/10 LT like Lewan available and an 8/10TE available and neither are a pressing need, you take the tackle. Waddle was fine last year, even good, but thinking one season turns an UDFA into a 10-year starter may be a bit optimistic, and we have no depth on the OL, where guys get hurt. A quality tackle like Lewan or Martin would have been smarter than Ebron unless Ebron turns into the next Antonio Gates (I doubt he'll be Graham). The alligator arms in college for a guy who doesn't block makes him a coin toss, not a sure thing.

And so, for the record, if you have a chance to upgrade MLB or CB, you upgrade CB because the position is more valuable. If you can upgrade DE or fullback, you upgrade the DE. If you can upgrade OT or TE, you upgrade OT.

You're right in the sense of position but the Lions had tons of problems on offense that everyone seems to disregard. What about getting "value" from Waddle? You cant do that when he is on the bench. Plus, fans have been very critical of the Lions scouts and management for not being able to find gems, and now that they have a few, suddenly they should use them as depth?

I like the impact Ebron presents over the likes of Lewan in this situation. I'll take Waddle at OT with Ebron as one of Staffords top targets vs. Lewan and whoever the Lions ended up with.

 

[lionstop1]

When you have a Megatron and a Tate, you cant really pass on a highly rated, hybrid TE like Ebron. He will present a huge problem for defenses.

 

[TrustMeIamRight]

the Lions had tons of problems on offense that everyone seems to disregard.

The Lions biggest problems on offense were turnovers and dropped passes. They couldn't get out of their own way last year. Whether it was the running backs fumbling the ball or the 2nd half of the season when Stafford wanted to play catch with opposing cornerbacks -- They continually made mistakes.

Don't get me wrong -- I agree, Ebron is going to add a new dimension to the Lions offense, but one of the reasons I was thrilled with the pick is -- He led all TE's in college in drop %. I believe that is something that can be fixed and hopefully will be, in regards to Ebron.

 

[Quackerjacked]

I'm not a huge fan of Ebron, but he should be a huge upgrade over Pettigrew/whoever would be on the field as the third or fourth wide receiver. He may have concentration drops, but no more than the guys he is replacing. He provides a size and athleticism mismatch that those can't. The problem was not only the drops, but the inability to create any separation. I think the drops will go down along with Stafford throwing more catchable balls. Many of his maligned passes were the result of having to put the ball in a hard to reach place because the receiver was barely open. Think of how many times you've seen Pettigrew get a pass that seems like he should be able to turn upfield and do some damage only to have a linebacker catch him like he is standing still.

OT over TE from a value stand point didn't make sense. Reiff was a good LT Waddle was a good RT.

I personally didn't like Dix or Pryor as much after watching them. Also the real upgrade we need is at strong safety not free, and neither fit that well.

We don't know what the offers were to trade down. There were absolutely no blue chips left.

The only two positions that could have been a bigger upgrade were corner or olb. I like Van Noy in the second more than Shazier in the first. If we aren't playing a lot of press man in the new scheme Dennard would have been a trouble pick.

As much as I didn't want him solely because of the dropsies, I like the pick the morr I look at other options. Would I have preferred to trade down? Yes, but if they thought he was that talented you only trade down if there is an over the top offer.

 

[Naughtymax]

Remember all this when we get an injury on the OL. If Ebron were a 'can't miss' guy I would feel differently, but he's definitely not. Nobody was making comparisons to elite TEs in the leadup to the draft. This guy is more Jermichael Finley to me than Vernon Davis.

And yes, I'd have preferred an elite talent at tackle (which is the consensus on Lewan - top 10 overall guy in the draft), or Donald, or a CB, or a safety over another weapon. There was nothing wrong with the offense last year and we already added a weapon in Golden Tate.

I am very happy with Waddle so far, but am not ready to declare him a gem after one year. Rieff neither, and injuries do happen.

This could all work out and we could have Tony Gonzalez II, but I doubt it. We drafted a 'no block' TE who drops passes. In other words, a more athletic Pettigrew except Pettigrew blocks.

 

[tpaulus_2]

The Lions biggest problems on offense were turnovers and dropped passes. They couldn't get out of their own way last year. Whether it was the running backs fumbling the ball or the 2nd half of the season when Stafford wanted to play catch with opposing cornerbacks -- They continually made mistakes.

Don't get me wrong -- I agree, Ebron is going to add a new dimension to the Lions offense, but one of the reasons I was thrilled with the pick is -- He led all TE's in college in drop %. I believe that is something that can be fixed and hopefully will be, in regards to Ebron.

Dude hasn't dropped a single pass in the NFL yet, let's not get the cart ahead of the horse here...

 

[tpaulus_2]

As much as I didn't want him solely because of the dropsies, I like the pick the more I look at other options. Would I have preferred to trade down? Yes, but if they thought he was that talented you only trade down if there is an over the top offer.

This. I was all-in for Aaron Donald, but I understand why they passed on him (3 technique, same as Suh, new defense won't necessarily call for basically two 3-technique DTs like Schwartz's did). Other than that our other potential targets, Gilbert, Barr, and Evans, were all gone, so Ebron really isn't a bad pick in hindsight.

There was really only him, Lewan, Donald, Beckham Jr., or Fuller/Dennard that would have made sense with that pick. I still would have preferred Donald, Lewan is a giant douche- his new teammates will beat the shit out of him in the locker room before camp is out (and that stupid fucking hipster hair? no room for that kind of pansy shit in the NFL...), Beckham Jr. is going to be sweet, mark my words, but Lions nation would have rioted if we took him at 10 (even though he went two picks later, lol), Fuller would have been my next pick after Donald, to be honest, and Dennard would have been a pretty huge reach, by the looks of it.

So, all-and-all, you're absolutely right: given who was still available, Ebron was a fine pick...

 

[tpaulus_2]

Also, the Vikings took Barr just in front of us and plan on playing him at OLB. If I'm Lombardi, I'm splitting Ebron out on Barr's side every time to force Barr to cover him, since coverage is his weak spot...

If he's struggling to cover our TE the whole game he's not doing what he does best, and that's rushing the passer. If they want him to blitz, they'll have to give him safety help, leaving the outside WR on that side (Megatron?) singled up.

Basically they gotta pick their poison on that one- force Barr to stay in coverage, or have Megatron singled-up. The other option is to roll the other safety over Ebron and still double Megatron, which leaves the entire back-side of the play being covered by one CB- send Tate deep and Bush in the flats and that defense is going to have their hands full, all because their new prized defender can't do a good portion of his job responsibilities...

 

[lionstop1]

The Lions biggest problems on offense were turnovers and dropped passes. They couldn't get out of their own way last year. Whether it was the running backs fumbling the ball or the 2nd half of the season when Stafford wanted to play catch with opposing cornerbacks -- They continually made mistakes.

Don't get me wrong -- I agree, Ebron is going to add a new dimension to the Lions offense, but one of the reasons I was thrilled with the pick is -- He led all TE's in college in drop %. I believe that is something that can be fixed and hopefully will be, in regards to Ebron.

Its a little more than that in my mind. They weren't converting, moving the chains at when they weren't turning the ball over. And if you really think about it, they didnt have a whole lot of playmakers outside of the RBs and CJ. Even the play calling wasn't great at times. The Lions were going for long periods of time without scoring and settling for FGS.

I wouldn't worry to much about Ebron's drops in college. Those types of things get reviewed on film as teams try to determine of its a real problem or not.

 

[lionstop1]

Remember all this when we get an injury on the OL. If Ebron were a 'can't miss' guy I would feel differently, but he's definitely not. Nobody was making comparisons to elite TEs in the leadup to the draft. This guy is more Jermichael Finley to me than Vernon Davis.

And yes, I'd have preferred an elite talent at tackle (which is the consensus on Lewan - top 10 overall guy in the draft), or Donald, or a CB, or a safety over another weapon. There was nothing wrong with the offense last year and we already added a weapon in Golden Tate.

I am very happy with Waddle so far, but am not ready to declare him a gem after one year. Rieff neither, and injuries do happen.

This could all work out and we could have Tony Gonzalez II, but I doubt it. We drafted a 'no block' TE who drops passes. In other words, a more athletic Pettigrew except Pettigrew blocks.

No other player available was classified as elite. Are the Lions really supposed to just sit Waddle down after one good year of football? How are they supposed to find out if his production was legit if they sit him?

 

[lionstop1]

Also, the Vikings took Barr just in front of us and plan on playing him at OLB. If I'm Lombardi, I'm splitting Ebron out on Barr's side every time to force Barr to cover him, since coverage is his weak spot...

If he's struggling to cover our TE the whole game he's not doing what he does best, and that's rushing the passer. If they want him to blitz, they'll have to give him safety help, leaving the outside WR on that side (Megatron?) singled up.

Basically they gotta pick their poison on that one- force Barr to stay in coverage, or have Megatron singled-up. The other option is to roll the other safety over Ebron and still double Megatron, which leaves the entire back-side of the play being covered by one CB- send Tate deep and Bush in the flats and that defense is going to have their hands full, all because their new prized defender can't do a good portion of his job responsibilities...

Boy, I like your thinking here......and this is just one example of how Ebron impacts the offense.

 

[Naughtymax]

No other player available was classified as elite. Are the Lions really supposed to just sit Waddle down after one good year of football? How are they supposed to find out if his production was legit if they sit him?

Let Lewan or Martin play guard year 1 and release Sims to get some cap space (not that I hated Sims, but cap space is cap space). Waddle can play as long as he's effective but now there's some redundancy on the line and the ability to shuffle in case of injury. Or move Waddle inside and play Lewan at RT. Or move Rieff and his short arms inside and let Lewan play LT.

THAT's the kind of luxury pick problem I'd like to have - the line is too good and talented and I can do too much with it.

At least you'd have those options - who are we releasing at TE this year now that we have 4 on the roster? I like Fauria and he's cheap. Pettigrew is going nowhere year 1 but could be released next year. Are we going to carry 4 TEs on a 53-man roster, or is Webster really gonna play DE?

 

[Old Lion]

I think we managed to pick up 2 lineman that will serve us well. No sense wasting an early round 1 pick on a guard. Swanson can backup all 3 interior line positions. Lucas can replace Hilliard as the swing tackle. In the meantime we got a tremendous TE prospect on top of it.

And the O-Line will still be so talented that you wont be able to do much more with it

Also, Webster will play DE.

 

[lionstop1]

Let Lewan or Martin play guard year 1 and release Sims to get some cap space (not that I hated Sims, but cap space is cap space). Waddle can play as long as he's effective but now there's some redundancy on the line and the ability to shuffle in case of injury. Or move Waddle inside and play Lewan at RT. Or move Rieff and his short arms inside and let Lewan play LT.

THAT's the kind of luxury pick problem I'd like to have - the line is too good and talented and I can do too much with it.

At least you'd have those options - who are we releasing at TE this year now that we have 4 on the roster? I like Fauria and he's cheap. Pettigrew is going nowhere year 1 but could be released next year. Are we going to carry 4 TEs on a 53-man roster, or is Webster really gonna play DE?

We keep all of the TEs. Lions may have have the best group in the league. I think Ebron takes one of the WR spots.

 

[lionstop1]

Swanson is like 6'6 320 and he can play guard also. Who says he cant push Sims for his spot?

 

[tpaulus_2]

Let Lewan or Martin play guard year 1 and release Sims to get some cap space (not that I hated Sims, but cap space is cap space). Waddle can play as long as he's effective but now there's some redundancy on the line and the ability to shuffle in case of injury. Or move Waddle inside and play Lewan at RT. Or move Rieff and his short arms inside and let Lewan play LT.

THAT's the kind of luxury pick problem I'd like to have - the line is too good and talented and I can do too much with it.

At least you'd have those options - who are we releasing at TE this year now that we have 4 on the roster? I like Fauria and he's cheap. Pettigrew is going nowhere year 1 but could be released next year. Are we going to carry 4 TEs on a 53-man roster, or is Webster really gonna play DE?

I think given that Ebron is basically a WR in our offense we'll role with 4 TEs and 5 WRs, rather than 3 TEs and 6 WRs.

That's just my opinion, but given the talent and skill-sets on our roster that's how I see it shaking out.

Also, I think Webster definitely was drafted as a DE- the analysts decided he could also play TE, although I think he did do some workouts at TE for teams as well...

 

[LucklessPadresFan]

You guys are stacked offensively, do you think Pettigrew or someone else might be on the trading block?

 

[tpaulus_2]

I think we managed to pick up 2 lineman that will serve us well. No sense wasting an early round 1 pick on a guard. Swanson can backup all 3 interior line positions. Lucas can replace Hilliard as the swing tackle. In the meantime we got a tremendous TE prospect on top of it.

And the O-Line will still be so talented that you wont be able to do much more with it

Also, Webster will play DE.

Love the thought process, but since he's only got two years at tackle and was undrafted, I see a year on the PS in his future before competing for that swing tackle spot in 2015. Jmo, but I think he needs a bit more seasoning at the pro level before the coaches are ready to trust him as a key reserve. Great UDFA pick-up, though; he has all the tools to thrive at the next level. We gave him a big bonus, though, to get him to sign with us, so maybe they do like him enough to keep him on the roster right out of the gates?