I know this is not a Detroit Lions board but I'm curious as to what your thinking is going into this draft... Do you think they should go BPA (Suh or McCoy) or protect their investment (Okung or Williams)? Personally I think with the draft being so deep on DTs they should go LT and try to pick-up a DT later in the draft (rd 2 or 3) but I know many fans are high on those two DT's... I'm asking because I think in their position it's pretty easy to decide who's the BPA (the DT's) and what is the prime position of need (LT). Talking about the Jets the concept is always getting mixed up because it's impossible to know who the BPA will be at #29... and I want to know what philosophy suits you guys best.
Many sites are predicting they'll take Suh... to me an article posted on Walterfootball explains very well why they shouldn't... plus an OL of: Okung, Backus, Raiola, Sims, Cherilus would be pretty good. If you draft a QB high and don't improve your OL you'll just ruin a player like the Texans did with Carr.
I'm not a HUGE fan of Okung, but he is the best OT in this draft. They have to protect their franchise, first and foremost.
Unless they feel that Okung is the next Pace/Ogden, they should take Suh and either stand pat and grab a tackle at 34, or move up to grab one that starts to slide a little bit.
A case can be made for either player, but to say the DT position is set because a rookie DT started last year is asinine. Hill has a long way to go to become a competent starter. And considering Williams hasn't played as a 4-3 DT in over 2 years, I'd say he's more of an unknown than a reliable starter. IMO, when you draft that high, you need guys that are game-changers, especially when you have only used one 1st rounder on a defensive player in the last decade. Kind of explains why their D has been historically bad the last few years, eh? I'd go with Suh.
Carr sucked. He had no pocket awareness and held onto the ball far too long. He also started his career with Boselli and our very own Ryan Young, who wasn't half bad. I agree with your point, though. Back on-topic, I took Suh. His talent is too high to pass up on. They can survive with picking up someone up like Davis or Campbell, or even Brown in the 2nd; one of them is bound to fall to 34. They're not Okung, but they're definite upgrades at OT.
I think they should take Suh just because he is an incredible beast, he should be a force for at least the next 10 years. They definitely could do with a LT though, and I'm not sure how much trade ammunition they have but they could do worse than trading up for one of the top LTs if someone slips.
All I know is this....The Lions' oline is a collective turd. I'm actually starting to believe they swung and missed on Cherilius now too..... When you draft a potential franchise QB....the next priority should be to protect him..whether it's thru free agency (they picked up R.Sims) or thru the draft. As awesome as Suh is.....if I'm Martin Mayhew....I select a LT with my first rounder...unless some other team (like Oakland or Seattle) offers me a boatload of picks to move up to my spot....and hope a player like T.Williams or Bulaga is there at 6 or 8.
From a long-time beat writer who retired a few years ago: Why should the Lions draft defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh second overall? Here’s what one former NFL coach told me recently: “They’ve got one player on defense.” That would be safety Louis Delmas.
Love ya, Millen. True, so does having a competent D that doesn't force your QB to throw 40 times per because they can actually get stops. Trade down would be ideal, just not likely.
Point is... if you don't get a LT in the first round it's very difficult to find one later on. On the other hand if you miss out on a DT there's still lot's of quality in rd 2 and possibly even 3. A rotation of Williams, Hill and a guy like LaMarr Houston would be very good IMO. Much better than taking Suh and a project at LT.
well...any educated fan will know....that once you have your franchise QB.... you build a team from the trenches outward. I'm not saying Suh would be a bad pick for your guys.....i'm saying...that the LT position would be a smarter pick. Plus...you guys signed Vandenbosch.....and Avril is no slouch either. I think fortifying your oline should be the priority...for Stafford's sake, and your run game.
As equal prospects at their respective positions, then it'd be a no-brainer; take the LT. I don't think they are even remotely close to equals, though, and there-in lies the problem. BTW, they could have made it easy and just taken Oher last year. But no, they had to go and fuck that up, too. I really hate this franchise.
i still think you guys could grab a suitable DT at the top of the 2nd round...like Mambo9 alluded to. L.Joseph Mount Cody B.Price L.Houston C.Thomas should all be available. Passing on an elite LT in the first round could be a huge mistake, IMO.
if you weren't so illiterate...you'd understand that i was agreeing with your post...but i amended it to say that the Lions SHOULD take Okung....and not just think it over. FYP = fixed your post.
The problem with the Lions is that they'd probably grab a guy like Best, if available, regardless of which way they went with the #2 overall. Honestly, I'd be happy if they went either way in the DT/OT debate in the first two rounds and then CB/RB in the 3rd. Suh/Saffold or Okung/Joseph both sound fine to me. Which means they'll probably go Berry/Dunlap or some retarded combo like that.
