Prince Amukamara ALSO Out Indefinitely With Foot Injury

A great many Lions fans were hell bent on drafting a CB this year. While we weren't going to be able to pick up the "Sure thing" lock-down CB Patrick Peterson from LSU, many still believed that there was much talent to be had at the CB position regardless, and the #2 guy on many charts was Amukamara.

With news that our 1st round pick Nick Fairley would be out for an extended period with a foot issue of his own, many were complaining still about not taking a CB. Today we found out that Prince Amukamara himself is basically going to be our for several weeks as well, so in the end it appears that every road would have lead to failure with out 1st round draft pick this year. Hopefully neither are found needing to do motorhome repair anytime soon with injury plagued careers.

"@NYPost_Schwartz
Paul Schwartz
Prince Amukamara fractures fifth metatarsal in left foot. Needs surgery, Out indefinitely. There goes his rookie season. #NYG"

2011 NFL Draft Lions 5th Round: Doug Hogue

So after all the picks being traded away the Lions next pick didn't come until the 5th round.

Doug Hogue OLB, Syracuse

So it looks like for the casual, blackheads on nose fan of the Lions took their first position of real need here. Before that arguments could be made that they didn't, although we know better that those were still needs. Just not top of the list.

Doug Hogue is an interesting prospect. He was brought to Syracuse as a RB. He played his first two years there as a RB. Then he was asked to jump over to the other side of the ball and play the other position he played in high school: LB. So when he was drafted he had only been playin gLB for 2 years at the college level, and boy did he play.

Hogue made the Big East All Conference 1st team in his second year playing the position. A feat that I think most can respect him for at the very least. It shows that he is a good athlete and a football player to switch positions and play at such a high level.

Most argue that he was the best player on the Syracuse defense, and it is hard to argue. In his first season there he put up phenomenal numbers behind the line of scrimmage. Along with 72 tackles he had 9.5 sacks and 16 tackles for loss. His second year he had 94 tackles with 10.5 TFL and 3 sacks. When he left Syracuse he was 9th on their all-time list with 26.5 TFL in only 25 games played.

Numbers like that have to get you a little excited no? Playing behind our beast DL you have to love that this is a guy who spends so much time in the backfield.

I have also read that he is an above average coverage LB, and is good at taking on HBs out of the backfield. Good in open space. I have also read that he might have tackling problems though. Something that is a detriment to a LB.

This guy is clearly a project. He will likely make the team as a STer this year, and maybe he will improve enough to earn a role on the defense. I like the pick and the possible upside at least. The guy did a lot in little time and I think that shows he has a very good chance to improve, but he was a 5th rounder so we aren't out if he doesn't.

Detroit Lions 2011: Draft Round 2

This was the round where all the real action took place. The Lions ended up with 2 picks in this round after a trade up from their 3rd rounder. The trade ended up costing the Lions their 3rd and 4th round picks as well as swaps with Seattle of their 5th and 7th rounders. This had the Lions jump up to the 57th pick while no longer having any picks in the 3rd, or 4th round.

Titus Young WR, Boise St.

The first pick for the Lions in the 2nd round was likely the more controversial of the two, and most controversial of the 2011 draft for the Lions. First of all, most fans probably saw the position of WR selected and made a collective sigh. Titus Young out of the offensive juggernaut at Boise State was the man that was called with the Lions 2nd pick of the draft.

I have to admit that even after reading glowing reviews about Titus that I still am not on board with taking him in the 2nd round. I'm sure this guy has all kinds of potential and surely we needed another WR. Fact of the matter is that we took a #3 WR in the 2nd round. Not a #2. That is Burleson. Of course Burleson has injury history so it isn't as bad, but it was still a #3 WR.

Scouting reports say he is a complete burner with good hands, and can play both outside and in. I have seen him compared to DeSean Jackson at the high end, and that he is an explosive WR. Why did he last until the 2nd round then? According to those that are high on him it was his size. 5'11" and 175 pounds. Not exactly the prototypical 1st rounder anymore with that size obviously. He certainly will never need to know does oxyelite pro work?

A lot of people say we are going to love him. He has drive and attitude. I disagree with this pick, but I will support the guy until he gives me reason not to. This quote here warms me a little:

--- Young, on his first meeting with Lions receivers coach Shawn Jefferson:
"I remember Shawn Jefferson, the first day of practice at the Senior Bowl, he told me 'Hey, you're dropping the ball because you're not getting your hands around quicker. In the NFL, the ball's going to come quicker.' I listened. I've always loved a coach who watches me and for him to make me better. The next day, I don't think I had a dropped pass. I said that to say this - I knew he saw something in me. I looked in his eyes and said, "This man wants me and I want to play for him because he made me better in two seconds.'''

Mikel LeShoure RB, Illinois

Big Ten fans are probably a lot more familiar with this guy than Young. I am also much less negative on this pick. In fact I actually kind of like it all things considered of the trade up cost.

If we look at our RB corps right now we literally have no "starting" RB in my opinion. Mo Morris is again, and serviceable, but hardly a game breaker, or an every down back. Jahvid Best is electric, but he is not a 25 carry a game back either. He's more or less a guy that is used as a Reggie Bush back, or as a 3rd down back and long yardage. Kevin Smith is gone, cut. He won't be back now for sure. So RB was actually a relatively big need in the off season.

LeShoure was highly rated in this draft by quite a few. In fact there were some that considered him the best RB in the draft. Charley Casserly (highly respected within NFL circles as a former Super Bowl winning GM), made the statement that LeShoure was the best RB in this draft, by far. Casserly went so far as to compare him to Steven Jackson of the Rams.

LeShoure has a lot of skills, and is probably a complete RB. One of the things that young backs rarely have going for them when they come into the league is the ability to pass protect. LeShoure has above average skills in this area for a RB. This is typically one of the major things that holds rookie RBs from becoming a legit every down back in their first couple seasons.

Here is a description I found on a message board from a supposed scout. I can't confirm who it is, nor where it came from, but it is pretty accurate for the high end cornbread fan of this guy:

"LeShoure is a bigger back with tremendous strength. He is a one cut runner with nice elusiveness for a man his size. He loves contact and has the ability to run over or around defenders. He is a complete back. Very quick feet. LeShoure is a good receiver and does not have to be removed in passing situations. He's a threat to catch the ball out of the backfield and has the ability to stay on the field in pass pro. LeShoure has very good vision and instincts. It's apparent when watching him play he is a natural runner. He only lasted until round two because of the position he plays. There is tremendous depth in the RB position this year and not many teams are willing to spend a high pick but in my opinion LeShoure is special and a first round talent that Detroit acquired in round two. In most other years he is gone in the top 25 picks."

At the end of the day I think we got 2 real nice playmakers, and if you buy Mayhew's explanation all 3 of the Lions first 3 picks were right in line with their draft board. Meaning that they took the best player available on their board at every slot. A strategy that I have always been a fan of. If you think the guy is the most likely player to succeed in the NFL tha tis left on the board that guy is probably your best pick. Of course I take a bit of a mixture of BPA and positional value into account if I were going to draft. For example, if I see a WR that is roughly as valuable as a CB, or even LB I would probably take either the CB, or the LB over him. Unless you are getting that elite #1 guy at those spots, but the 3rd, or 4th best one there who would be good, but not great I am not falling into the draft for need camp.

Reaction To Lions Draft? 1st Round thoughts

I think it is safe to say that most fans were scratching their heads for all 3 of the picks in the first 2 rounds of the draft. After a couple days many have come around like they always do, but many just think that taking Fairley was something they couldn't pass up, while the other two of WR Titus Young and RB Mikel LeShoure were more of a head scratcher. Let's take out the utility knife and cut into the picks.

Let's go with the main complaint first that the Lions drafted to strengths and more or less passed on positions of need through the first 2 rounds. The 1st pick of Fairley we can all see that if it pans out makes our DL just all that more dominant, and literally feared around the league as extremely dangerous. Fans of other teams reacted this way right off the bat and the NFC North fans were even more worried about the combination of Fairley and Suh in the coming years.

We didn't get a LB in the first 4 rounds of the draft, but look at it this way. With the dominant front four we are going to have there would be very little needed to convince a "name" LB like Tulloch that he could put up career numbers behind these maniacs. Besides drawing more attention to FAs we are actually going to get better play out of lesser LBs playing behind these guys. While having a stud out there along with them would be incredible, we improved the LB core either way. Now it is just easier to sign guys that we know will start day 1 in FA.

There are a lot of naysayers that REALLY wanted to draft the CB from Nebraska, Prince Amukamara. Our own DROY Suh wanted his old teammate more than anyone. I haven't heard his reaction to this pick at all, but I'm sure he will get over it if Fairley pans out.

I really don't know what to make of a lot of the negative thoughts on Prince that came up leading into the draft. Stats that made it look like he was a bit weaker than some of the later guys that would get taken such as Harris that we could have also drafted in the 2nd round. The Giants decided to take them both so I guess they wanted to lower risk. Mayhew was a defensive back in the NFL so there must have just been something about him that he wasn't convinced of, and that Fairley was the best player they could get. He was definitely one of our top needs while Fairley seemed more like a luxury pick to many.

The Lions had no thoughts that Fairley would be there when they drafted. They felt it was a gift from the draft gods, although many teams passed on him for attitude and laziness. These are red flags, and you never know what the league is trending to year to year in drafts with problem players.

This year seemed like there were a lot of teams that shied away from any player that had negative character issues of any kind. Ryan Mallet the best QB in the draft in my opinion, and maybe the 2nd best CB in the draft of Jimmy Smith both fell like bricks. Smith went to Baltimore with some real mean bastards and Mallet went to New England. Both places that I would consider very good situations for problem players to go and get the supervision they need. Teams with solid leadership.

We have to hope that Fairley will benefit from guys like Kyle VandenBoesch and even Suh to keep him in line. If he can learn the NFL from guys like that he could be a serious talent in the NFL and live up to the top 5 talent that some said he has. Only time will tell, but I am quite excited to see if this works out and can't complain one bit.

NFL Draft Now 3 Day Event?

Now I'm really not sure how many people care that much about the NFL draft, but as a Lions fan it has become what is known as the Lions Super Bowl. We tend to watch the draft a bit more closely than some other fans considering that just about every player we take is either a bust, or someone that should be starting on Day 1.

The NFL announced this week that they will be making the NFL Draft a 3-day even now. The first round will be during Prime Time on Thursday nights, while the last 2 days will be on Friday and Saturday.

I have yet to see anyone that actually likes this idea. First of all the first round is the biggest draw. Putting it on a Thursday night seems to be a recipe for disaster. The length is usually 3-4 hours at least, and as much as 6 hours sometimes. I don't know about most of you, but I have to get up for work in the morning. If they plan on putting this on at say 7-8 PM on the east coast I just don't see how anyone can stay up and watch this until 2 in the morning. Of course as a Lions fan I should be in bed by 10 most years anyways since they are always in the top 10.

Either way I am not a fan of the change. Hardcore NFL fans are the only ones that really care about the draft, and I doubt most of us want to watch this during the week. As it is now most of us discuss and prepare to watch the draft for months and get ready for a lost weekend. Needing acne treatment to fix all the sitting at the computer over 48 hours.

Now we are being shafted for some perceived need to make this into a prime time event that literally only hardcore fans really want to watch. This isn't the NBA Draft here folks. You can't just throw it out there and get it done in 2 hours. This is a 7 ROUND draft and there are WAY more players int he NFL to know about than in hoops.

I guess it isn't up to us though so we have to deal with it. I say bite me Goodell you tool.

Who Should the Detroit Lions Take at #1?

As bad as this franchise has been, surprisingly they have rarely been the worst. Picking #1 overall isn't as common as you would think for this franchise. Sure a handful of top 5 picks and even more top 10 picks have been there, but never #1 overall.

So...other than a trade down scenario which every single person who talks about #1 always says is their first choice, but occurs about once in a blue moon, who should the Lions take int he draft? Sorry no toll free to call. Just the comment form :).

The consensus is that the Lions will take Georgia QB Matthew Stafford. The Lions have never had a real good QB in my lifetime. Ever. The best single season a QB has had is the Scott Mitchell offensive outburst season where we had THREE 1,000 yard WRs. Remember who they were? Johnny Morton, Brett Perriman, and Herman Moore. Those were the days, and we didn't draft them all in the top 10 like the 45 ones we have since Millen was here.

Remembering Joey Harrington has a lot of people worried about taking a QB. Namely Stafford since many claim he is too inconsistent to succeed in the NFL. Only a Jr. as well. Pointing to his less than stellar completion percentage as well as his age brings up comparisons to all the other Jr. QB busts. Other than the rocket arm the comparisons to Ryan Leaf seem to come out a lot as bust potential,b ut he is nothing like him.

Then you have the other camp. The old "build the lines" camp. Now don't get me wrong. I consider DE, and OT the franchise building blocks most of the time although I also consider QB as the other one. It's the right thing to say when talking about building a team. Who do we have out there at #1?

Looks like there are 3 guys that are vying for the slot right now at OT. Andre Smith, who as recently as this week has lost a lot of credibility with his combine fiasco. Not being smart enough to make an excuse as to why he couldn't lift, and then missing 1/2 a day going AWOL. He was the consensus #1 OT for the majority of the Bowl Season and now is being questioned as even top 3.

Eugene Monroe made a run at the #1 slot, but it appears that Jason Smith out of Butler is making a very strong push for that top OT spot in the draft. An athletic OT, that was a TE before he became an OT. He is saying all the right things, has a reputation for hard work, and by far the most athletic of the 3. Of course all 3 have question marks. Mostly whether or not they are truly a franchise OT, or possibly just an OG.

There are also a few rumblings about there about DT B,J. Raji from Boston College. He has improved his standing significantly since the end of the season. We do NEED a DT very badly and it appears we aren't going to sign Albert Haynesworth :(.

Then we have the great Aaron Curry. OLB from Wake Forrest who is considered the "safe pick" in the draft. He is considered the bust-proof player this year, but can you take a LB #1 overall? Much less a guy that isn't even a MLB? I certainly have no argument for doing it. He'd be one of the highest paid LBs int he league, and although he is said to have the ability to play MLB, that is a pretty big IF for taking a guy #1 overall. Would I be upset with this? Not particularly, but I also don't see it happening either.

I've been on the Stafford bandwagon for a few months now. I think it is the way to go. While I take the criticism of him into account, I see a lot of talent here. I see a guy that is a bit a head of others who are touted as the next big QB. He has the rocket arm of course, but what makes him stand out to me is his ability to look off DBs, and go to 2nd and 3rd options better than any of these other guys. Bradford the Heisman winner is terrible at this. He stares his WRs down and looks like an INT machine in the making. Please watch him play and forget the hype on him.

I know a lot of people worry about Stafford, but that is who I;'m going with. I have no interest in Sanchez out of USC. I think he may have an average career int he NFL, but the guy just has way too many question marks. Many more than Stafford. He also is being touted as so great because of his ONE bowl game. Stafford is getting a lot of his negatives from his ONE bowl game as well, but we'll disregard that today. He only is ranked this high because the other 2 big names stayed in school in Colt McCoy and Bradford. HE was ranked behind all of them all season until all of a sudden he had a big bowl game and was the only other name QB in the draft.

I'm taking Stafford #1 overall and drafting defense the rest of the way. We have 2 OTs that aren't going anywhere as much as people want to wish Backus to the cornfield. He isn't going to play OG either no matter how badly we want to think it. We don't need O-Line as badly as people think we do, but we do need some OGs VERY badly. We take Stafford and ALL defense the rest of the way with maybe an OG thrown in, or a WR that hopefully can return kicks.

Lions Draft for Need, For Once

The detroit Lions have made a lot of high draft picks in the last decade. They have taken a lot of wide receivers in the top 10 of these drafts. One thing was certain, they were going to take a skill position in almost every 1st round they had a chance to. Drafting 4 WRs in the top 15 in the past 6 years in the likes of Charles Rogers (#2 Overall 2003), Roy Williams (#7 Overall 2004) Mike Williams (#10 Overall 2005), and Calvin Johnson (#2 Overall 2007. Only roy Williams has shown he was worth the pick, and Calvin still has a long ways to go before anyone can say he was worth a #2 pick. Throw in Joey Harrington at #3 overall in 2002 and you have a laundry list of 1st round busts.

This year they actually decided to stay away from skill position guys for the most part and while we all laid in our massage chair watching the draft this year we saw something a little different. They took guys that you could actually say were positions of need and passed on guys like Mendenhall that we were all expecting them to take in the 1st round.

Although Lions fans were still quite pissed off that we took one offensive tackle at 17 by drafting Gosder Cherilus instead of just taking Albert at 15, there isn't much to complain about in my opinion. These guys are all rated relatively the same and they were able to move up 10 spots in the 3rd round to still get a tackle that was rated around where Albert was by trading back to 17.

The big thing that everyone was pissed off about this year however, was the 2nd round pick of Jordon Dizon of Colorado. Since Lions fans treat mock drafts like gospel, they all believed that the Lions reached way too far to get the guy. According to some mock drafts he was projected to go in the 4th round. Many others showed him in the early 3rd, so really it wasn't that huge of a reach. Most of these fans wanted Connor of Penn State. IN THE 2nd ROUND AT THAT PICK. Connor ended up getting drafted with the 11th pick in Round 3! To think these guys can complain about a perceived reach after calling to get this guy. Dizon lead the nation in tackles last year and was the Big 12 Player of the Year.

These same fans tend to think that our 3rd round Pick (#1 traded up from #3 with Dolphins)Kevin Smith is going to be all that. Like we got a steal. The guy is a dancer, and he is slow. Lions RBs are always like this guy and they always suck ass. HE will be no different. NEWSFLASH: This guy was the 8th best ranked RB coming out so anyone thinking we got a steal there is a moron.

As for the rest of the draf tthey picked positions of need all day. Look at the breakdonw with out even knowing the names and you may have to say that Millen had his most sensible draft since he has been here.

Round/Pick:

1/OT
2/LB
3/RB
3/DT
3/DE
5/WR (He's more of a kick returner, which we need desperately)
5/FB
7/DT
7/S (Dude from the Army)

Actual Picks

RB was a need so skill position there isn't a big deal. The WR is going to be used as a KR so it wasn';t really a bad pick. Everyone else? Straight need.

I am excited about Dizon for sure no matter where he was drafted. Nobody knows anyways how much he was moving up. I've seen quotes from other teams that said they were going to take him in the 2nd anyways so it really doesn't matter. Marinelli took him because he loves to play and he isn't a prima donna. Fine with me. Let him and Ernie Sims crack some skulls on Sundays is what I say.