53 Man Roster Predictions

[tpaulus_2]

It's getting to be that time- we're post draft now and the roster spot battles are beginning to take shape.

Stake your guesses to who you think will make the final 53 man roster out of camp... Obviously there's still going to be some additions to that group who aren't on the roster yet, but we can always edit as we go. There's at least enough to get started anyhow...

 

[tpaulus_2]

Tpaul's guess:

QB:
Matthew Stafford
Shaun Hill
Kellen Moore

RB:
Reggie Bush
Mikel Leshoure
Joique Bell
Theo Riddick

TE:
Brandon Pettigrew
Tony Scheffler
Michael Williams
Joesph Fauria

WR:
Calvin Johnson
Nate Burleson
Ryan Broyles
Mike Thomas
Corey Fuller
Kassim Osgood (ST)

OT:
Riley Reiff
Jason Fox
Corey Hilliard
LaAdrian Waddle

OG/C:
Rob Sims
Larry Warford
Bill Nagy
Rodney Austin

DE:
Ezekial Ansah
Jason Jones
Devin Taylor
Willie Young
Ronnell Lewis

DT:
Ndamukong Suh
Nick Fairley
CJ Mosley

LB:
Stephen Tulloch
DeAndre Levy
Tahir Whitehead
Ashlee Palmer
Travis Lewis
Carmen Messina

CB:
Chris Houston
Bill Bentley
Darrius Slay
Chris Greenwood
Jonte Green
Ron Bartell

Safety:
Glover Quin
Louis Delmas
Don Carey
Amari Spievey
John Wendling

Specialists:
K- Havard Rugland
P- Sam Martin
LS- Don Mulbach


Just Missed/Likely Practice Squad:
Ricardo Silva, Tyrell Johnson, Conroy Black, Kris Durham, Patrick Edwards, Skyler Allen, Ross Weaver, Shaun Chapas, Dylan Gandy, David Akers, Blake Clingan, Steven Miller, Austin Holtz, Devin Thomas, Dominic Raiola

 

[lions_rthe_best]

that's got to be wishful thinking there is no way Raiola isn't are starting center this year even tho I wish he wasn't because he is god awful we all know he will be no way he goes from captain to not on the roster

 

[tpaulus_2]

His salary was re-worked as such that he can be cut before the season starts without hurting the cap very much. The staff is also pretty high on Nagy, and now, with the addition of Warford, it looks like Nagy's chance for starting spot will come at center.

I've read from Mlive, the Free Press, and Tim Twentyman that Nagy and Raiola will have a legitimate competition for the spot, and I happen to think Nagy wins it. He's bigger, stronger and the future at the position. Dom has been a stallwart for the last decade and knows all the calls well, but I think his time is up and the young kid sends him on down the road...

 

[gandydancer]

I like seeing DOM gone also...just don't know if it happens. We need more DT help. DO you see a FA or Corey resigning? Maybe Jason Jones playing both??

 

[tpaulus_2]

That 4th DT spot could go two or three ways, as I see it.

Option one is to just roll with the 3 we have now, and let Jason Jones serve as the 4th rotational guy. Given that it looks like we'll keep 5 DEs, this is the scenario I see as most likely right now.

The next most likely scenario, imo, is bringing in a free agent. Corey Williams makes an awful lot of sense to me, if bringing in a FA is how they decide to go.

Lastly, UDFA Micahel Brooks could step up and claim the role with a strong camp. Alternately, incumbent DTs Jimmy Saddler-McQueen or Nwagbuo Ogemdi could also lay claim to the spot, although I'd have to handicap any of those 3 making the final 53 man roster as highly unlikely.



Unless we're going to carry 9 d-linemen I think we just go with the 3 we have since Jason Jones can rotate at both spots. If that's the case then we probably keep two DTs on the practice squad in case of injury. Brooks really isn't a terrible prospect for a UDFA. He's a great p-sqaud candidate. The Lions also liked Ogemdi's skill-set last year, so he's a good bet to make the p-squad again this season.

That all being said, if Corey Williams will play for the veteran minimum then he'll likely push the 53rd man off the roster, imo...

 

[jdwills126]

I think Detroit will be a player for a cut OT at some point but with just guys they have under contract or expected contract -

QBs 3

Stafford
Hill
Moore (on bubble depending on how Carder plays)

RBs 4

Bush
LeShoure
Bell
Riddick


O-Line 8

Reiff
Sims
Nagy
Raiola
Hilliard
Warford
Fox
Waddle

TEs 4

Pettigrew
Scheffler
Williams
Fauria

Wide Outs 6

Calvin Johnson
Nate Burleson
Ryan Broyles
Fuller
Mike Thomas (Bubble)
Devin Thomas (Bubble)



D-Line 8

Jones
Fairley
Suh
Ansah
Young
Lewis
Taylor
Nwagbuo (bubble)


LBs 6

Tulloch
Levy
Palmer
Whitehead
Travis Lewis
Hepburn


CBs 6

Houston
Slay
Bentley
Green
Bartell
Greenwood

Safety 5

Quinn
Delmas
Spievey
Carey
Wendling

Kicker - 1

Akers


Punter - 1

Martin

Long Snapper - 1

Muhlbach

I am guessing the holder is a roster player and Mike Thomas is the return guy as of now.

 

[tpaulus_2]

I think Detroit will be a player for a cut OT at some point but with just guys they have under contract or expected contract

Agreed- we need a 4th tackle, and I think that player isn't on the team right now.

I went with LaAdrian Waddle as the 4th OT, but he's better suited to play inside at guard by the sounds of it. I see him as a practice squad guy this year, but with an impressive camp his ability to back up guard or tackle may win him a roster spot. The fact that he started at LT for the last 3 years at Texas Tech, a spread passing offense, bodes well for him given our affinity for throwing the football.

Overall, though, I don't think he's quite there yet and I think we bring in a veteran reserve that gets cut elsewhere to be the #4 tackle behind Hilliard or Fox, whichever one doesn't win the starting RT spot...

 

[tpaulus_2]

D-Line 8

Jones
Fairley
Suh
Ansah
Young
Lewis
Taylor
Nwagbuo (bubble)

I think you may have missed CJ Mosley? I don't see him not making the roster, as he was signed this off-season to be our 3rd DT in the rotation. I could be wrong, of course, but all indications are he'll be in the rotation...

 

[tpaulus_2]

Looks like, aside from a player or two, we've got basically the same roster.

I like that you kept 4 TEs and 6 CBs...

 

[jdwills126]

I like Waddle and if he is close I think he makes it as a team will grab him before he makes it to the practice squad.

The other area is the TE/H-Back. I could see that getting paired down if the Lions add a true FB. Where is Jerome Felton when you need him. D. Curry is a project TE and I don't seeing him beating out a true TE.

I hate to give Mike Thomas a spot when he doesn't do any one thing great. Just passable as a scat back, average to below receiver, and not a difference maker as a return guy. But still better than Stefan Logan.

 

[jdwills126]

I think you may have missed CJ Mosley?

Yes.... I didn't think about him but when we start talking about that spot I think the Lions will try to bring Corey Williams back. I would not be surprised to see a Jones move inside and the Lions make a play for a mentor DE like Dwight Freeney either.

 

[jdwills126]

This is about the first off season the Lions will have real competition at the DB spot - both CB and safeties.

 

[tpaulus_2]

I like Waddle and if he is close I think he makes it as a team will grab him before he makes it to the practice squad.

The other area is the TE/H-Back. I could see that getting paired down if the Lions add a true FB. Where is Jerome Felton when you need him. D. Curry is a project TE and I don't seeing him beating out a true TE.

I hate to give Mike Thomas a spot when he doesn't do any one thing great. Just passable as a scat back, average to below receiver, and not a difference maker as a return guy. But still better than Stefan Logan.

Agreed about Waddle. 6'6" 330 lbs and 36" arms is a helluva package for an o-lineman, imo. I think you're absolutely right that he'd get sniped off the p-squad if we tried that route.

As for the H-back role, that's Michael Williams to a tee... I just posted about him on the other thread you were talking about h-backs on (don't remember which one right off the top of my head, lol). The coaches are calling him an H-back, not a TE, if that means anything to you?

I think you're selling Thomas a bit short. We didn't see his true potential due to that mid-season trade hurting his ability to digest the playbook and get in the same page with Stafford. I agree that he's a passable scat-back and return man, but I'd say he's an above average slot receiver. Look at how productive he was in a crappy Jax offense with a sub-par QB.

I posted this on the "Mike Thomas" thread, but I see him putting up much better numbers this year. My guess is something along the lines of 35 receptions for 400-ish yards and 3 or 4 TDs and aprox 40-45 carries for about 250 yards and another TD.

Still not a major impact, but 600 or so yards on offense with 4 or 5 TD is a decent output as a bit-player in our offense. Basically, I don't see him ever being a focal point on offense, but rather one of a few guys who has the talent to take advantage of the opposing D having to devote resources to Megatron, Bush and the TEs... he's the odd-man-out when it comes to double coverage and he's got the speed to take it to the house any time he touches the ball.

So to be clear- I don't think he'll be an impact player, but I do think he'll be a good role player off the bench for us. As the 4th WR he offers a lot of speed and the ability to line up in the backfield and run the ball against a nickel or dime defense, plus he can factor into the return game like you said above- that's the kind of versatility that coaches love out of bottom of the roster type players.

 

[tpaulus_2]

I think you may have missed CJ Mosley?

Yes.... I didn't think about him but when we start talking about that spot I think the Lions will try to bring Corey Williams back. I would not be surprised to see a Jones move inside and the Lions make a play for a mentor DE like Dwight Freeney either.

I agree that Williams may be in the mix for a return (I hope so, at least), but I don't think that'd be at the expense of Mosley. They targeted him for a reason, imo.

I think if we keep only 3 DTs then Jones will get reps inside out of necessity, and since were likely to keep 5 DEs I think this is a pretty likely scenario.

Idk about Freeney- I think he could help us, but signing him would mean cutting Ronnell Lewis or Willie Young, which I don't think is likely at this time...

 

[Kreton]

I am not sure who gets left out at another position, but I think Akers, and Kickalicious are both part of our 53 man roster.

 

[tpaulus_2]

This is about the first off season the Lions will have real competition at the DB spot - both CB and safeties.

Hells yeah- Houston is one starting CB, but the other two spots are wide open. Slay, Bartell, Bentley, Green and Greenwood are all in the mix for the second outside spot, and Bentley and Greenwood are both real possibilities for the 3rd starting spot in the slot. Should be great for the defense to actually have capable (and big) CBs battling for playing time.

At safety the battle for the two reserve spots between Don Carey, Ricardo Silva, Amari Spievey and Tyrell Johnson should be a good one.

I think Carey gets the #3 spot based on his quality play last season, but that final spot could go to either of the other 3 guys...

 

[tpaulus_2]

I am not sure who gets left out at another position, but I think Akers, and Kickalicious are both part of our 53 man roster.

With the addition of Martin in the draft, I can't see us keeping two kickers. Martin can handle the kickoffs, so I think it comes down to whichever kicker shows better accuracy and range on the field goals...

 

[Vader]

that's got to be wishful thinking there is no way Raiola isn't are starting center this year even tho I wish he wasn't because he is god awful we all know he will be no way he goes from captain to not on the roster

wasn't KVB a captain last year?

 

[tpaulus_2]

KVB and Corey Williams.

I've been stumping for Karlos Dansby at Durrants old spot, he was a captain for the Fins last season, so it definitely happens... Being a captain won't assure you a roster spot...