Detroit Lions Weblog

Lions make statement with this year’s draft

The Lions sent shock waves through the football world by defying conventional wisdom and selecting Mike Williams on Saturday. Williams, projected by Mel Kiper as the best player in the draft, had fallen to the Lions and they could not resist selecting him as the best remaining player in the draft. The fact that they have utilized three straight number one draft picks on Wide Receivers sent some noted football talking heads into convulsions. Their were outcries of over the long-term damage this was going to do to their salary cap. How could the Lions front office ignore their need for defensive playmakers, was another commonly heard clarion call. I was at Ford Field Saturday and many fans were noticeably disappointed. I think that for once, Matt Millen and Steve Mariucci have made the correct decision.

In my eyes, Williams was one of the two best players for the Lions to consider in the draft. (The other being Derrick Johnson) Williams, with his strength and agility will be the sure-handed inside receiver who will punish would-be tacklers in the secondary and should solidify their deficiencies in converting 3rd downs and scoring in the “red zone”. Williams also provides an insurance policy for the potential continued fragility of Charles Rogers. I do believe, that Lion fans will be greatly disappointed if the Lions coaching staff does not utilize this wealth of talent to their benefit. If the offensive play-calling is still as tepid and unaggressive as it has been in recent seasons, their will be an outcry of fans calling for the heads of Steve Mariucci and Ted Tollner. No one player will benefit more from the selection of Williams than Kevin Jones. If the Lions spread the field with more three wide receiver formations, Jones will have more running lanes in which to carve up opposing defenses. I wonder if Williams might not become a Tight End down the road, even if Matt Millen has denied the likelihood of that happening. Salary Cap implications aside, (will his salary be out of whack with what a NFL Tight End gets paid?) I think Williams lack of speed and large frame may necessitate him eventually converting to the position. His skills should translate well to the position if a switch is necessary.

Many analysts, have been critical of the Lions trading up four spots to select Defensive Linemen, Shaun Cody when they very well have been able to select him where they were scheduled to draft. Few prognosticators questioned the value of his versatility or his ability to make plays and rush the passer. I like the pick. Cody, will mix in nicely with Corey Redding and Jared DeVries into their defensive line rotation. He will allow Dick Jauron to make decisions to utilize each players strengths and not over-expose their weaknesses, at least in theory. Also, with Big Daddy Wilkinson’s age, the team had to consider finding a long term replacement for him. It is apparent that the Lions had Cody graded very highly if they moved up to select him, especially over his Oklahoma counterpart, Dan Cody, who is a natural edge rusher. If Shaun Cody is able to effectively rush the passer from the middle of the defense, he will provide the organization with an even more difficult to find commodity, a differential pass rusher who plays defensive tackle. I am very excited about this selection even if it doesn’t remedy any immediate needs. I am also concerned that by selecting Cody, the Lions have been blinded from Kalimba Edward’s poor performance because of his injury history and his still exciting combination of size and speed. At this point, I believe Kalimba Edwards is the second most disappointing player on the roster (Harrington would be the first, of course).

The Lions third round selection was Stanford cornerback, Stanley Wilson. Many analysts are also critical of Wilson because he seems to be a poor tackler and is a high-ceiling player due to his speed and size, but is still not all that accomplished with his coverage techniques. I again, like the Wilson pick. I think though he is a project, he has exhibited a lot improvement each season. The Lions don’t seem to need an immediate contributor in their defensive backfield, even with it’s apparent weaknesses. They have the depth that they want and once the top 3 corners came off the draft board, they knew that any remaining players would probably not be able to contibute immediately. With the hopefully continued improvement of players like Andre Goodman, Chris Cash, and Keith Smith, Wilson can be a useful special teams contributor who with coaching and valuable experience may be developed into a future contributor on the defense.

The three remaining Lions draft selections were QB Dan Orlovsky, DE Bill Swancutt, and DE/LB Jonathan Goddard. They are all long shots to have any sort of immediate impact as contributors. With Orlovsky, the Lions aquired a classic prototype pocket-passer, who should perform well in a West Coast offensive system, even if he lacks the desired mobility of most successful West Coast QB’s. Orlovsky, single-handedly brought the Connecticut football porgram to division one respectability with his performance. Orlovsky had poor workouts and his stock drop considerably before the draft. I belive that Orlovsky will make the team and possibly in a couple of years exhibit the potential to be a reliable backup.

I really like DE Bill Swancutt’s selection. He has been described as a “poor man’s David Pollack.” He is an overachiever, who, when faced with doubts over his physical potential and has responded by continually performing well in the face of low expectations.

Jonathan Goddard, is a long shot to make the team. He could be an undersized pass rushing specialist or an outside linebacker. Either way his selection is a message to Kalimba Edwards to either contribute immediately or start considering another profession. Goddard’s track record as a pass rusher makes him very intriguing.