The one thing

[lionstop1]

Not only that TP but the team needs guys that will take all that attention off CJ. Bush will help, but I think Robinson could've brought an interesting dynamic to that too.

 

[RobBase]

None of Milliner's injuries provide question marks. If he had major surgery on his knees or something -- I would understand the talk about his injury history. He didn't miss a single game, to my knowledge, in college though.

Also -- the Lions couldn't have drafted Jenkins over Broyles -- Jenkins was picked 39th. Broyles was picked 54th.

Milliner didn't miss any games but he had yet another injury after the season, and heading into the draft. Can he play through constant injuries in the pros? Those are the question marks about Milliner. As it turns out, he technically wasn't even the 1st CB drafted when you consider the fact that Oakland was going to draft DJ Hayden at 3 if they were unable to trade down. I guess it came down to a guy with 1 freak injury is safer than a guy who's always injured with smaller stuff.

Jenkins/Broyles how much would it have cost to trade up 15-20 spots? They do that and get Jenkins they don't need to draft 3 other CB's in the later round.

 

[Cleaves2000]

He's just a playmaker, I was hoping we got him as well...Jackonsivlle got him in the 5th round.....The Lions took a punter......

He will be fun to watch on sundays, not sure our punter will be as much fun to watch.

You sound like charlie brown muzzer........i gotta rock.

 

[TrustMeIamRight]

Milliner didn't miss any games but he had yet another injury after the season, and heading into the draft. Can he play through constant injuries in the pros? Those are the question marks about Milliner. As it turns out, he technically wasn't even the 1st CB drafted when you consider the fact that Oakland was going to draft DJ Hayden at 3 if they were unable to trade down. I guess it came down to a guy with 1 freak injury is safer than a guy who's always injured with smaller stuff.

Jenkins/Broyles how much would it have cost to trade up 15-20 spots? They do that and get Jenkins they don't need to draft 3 other CB's in the later round.

While it wouldn't suprise me to see a team, like Oakland, who have spent 1st round picks on such players as Darius Heyward-Bey, Rolando McClain, Jamarcus Russell and Robert Gallery recently, take Hayden #3 overall. There is no way you can say it was fact that they were going to.

I do agree about Jenkins -- if the Lions could have drafted him, they could have spent those picks elsewhere. But as I'm told by so many people on this site -- Hindsight is 20/20. I don't blame Detroit for passing on him, as his off the field stuff was just too much to risk on a high draft pick.

 

[tpaulus_2]

You gotta remember that Al Davis is gone, though, and Oakland is under completely different management. Reggie McKenzie (sp) came from the Green Bay staff, who are far more conservative in their draft and free agency approach. No more of those crazy, head scratcher picks for them... that title apparently now goes to Phil Emery and the Chicago Bears. They're 2 for 2 on major first round reaches in his tenure as the Bears GM. As long as he's in charge I have the warm fuzzy feeling that the Bears will be the Norris basement dwellers...

 

[jdwills126]

I don't know TP the pick of Hayden left me scratching my head. I had about 5 CBs ahead of him. Milliner, Trufant, Rhodes, Banks, Amerson, and even Slay I liked better.

 

[Quackerjacked]

No this isn't the right thread for what you said. Maybe if you said trade our last three picks to get Denard in the 5th in front of Jacksonville. You could have also said take Denard in the 4th and hope the they could get their defensive end in the fifth. This is a what do you wish Mayhew would have done at the place he was picking, not what we would have changed about other teams' drafts to allow Robinson to be available at our 5th round pick.

 

[Quackerjacked]

Hmmm.... I don't see any of the posts I was replying to. Making the above look like a very crazy rant.

I don't know what I would have done differently. The Ansah pick really grew on me. I don't know that much about Slay except that he is fast and excels in man to man which works for the Lions. Love the Warford pick. The 4th round DE looks like a veritable steal. I don't like drafting a punter, but we needed one desperately. After that it's really hard to get nitpicky about 6th and 7th rounders.

 

[TrustMeIamRight]

I don't know TP the pick of Hayden left me scratching my head. I had about 5 CBs ahead of him. Milliner, Trufant, Rhodes, Banks, Amerson, and even Slay I liked better.

I agree -- I was actually suprised by the Hayden pick by Oakland. I thought they would have taken Floyd. The injury Hayden sustained and the fact they really have no one else to compare it against would have been enough for me to pass on him (even though it was a freak accident).

If I had to rate where I would put Hayden ranked against the other CBs if he had a clean bill of health. I would have put him behind Milliner, Rhodes and Trufant. Obviously the Raiders felt differently. I do like what Oakland did in the first 4 rounds of the draft though.

 

[tpaulus_2]

Hmmm.... I don't see any of the posts I was replying to. Making the above look like a very crazy rant.

 

[TBBishop]

Knowing now that Denard would be gone by our 5th round pick, I would have jumped on him in the fourth or traded above Jax. I wouldn't have taken a Punter in the 5th, Punters/Kickers are for the 7th unless they are just special. I want to take a shot at Manti Te'o and the idea of taking him over Slay but I know I'd just be taking a shot to take a shot so I'll leave it alone.

 

[jdwills126]

Jesse Williams who was drafted in the Lions 5th round slot would have been a really good pick.

Denard would have at least helped with the return game. But DRob went right about when he should have.

 

[Coach_Ed_LPW]

I didn't like the trade down move.

 

[tpaulus_2]

Williams would have been a good pick for sure. Wouldn't have faulted that pick at all.

However, don't mind the trade down because it landed us a major upgrade at punter, which sounds lame, but think of how badly all those shitty punts affected us last year... We win the Indy game with a regular, run-of-the-mill NFL punt, rather than the 28 yard disaster that Harris hooked out at the 40 fucking yard line. Plus, with the extra pick we landed Riddick, who was my least pick of the draft initially. But he's grown on me a ton now that I realize he's a hybrid RB/slot WR... Basically he gives us insurance in case Bush gets hurt so that we'll still have a good pass-catching back to use. At the very least I think he'll be a younger upgrade to Kevin Smith as our #4 RB...

 

[RobBase]

I actually agree with TPaul about the Punter. Normally, I would fucking hate that pick but fact is we lost TWO games last year strictly due to poor punting/kick offs/Special teams. At this point, ANYTHING that helps fix this massive mess is cool with me, even if it means taking a P in the 5th round. The kid from ND appears to factor in too as a new KR/PR weapon.

I like that P/RB combo more than getting DRob. DRob can't catch. He can't run routes. He can't break tackles and he can't take hits. He's fast. That's it. I don't think he pans out in the NFL. Especially getting drafted by Jax.

 

[K.J.Ester]

I would not have been afraid of Milliner's injury history. They have all been minor injuries and he didnt miss a lot of time. He was still the best CB in the draft hands down IMO. That being said, the Ansah pick has won me over some. People (I was too) are so afraid of his lack of experience. But you have to also consider that even with that lack of experience, this kid is so freaking good, every expert had him going in the first round. And early in the round! As a DE he doesnt need to learn a lot of route running and coverage tactics and so on like other positions. His position, IMO, is likely one of the easiest in the game to learn. Especially on the Wide-9. "Go get the QB and if you can get the RB on the way, do that.... if he has the ball!"

If Slay works out as a starting CB, the Lions Defense will be so much improved and likely better than if they would have drafted Milliner and Hunt, Like I wanted.

.......

I dont like taking a punter in the mid rounds.

I would like to have seen them somehow get DR. If used as a Slash, I think he would have made this offense much more dynamic and hard to stop.

All in all however, I am happy right now and am more than willing to see what happens. My ONLY wish for the Lions to change now, is that they start using a lead blocker a lot more!

 

[tpaulus_2]

I don't think anyone is crazy about drafting a punter, but when we stop and think about it, who's gonna make a bigger impact out of a 5th round draft slot than he will for us?

Maybe, maaaaaaybe, we get lucky and find a gem in the 5th, but the odds are stacked well against that happening. At least this kid will play in every game and have a major hand (or foot, as it were) in the field position battle.

Certainly not a sexy pick, but a safe pick that fills a big hole...

 

[tpaulus_2]

My ONLY wish for the Lions to change now, is that they start using a lead blocker a lot more!

Unfortunately for you that's just not going to happen. Our offensive philosophy isn't to run a power game w/ a lead blocker very often. We're a spread-them-out and run to the open seems kind of team.

HOWEVER, you should be very happy with the Michael Williams pick. The coaches are already referring to him as an H-back, rather than a TE, so that means they'll be using him out of the backfield as well as at TE. He's a big mauler of a run blocker, so at least in the 3rd and short situations, or on the goal line, we'll have a big old lead blocker out there.

So there's some good there for you- we have a better "FB" then we've had in a while, but I still wouldn't get your hopes up that we'll be using him a ton...

 

[TrustMeIamRight]

I don't think anyone is crazy about drafting a punter, but when we stop and think about it, who's gonna make a bigger impact out of a 5th round draft slot than he will for us?

I know I hated Detroit spending a pick on a punter and I still do. My only reason being -- Detroit could have drafted him in the 7th or as an unsigned FA. Even if the guy they drafted was taken by someone else (only 2 punters were drafted in the entire draft) -- Detroit would have had a lot of guys available who weren't drafted:

Ryan Allen averaged 48 yards per punt in 2012 and 52.5 yards per punt at the Senior Bowl in 5 punts. Went undrafted.

Brad Wing -- averaged 45 yards per punt and had 19 punts of 50+ yards. Went undrafted.

Quinn Sharp -- averaged 46 yards per punt and also handled the FG duties and hit 28 of 33. Went undrafted.

Alex Dunnachie -- averaged 46 yards per punt with a long of 73 yards. Went undrafted.

IMO, I like the fact the Lions brought in a punter, but disagree spending a 5th round pick on one. Also didn't like the fact that Martin only averaged 39-40 yards his 1st 3 years, before having a breakout year in 2012.

 

[gandydancer]

I know I hated Detroit spending a pick on a punter and I still do. My only reason being -- Detroit could have drafted him in the 7th or as an unsigned FA. Even if the guy they drafted was taken by someone else (only 2 punters were drafted in the entire draft) -- Detroit would have had a lot of guys available who weren't drafted:

Ryan Allen averaged 48 yards per punt in 2012 and 52.5 yards per punt at the Senior Bowl in 5 punts. Went undrafted.

Brad Wing -- averaged 45 yards per punt and had 19 punts of 50+ yards. Went undrafted.

Quinn Sharp -- averaged 46 yards per punt and also handled the FG duties and hit 28 of 33. Went undrafted.

Alex Dunnachie -- averaged 46 yards per punt with a long of 73 yards. Went undrafted.

IMO, I like the fact the Lions brought in a punter, but disagree spending a 5th round pick on one. Also didn't like the fact that Martin only averaged 39-40 yards his 1st 3 years, before having a breakout year in 2012.

Easy to say after the draft. Not saying all would have been gone... just saying they got their guy. He turns into Colquit will you accept it?