Detroit Lions Weblog

Do You Wonder Why the Lions Have Been Terrible?1999-2005 Draft Recap Part Two

2004 DRAFT
RD 1 Traded to Cleveland
RD 1 Roy Williams WR Texas
RD 1 Kevin Jones RB Virginia Tech
RD 2 Traded to Kansas City
RD 2 Teddy Lehman LB Oklahoma
RD 3 Keith Smith CB McNeese St.
RD 4 Traded to Kansas City
RD 5 Alex Lewis LB Wisconsin
RD 6 Kelley Butler OT Purdue

Roy Williams and Kevin Jones have Pro Bowl-caliber talent. It a testament to the failure of the previous coaching staff that neither have met their potential yet. Jones in particular was sorely underutilized by the previous regime. Williams seems to have motivational issues but has shown flashes of brilliance. Teddy Lehman is expected to become the team’s Middle Linebacker after playing on the weakside in the last two seasons. Lehman has the athletic ability to drop back into coverage in the new Tampa-2 zone defense to help shore up the middle of the field between the safeties, a weak spot in the defensive scheme. It still remains to be seen that Lehman will have developed the necessary upper body strength to meet blockers in hole and win the battle at the point of attack. Keith Smith showed considerable potential in his first season but appears to have regressed a bit last year. Smith may have difficulty playing the role of a physical jammer at CB in the new zone defensive scheme. Seemingly Alex Lewis fits well as Weakside LB in the Lions scheme and showed flashes as a rookie. With the selection of Ernie Sims it is debatable what Lewis’s future role may be. Butler has become a starter, who struggled last season, and will face stiff competition from T’s Courtney Van Buren, Barry Stokes, and ‘06 draftee Jonathan Scott.

Players Still on NFL rosters: 6/6
Legitimate Contributors: 4/6 (Jones, Williams, Lehman, Butler)
Players whose performance has equaled or exceeded their value of where they were drafted: 5/6 (Jones, Williams, Lehman, Butler, Lewis)

Grade C+ If Jones, Williams, and Lehman meet expectations this grade could rise significantly. Butler was a steal at his draft slot, but has yet to develop into the player the team has hoped for. Smith and Lewis’s future roles are debatable, although both will receive ample opportunity to gain a roster spot. If there is one player on the team who should benefit from the new offensive coaching staff it should be Kevin Jones who should find some more space to run if the QB’s and O-Line perform like I believe they might be able to in the new Mike Martz designed offensive scheme.

2005 DRAFT
RD 1 Mike Williams WR USC
RD 2 Shaun Cody DT USC
RD 3 Stanley Wilson, Jr. CB Stanford
RD 4 Traded
RD 5 Dan Orlovsky QB UCONN
RD 6 Bill Swancutt DE Oregon State
RD 7 Johnathan Goddard LB Marshall

Mike Williams selection last season has added considerable tinder to the firestorm that has surrounded Matt Millen’s tenure. Williams, who missed one complete season of football prior to his ‘05 selection, came to the team raw, out of shape, and somewhat lacking in focus. Williams selection would have been controversial even if his selection hadn’t followed the selection of two more first round WR’s in preceeding seasons. Williams’s development could make or break the tenure of Millen after the failures of Harrington and C. Rogers. Shaun Cody should continue to develop into a major contributor, especially if “Big Daddy” Dan Wilkinson retires as expected. Stanley Wilson, Jr. contributed virtually nothing as a raw third rounder last year. That being said, Wilson could flourish in the new defensive scheme with his size and athleticism. Dan Orlovsky may be the odd man out in the new offensive scheme. The Lions like his apparent leadership ability but it is debatable whether he can consistently make the throws necessary to become a NFL starter. Bill Swancutt has been a capable special teams performer who may struggle to get into the D-Line rotation. Swancutt is a high effort player so he should ingratiate himself with the new coaching staff. Goddard is playing linebacker for the Colts and may have fit as a WLB in the new defense if given the opportunity.(He was released at the end of training camp last year)

Players still on NFL rosters: 6/6
Legitimate Contributors: 1/6 (Cody)
Players whose performance equaled or exceeded the value of where they were selected in the draft: 3/6 (Cody, Swancutt, Goddard)

Draft Grade D if Williams and Wilson, Jr. can develop as contributors this grade could come up a bit. Williams was misused by the previous staff and will have develop a stronger focus and get into better playing shape to have future opportunities. Wilson, Jr. is a wild card. He contributed little last year but with his athletic ability he could contribute greatly in upcoming seasons. Cody has the ability to excel in the new defense but will have to add bulk to be more of a physical, run stuffer on the inside if he is going to be an every down performer. Orlovsky and Swancutt’s futures are dubious, however both appear to have the desirable character and work ethics that could allow them to hang on long enough to develop into future contributors.

Overall Stats:
Players Still on NFL rosters: 39/51
Players Who have been Legitimate Contributors: 21/51
Players who have equaled or exceeded their draft value: 28/51

1st round Busts: 4, possibly 5 (Mike Williams?) out of last 7
Rounds 4-7 Successes(Draft Steals): 0, Potentially Kelley Butler OT otherwise the bottom of the Lions draft has contributed little to the team but players like Kriewaldt, Boone, Glenn, Murphy, McMahon and Owens have hung on elsewhere. Alex Lewis and Bill Swancutt still have a chance to develop into steady contributors.

Overall Grade:D The team’s record speaks for itself. It is hard for an already struggling franchise to overcome busted draft picks, coaching and schematic changes, and grossly underachieving talent. It is an even larger testament to the team’s front office failures in the league with the most parity of all of the major sports that the Lions have been a miserable failure who hasn’t even received a vague sniff of the playoffs in nearly 10 years. Any wonder why fans chanted “Fire Millen” after Ernie Sims was selected in 2006 draft? They have lost all confidence in the team’s ability to scout and develop it’s talent, which is so crucial in developing a winnning franchise.

To Millen’s defense, the previous front office actually did a much worse job than he has so he has faced a considerably daunting situation to overcome. Still his blustery demeanor, embarassing coaching hires, and poor drafts make all of the criticism he receives necessary and warranted. The failure to draft a potential franchise QB (Matt Leinart or Jay Cutler) when that choice fell unexpectedly into his lap may be the final mark of failure (the creme de la creme?) during his checkered tenure. I am glad that they didn’t choose either player, but, invariably if the Lions drafted these Qb’s they would have assumed their place in a long line of QB failures (Harrington, Ware, Long, et al) since Bobby Layne left the team in 1957. Since they were drafted by other franchises, it is INCREASINGLY likely that they will become Pro Bowlers, Hall of Famers, or at the very least consistent performers to build around. The Lion’s fans lament continues…….